Inspirational Artist Series: Joshua Grant

The Inspirational Artist Series spotlights some of the artists featured in our issues and anthologies, and/or who have moved us in specific ways.

Today’s guest is Joshua Grant. Josh makes a living teaching and working with kids in various environments, with the occasional novel always in the works. He is also a huge supporter of independent authors, whom he promotes via his website Diabolic Shrimp and his new YouTube show. 

Josh dedicates parts of the proceeds of his book sales to important causes, including ocean exploration, the No Kid Hungry initiative, ALS research, Children’s Hospital, and prevention of youth suicide.

Check out the interview we conducted with him earlier this month during our PoArtMo Show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Ug4zrjjio

Connect with Joshua Grant:

Have a wonderful week!

Cendrine & David

Inspirational Artist Series: Daniel Lyons

The Inspirational Artist Series spotlights some of the artists featured in our issues and anthologies, and who have moved us in specific ways.

Today’s guest is Poet Daniel Lyons, whose work has been featured in our magazine.

How does a poem begin for you? Does it start with an image, a form or a particular theme?

My poems always begin with an emotion I can’t quite define. The specific nostalgia of autumn air, for example. Each of my poems is an exploration of that emotion, a definition, as it were.

Are there any forms you haven’t tried yet but would like to?

After several creative writing courses at Western Washington University, I think the only poetry form I haven’t tried yet is epic poetry.

What is your relationship with your speaking voice and your written voice?

My written voice is considerably more articulate and less prone to hyperbole than my spoken voice. As a high-functioning autistic, writing is a more accessible way for me to communicate (most of the time) with other human beings compared to the spoken word.

Have you considered getting other people to read your poetry or is it important for you to be the one to perform your poetry to an audience?

I don’t know if this has ever been an issue for me. It would be strange to hear someone else read my poetry, though I have no fundamental objection to it. Given a choice, I suppose I would prefer to perform my poetry myself, simply because I consider rhythm and pacing to be the soul of poetry.

How important is accessibility of the meaning of your poems? Should we have to work hard to “solve” the poems and discover their deeper meanings?

Poetry is like abstract expressionist painting, or at least my poems are. The point is not what it means but what it makes you feel. Whatever that is, is what it means.

Has your own opinion or idea of what poetry is changed since you first started writing poetry?

I started writing poems when I was in elementary school. It used to be very important to me that poetry rhyme, also that it tell a story. Now I regard it more as a way of painting with words, a way of capturing one moment or state in time, whose past and future are entirely open to interpretation.

Anything else we should know?

Since my father and grandmother passed away in 2020, I have embraced painting as a creative outlet, in addition to working full time and attending online school with Washington State University to pursue a second Bachelor’s, this time in Political Science.

While it is one of my dreams to write about politics and history for a living, I try to keep my personal politics out of my creative work — not out of my themes, but out of my creative content. In this, I draw inspiration from my favorite novel, Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess, whose politics were about as different from my own as it is possible to be, were subtly evident in all of his work, and yet which I am always able to forgive because Burgess filled every page he ever wrote with humor, warmth, wit, and compassion. As we gird ourselves for another round of divisiveness, I hope we can all try to imbibe some of that spirit in our creativity, in our personal relations, and in ourselves.

Changing Seasons - Daniel Lyons


gilded autumn lightfall
glows on leaves golden
as the disappearing summer…
what a wonderful time to be…

the summer remnants fall
on fall leaves glowing
with the light of season’s dying…
what a wonderful time to be…

wintry air blast mocks
the warm colors that blanket
so much hibernating life…
what a wonderful time to be.

Changing Seasons is featured in issue 2 of the Auroras & Blossoms Poetry Journal.

Bio:

Daniel Lyons graduated from Western Washington University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. He is a published poet and the self-published author of All-American Aphrodite.

Daniel lives in SeaTac, Washington.

Links:

Daniel, thank you for answering our questions and supporting Auroras & Blossoms!

Cendrine & David

Now Offering Royalty Payments for Publication in Our Magazine and Anthologies!

Hello everyone!

If you missed our show on Tuesday, you did not hear the huge news we shared. So, here it is!

The pandemic has hit people hard, especially underrepresented artists. As such, we wanted to support the creatives who work with us in a more meaningful way.

