Blogger

DD is 4 years old!

Debatably Dateable is 4 years old! My oh my, how big she’s grown! I can’t believe this blog is 4 years old today! 

If I’m honest, I did not put much effort into my blog this year. I go through waves of inspiration and droughts, and I’ve had an extremely long drought this year. Fall 2019 I was doing great with my queue and I think that honestly held me through. When the summer started I did start to work on new content. But I haven’t really been active on here and the stats really show from July 2019 5,003 to this July (just last month). 

6,000 !

I am proud that DD has over 6,000 followers, I appreciate every single one of you for taking the time to read the thoughts and feelings I share. I hope my honesty has helped some of you feel connected to something outside of yourself. I’m also proud to stay that I’ve posted 700 articles/poems over these 4 years and I’ve loved exploring so many topics with all of you!

 

She’s helped me launch 3 poetry collections now and I’m so thankful to have WordPress as a platform to share my work with all of you!

Purchase any of my books on amazon here!

2020 series announcement

You’ve come to know, every year I do a theme series!

2017 Love Fest

2018 Advice Column

2019 Poet Interviews

 

and now here we are with

2020 – All the Feels Playlists!

Each month will cover a different aspect of love or love lost such as: break up, steamy desire, jealousy, and forever love. I’ll put together a playlist of about 7 songs that fit the theme.

Who hasn’t made a playlist as they’ve gone through a break up?!

I’d love to hear what type of playlists you are all looking forward to! Any suggestions are welcome!

 

Review of Our Whimsical World by Lauren M. Hancock (Alice Well)

The talented author and illustrator Lauren M. Hancock, (also known as Alice Well) got in touch with me earlier this month and swapped books, here’s my review of Our Whimsical World: Illustrated Stories.

Our Whimsical World offers bright rhymes, vibrant illustrations, and profound lessons. Majority of the characters are animals and inanimate objects that really plays into the whimsical theme. Yet they all face struggles and human emotions us, readers face throughout life. It was great to see so many issues touched on by the characters struggling with anxiety, death, hatred, sadness, and feelings of being left out.

The colorful illustrations brought an added layer to every story. The collection of short stories is broken up into 3 sections: For the Younger Ones, Slightly Older, and Older Ones. This really allows an array of readers to enjoy Lauren’s insightful stories. Some of my favorites were:

For the Younger Ones:

Morgan the Star Child for not letting the negativity around her bring her down and Super Sponge for using his talent to help heal others.

 

For the Slightly Older Ones:

Hippobottom the Heiress for her generosity and dedication to understanding victims and Bert the Turt and Trudy the Beet for showing readers what true friendship is and facing discrimation.

 

For the Older Ones:

My heart broke for Mother the Vase and her losses but my heart fills with laughter for The Prince Who Could Carry a Tune.

Get your copy from Amazon and check out Lauren’s Goodreads too!

Debatably Dateable is 3 years old!

I’m so excited to celebrate another anniversary with Debatably Dateable! She’s quickly closing in on 5k followers and is consistently setting new records for monthly views this summer, so I couldn’t be prouder! Over the past 3 years, I’ve been able to produce about 500 posts and 2 poetry collections.

Screen Shot 2019-08-29 at 12.10.03 AM

Ddateable has been a great launching pad for my sophomore poetry collection Where I Ache and I thank you guys so much for all that support!!

book cover ebook

Where I Ache on Amazon and Goodreads

 

DD has expanded with dating advice, poet interviews, and writing and publication tips. My favorite article from the past 12 months is You Shouldn’t have to Love Yourself First because of all the discussion it fostered in the comments! My favorite poem would be Moving On and Moving Out, it’s an older piece but I enjoy how it’s held through time.

I’m exciting to explore more topics in the relationship and dating world as well as write and publish more poetry! I hope to continue to reach new audiences with my blog and my books! I’ll be updating you all on the progress of my third collection over this next year so make sure to always check in!

 

Screen Shot 2019-08-29 at 12.32.55 AM.png

 

 

Interview with Poet Robin Williams – Installment 7

This month’s Poet is talented beyond her years with 6 publications in just 2 years! Robin Williams’ poetry is as much of a fighter and activist as she is, standing for equality, lgbt+ rights, mental heath, and more. Along with poetry, Robin lets her creativity out in short stories, polymer clay designs, and hand-made crafts. This artist is just getting started, so let’s get to know Robin now!

Your poems focus heavily on an array of sensitive subjects, are there poems that are just so raw that they will never be shared with an audience?

