In the latest issue of Gather Journal, a small haiku was tucked away on the bottom corner of page 45. Turn the page too quickly, or fix your gaze on the potato and leek tart it was paired with, and it would have been easy to miss the haiku entirely. But when I noticed it there like a crumb on the page, I knew it needed to be here, too.
A Leek Haiku
By Fiorella Valdesolo
Onion it is not.
Slender. Mild. Ribbons and roots.
Beauty in a stalk.
From Gather Journal, Fall/Winter 2013
It's a new year. Hello!
One of my recent newsletters covered the topic of blogging advice, and it received such a positive response from readers that I wanted to share it here to kick off 2013.
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Almost exactly one year ago, I was fighting off a cookie craving by standing in the hallway with a book of poetry in my hands. Eat This Poem was born just hours later, so it's only fitting that I'm in a reflective state of mind as 2012 comes to a close.
When a friend suggested I start a blog in 2008, I laughed it off. Only after we discussed it more did I realize that a blog would solve a very critical problem in my life: I needed a creative outlet. I had always been interested in writing and photography, and had been teaching myself to cook for the past five years. I didn't see what an opportunity it was at the time, but I realized much later that this was a space to find my voice. I also resisted starting a Twitter account, but have now made genuine, real life friendships because of it. What a world we live in!
I've given a lot of thought to blogging, what it means to me, and the opportunities its provided, but have rarely written about it. Almost five years in, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the final authority on blogging, but I have learned a few things along the way that I offer to you here.
1. Blogs are planted like seeds in the ground, so start where you are. The blog you have now will grow and change in ways you might not be able to imagine in two or three years from now. You'll be a better writer or cook or artist in six months or a year. Don't let this stop you from beginning.
2. Write, create, and dream for yourself first. It's crucial you don't lose this ability when starting a blog.
After some time away, it always takes a day or so to reestablish myself in the kitchen. Although the refrigerator is usually lacking some ingredient I need or crave, the thought of trekking to the store minutes after unpacking never feels like a worthwhile endeavor. Let it wait until tomorrow.
What follows the arrival, the mail sorting, the laundry starting, the opening windows to let some fresh air in, and the dog walking, is the question of what to eat. Having decided against going to the store, and tired of eating out, I'm left with a few choices that can be made from the pantry, plus anything else that survived our week away in the refrigerator.