12/10: Nice To Meet You
12/10: Nice To Meet You
Dear Other Charming Qualities readers,
It’s the end of the week (for most people). Happy Friday!
What’s included today:
Introduction
Resources
What I’m Reading
Social Media
Let’s get to it!
Introduction:
Seeing as this is my first official-official newsletter post with actual content, I’d like to take the time to introduce myself to you. I’m Candice, and I will be your guide through this journey we call the Other Charming Qualities newsletter—about writing & being human. Also, check out my website CandiceStanfieldWiswell.com if you feel so inclined. Please & thank you.
Objectives For Newsletter
To share with you updates about my work, writing resources (e.g., book prizes, contests, workshops, writing prompts, etc.), what I’m reading, social media highlights from Twitter and Instagram, and anything else I think you might like. Feel free to email your suggestions to me at candicewritespoetry [at] gmail [dot] com.
About My Psychology Work
No, I am not that kind of psychologist (read: clinical or counseling psychologist). Not that I find anything wrong with that kind of psychologist -- I have many friends who bravely conquer the counseling side of psychology, but it is not what I study. My area of psychology focuses on human information processing and sensory perception (e.g., time perception, visual information processing).
As of writing this, I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Psychology with a concentration in Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience. A mouthful, I know. Basically, I'm ABD (all but dissertation), and hoping to complete my Ph.D. by the end of 2022. We shall see, as this is graduate school and the only things that are certain are educational debt, migraines, and prolonged exposure to elevated levels of cortisol.
About My Poetry & Creative Writing
I have been writing poetry for over two decades (geez, that makes me feel old). I started writing when I was 14 years old as a form of creative expression and as a way to work through trauma. That same year, my English teacher encouraged me to send a poem I had written for class to an anthology. To my surprise, it was accepted and published. I was the youngest author in that published edition.
In late 2020, I began to take the craft of poetry writing more seriously. At the time, I was completing my comprehensive qualifying exams for the Ph.D. and was in my third trimester of my first pregnancy. Apparently, writing poetry is how I deal with crushing levels of stress, but the act of creative expression reignited a passion for poetry that I had quelled for far too long.
It was then I decided to intentionally refine my craft and process in poetic and creative writing. I began submitting my work to journals, some of who accepted my pieces and even went so far as to publish them (of which I am eternally grateful)! (See AUTHOR page on my website to read my published works.) As I continue to submit works for publication, I invite you to join me on my journey of sharing words with the world.
Resources:
Virtual Creative Writing Workshops
presented by Community Building Arts Works (CBAW) in Partnership with Strathmore
Pay-what-you-can pricing
Workshops led by author and poet Seema Reza
Workshops featuring Jennifer Patterson (Dec 16) and Amber Flame (Jan 20)
Register here: https://www.strathmore.org/what-s-on/21-22-strathmore-season/creative-writing-workshops/
Jack McCarthy 2021 Book Prize Hosted by Write Bloody Publishing
Due December 17
Submit here: https://www.writebloody.com/submissions
Writing Prompt
Set a timer for 8 minutes (or write longer) and free-write what comes to mind.
When you see what you see, what are you missing? What does it matter what you’re missing if only you care about what you see?
What I’m Reading:
UnSouled (Book #3 of the Unwind Dystology) by Neal Shusterman
Every Little Vanishing by Sheleen McElhinney
Social Media:
Tweets
Instagram
I love this little bookshop @oldtownbooks! One day I hope to have a book sold here. ♥️
Magic exists in the setting of an autumn sun—in it’s golden fingers that stretch languid across walls. A farewell kiss from a lover that lingers on the lips. It whispers in soft cadence, “Until we meet again.”