Many magazines cannot afford to pay their contributors. The ones that do pay usually offer a small lump sum. This is especially true in the poetry world. That is the reason why we have decided to offer royalty payments to paying contributors of our issues and anthologies from now on — starting with issue 6 of the Auroras & Blossoms Poetry Journal!

What does it mean?

  • Royalties are paid on an ongoing basis and will be allocated on a ‘per piece basis’ for each piece featured in an issue or anthology.
  • Every time someone purchases a copy of an issue, the featured artists who have opted to receive royalties will earn a percentage of the money made on that sale. Make sure you let family and friends know where you have been published to increase your own earnings potential.
  • Featured artists have the potential to earn royalties for many years to come!
  • Readers have the opportunity to support underrepresented and established artists alike and encourage them to continue creating.

How Do Royalty Payments Work?

Royalty payments and sales reports are handled by Draft2Digital (D2D), our main ebook distributor. To be able to receive royalties as a featured artist, you will have to open your own Draft2Digital account and complete your payment settings and tax interview directly on the Draft2Digital website.

(The process is similar to what you would have to do to publish your books / ebooks on Amazon).

The next step will be to send us the email address you used to sign up for your account with Draft2Digital, so we can let them know that they can finalize the royalty payment process with you.

Please note the following:

  • We cannot set up your D2D account for you.
  • We cannot help with any technical issues you may encounter with the site or accessing your account with D2D. Please contact their support team instead.
  • D2D will handle royalty payments, not us. D2D will also handle sales reports for your publication, which you can access via your D2D account.

At Auroras & Blossoms, we want you to feel part of a big family of inspirational artists whose work and ideas are valued. As such, we believe that royalties are a step in the right direction. And we sincerely hope that you will agree that this is an amazing opportunity for artists going forward to help reward them for their work!

In the meantime…

Continue Submitting to Our Magazine!

Our current reading period ends on January 20th, 2021. Please submit to us before or on this deadline to ensure consideration for publication in an issue at the end of 2021/early 2022.

Kindly note that publication slots are limited. So we advise you to submit as soon as possible.

We are open to submissions all year long and also accept pieces from 13-16 year-old artists.

We look forward to reading you. Happy creating!

David & Cendrine

Celebrate the Release of Issue 6 of ‘Auroras & Blossoms Poetry Journal’ with Us – Very Special PoArtMo Show!

Hello everyone!

First of all, happy New Year! We wish you the best for 2021!

We are beyond excited to announce that the sixth issue of Auroras & Blossoms Poetry Journal will be out tomorrow.

As you probably know by now, we enjoy celebrating the releases of our issues and anthologies with special PoArtMo shows. The next one will be tomorrow, Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at 3 p.m. PDT / 5 p.m. CDT / 6 p.m. EDT. We will stream on Facebook and YouTube simultaneously!

(For those of you who do not live on the American continent, check your time zones here.)

This show will be longer than usual. During the first half hour, we will chat with Joshua Grant, a children’s book and YA fiction author, and fantastic indie author supporter. The second half of the show will focus on several major announcements about our platform. We are sure that you will love to hear what we have in store for you!

Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Ug4zrjjio

Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1999265886857535/posts/3526040780846697

In the meantime, don’t forget to grab your copy of issue 6. It is available at every online bookstore!

In the meantime…

Continue Submitting to Our Magazines!

Don’t forget to continue sending your work for potential inclusion in our magazines. We are open to submissions all year long and also accept pieces from 13-16 year-old artists.

We look forward to reading you. Happy creating!

David & Cendrine

Announcing Our New Book of Creative Prompts for Artists!

Hello everyone!

We are very excited to announce a new book in our series of guides and workbooks for authors and artists.

Last year, when we released My Creative Journal: 40 Prompts to Take Your Writing to the Next Level!, artists and creative types who are not writers asked us for prompts that would help them kill their ‘artist’s block’. We listened.

30 Creative Prompts to Take Your Art to the Next Level follows the uplifting concept behind Auroras & Blossoms. Each prompt comes with an image and will challenge artists of all levels and abilities to discover or perfect their voice, and let inspiration flow freely.

30 Creative Prompts to Take Your Art to the Next Level will be released on January 12, 2021. You can already pre-order your copy for the early-bird price of $1.99 $0.99 until that day. Just click on the cover below for more information.

Thanks for reading and as always, happy creating!

Cendrine & David


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