Every poem I’ve ever written has most likely been shared with an audience. There are times I do write a piece that is very raw and I question myself if it should be shared, but a big part of me thinks that it must be shared. I feel that not only am I reflecting myself through my art to heal and analyze, but that someone somewhere is doing the same thing when reading my poetry. Together, we face the raw moments in life and I think that really makes a difference to those who feel like they’re alone in the world.

What was the idea behind publishing April Showers Bring May Flowers and Scars of Apollo just one day apart?

Scars of Apollo had been a planned announcement for almost a year and a half. April Showers bring May Flowers just sort of swept in through the window during the poetry month of April. It really all was just a spur of the moment but it made sense in the end. SoA was to bring healing, to share healing, and ASbMF delivered that healing further through being a collection for donations.

Screen Shot 2019-07-11 at 10.25.59 AM

Check out more photos from Robin’s Instagram

 

With six published collections (which is extremely impressive in 2 years time!), do you have a favorite?

(Thank you!) My books are literally my children and as every parent knows, to pick a favorite is the worst thing you could do. But I must say, yes, I have a favorite. Scars of Apollo has really brought me so much growth and positivity that my life has taken a trek in the best direction. Of course, I’m very proud of my other works, but SoA is my future and I like that alot.

 

I know you stand for a lot of causes, is there anything that’s really inspiring your current poetry in particular?

I’m at a mix between wanting to stir up some work that introduces readers to what I believe in, (I’m tasting a bit of witchcraft at the moment) and really breaking down my past year in reporting sexual assault. I think many people find it hard to not only grasp the horrible events many face, but hard to also share those events. I’ve seen my poetry taking on the role of a fighter who is many emotions; anger, guilt, regret, happiness, relief, and determination. Pulling strings from all parts of myself has set a sail within that I hope more people will board.

Screen Shot 2019-07-11 at 10.29.00 AM.png

See more hand-made creations from Robin’s FactioMagicis shop

How did you get into creating polymer clay designs?

It all started with YouTube. I consider myself very crafty; I enjoy getting my hands messy, leaving paper scraps everywhere, and letting glue stick to the table and my fingers. When I came across some videos of how to craft the polymer clay, I was immediately intrigued and purchased some clay the next day. From there, I went through trial and error to get the creations I wanted. It turned out to not only be a fun activity in my spare time, but proved to be a little therapeutic. I’ve even decided to include some in my new subscription boxes!

 

To get in touch with Robin or purchase one of her many creations, you can reach out –

on Instagram, on Amazon, on her blog, and on her shop !

Blog Tour Interview: An Interview with Poet Megan O’Keeffe — The Literary Librarian

What gave you the idea for Where I Ache? Or what inspired you to write it?

Where I Ache focuses on various aspects of mental health, such as depression and self esteem, which are definitely important to me and my writing. Mental health can be such a delicate topic and often gets avoided because of that. In fact, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to publish this book because I didn’t know if I could put that vulnerability out there. But then I reflected that because of the silence, people with mental illness feel even more alone, so then I knew I wanted to publish this collection, so that the readers could be their own little community of support and unity.

Interview: An Interview with Poet Megan OKeeffe

via Interview: An Interview with Poet Megan O’Keeffe — The Literary Librarian

Cracked Open by Megan O’Keeffe: Review by Juliette Sebock

I received a copy of Megan O’Keeffe’s Cracked Open for review purposes. As always, this review reflects only my honest thoughts on the book.

 width=Cracked Open
by Megan O’Keeffe

Publication Date: April 16th 2018

Paperback; 110 Pages

Genre: Poetry

 

Cracked Open is a down to earth and vulnerable journey following the human heart as it searches for love. This collection cracks the reader’s chest wide open and nourishes the heart it touches. Rising author Megan O’Keeffe offers a raw and open narrative to pull you into every poem and emotion. Divided into five chapters, this debut book also features twenty never before seen poems as well as fresh illustrations to create a complete experience for its audience.

Purchase a copy

My Review

When I first received my copy of Cracked Open, I was immediately struck by the beauty of the cover–the image here really doesn’t do it full justice! I’ve tried to explain the impact this had on my reading of the poems within but, so far, I’ve failed: It’s as though the earth has cracked open beneath you like the speaker’s heart and you’re wallowing in an ocean beneath. It’s reminiscent of water, space, and emotion simultaneously. It’s haunting and beautiful and sets the tone perfectly for this collection.

 

read the rest at Juliette’s blog

Q&A Soon! – Ask Your Questions!

I just want to start by thanking you all for supporting me to 3,000 followers! It is absolutely amazingggg to see a number like that 2.5 years after I published my first article on here.

 

I think I’ll do a little, mini Q&A to celebrate this milestone. If anyone has any questions feel free to leave them in the comments!

I hope to publish the answers in 2-3 weeks but we shall see how busy life gets.