The Poetteer

Hello Poetteers, As someone who has self published several poetry books my top tip is to diversify your distribution. Don't exclusively publish your book on KDP. They only distribute through Amazon. Smashwords is an ebook retailer and distribution site. They will distribute your book to places such as B&N Nook, Apple Books, Kobo and Scribd. Check out their site for more info. Other Ebook Distributors: Smashwords Kindle Direct Publishing Book Funnel Payhip Smashwords and KDP only distribute ebooks. I used to publish paperback through CreateSpace but that site is now closed. I go directly to Barnes and Noble Press to publish the paperback version. Other Distributors:  Barnes and Noble Press IngramSpark There are several self publishing services out there. Look for familiar authors and transparency on their website before working with them. This website does a great job rating and reviewing different services.  My self publishing guide is...

Bilingualism in poetry is a literary device to communicate the narrator’s cultural identity. One form is to have a side by side translation of the poem in different languages. The other form is code switching. It’s the mix of two languages together in one piece of writing. The first poems I wrote were about culture and hijab. I unintentionally abandoned it and wrote poetry about emotions and nature. I found my way back to writing about culture but I was uncomfortable being vulnerable and sharing my faith. I felt uncomfortable to use words I knew from other familiar languages. I either avoided the topic I wanted to write or replaced the other language with English words. As the voice became louder I stopped holding myself back and filtering my poetry. By letting myself write whatever I wanted I started feeling comfortable with vulnerability. I felt fulfilled in sharing myself and my experiences. When you’re ready let yourself explore language and different topics. If you share bilingual...

Poetry in the Arab world was a source of politics and cultural life. It was an oral tradition. Poets had rawis (reciters) to preform the poem. They were vital to its preservation. These rawis would learn the poet’s techinques and use it for their own poetry. This continued to be passed down. They had mock battles and contests. The best ones were hung on the kabaa. With this practice sound and rhythm played an important part in the formation of the poems. Language was expressive and firguartive. One characteristic is imagery. There are decriptions of nature, paticularly animals and garden scenes. The adjectives were descriptive. Some pieces had mystical significance. Another characteristic was that they poems were romantic and nostaglic. Several themes helped carry that: Hija : Lampooning is crizitzing the opoosing tribe. Madih : Panegyric is praising of their tribe, person or homeland. Rahil : Recounting a (desert) journey. Nasib : Nostaglic about the the past and of an absent beloved....

Hello Poetteers, Reading poetry helped me feel less alone in my hurt. I write poetry to process my emotions and experiences. From it, I gain some clear perspective on lessons and solutions. I am able to let go and move forward. I've noticed a pattern in some of my poetry. I add the definition, observations made, and emotions it brings. Maybe the piece is fully positive. If not, it'll start with the negativity and end it with positivity. My pieces are more literal and introspective. But I am starting to love experimenting with more figurative language and coming up with rhymes and metaphors. With my poetry, I hope to spread mental health and cultural awareness. To shine a light on faith and self love. I want to help bring diverse representation into the poetry world.  What is your poetic voice and style?  Stay inspired, Fida More : poetry books | editing service

Hello Poetteers, On one side of the poetry world we are encouraging of those who are willing to be vulnerable in sharing their stories. On the other side the poetry world is a mess. The poetry world needs a change. 1. Poets are mistranslating other poets. One example is Barks vs. Rumi. Barks didn't know the language or religion; therefore, he took out the religion. He changed it to be sexual and to fit his westernized spirituality. I break it down in my posts:  Rumi  and  Arab History . Make the time to learn and research your topic. Don't invalidate one's beliefs to fit yours. 2. Poets are plagiarizing others. Time and time again it resurfaces that Rupi Kaur plagiarized Nayyirah Waheed's poems and its style. Rupi has called Nayyirah one of her inspirations. In summary, Waheed has reached out several times to Kaur about the similarities and Kaur denied it. Reading a poem or book that inspires you can affect your subconscious. When it comes to working on you...

Hello Poetteers, My poetry represents me and my books represent the poems it holds. It was obvious to put myself on the cover of my first book. I regret not having a muslim girl on the cover of Her Olives but I love the cover enough to not want to change it. I didn't think of representation until I was about to publish Her Treasures and Her Durian . It was an effortless and subconscious choice. My creativity reflects me. With self publishing there isn't any gatekeeping. I spent my childhood buried in books. I never saw myself in them. Whether it was a character or the cover. The first time I saw a muslim girl on the cover was ' Does My Head Look Big In This ' by Randa Abdel-Fattah. YA books are changing. It took about 10 years. There was a push for diverse stories and own voices. Within my own reading a muslim girl didn't come up again until ' Saints and Misfits ' by S.K. Ali. Are poetry books making that change too? It feels like a trick question. Fa...

Hello Poetteers, I'm currently working on a 'collected poems' project. While compiling them I found some of my favorite titles and I want to break them down for you. I hope this gives you some idea of what to ask and look for in your poems when titling them. Good Side of Sad - This piece was written after dealing with heavy grief and feeling tired of the overwhelming emotion. I was questioning my sorrow and darkness. It doesn't always have to be dark. I like to see the positive side of things. Lost in Existence - The word existence is already in the poem and is the topic of the piece. The first stanza mentioned being disconnected and unable to pinpoint our thoughts. I asked myself what word sums up the above emotions. I came up with lost and saw the definition: "Unable to find one's way; feeling confused, insecure or in great difficulty". The word fits well. Scrapbook of Language - This poem is about a memory I found in a scrapbook. That memo...