• The Academy of American Poets
• The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network
• Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
• Christian Writers' Group International
• The Writers View, online group of professional writers, editors, and agents

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much do you charge?

Critiques: $25.00 an hour for poems under 30 lines with a $40.00 minimum payment.


Do you have references?

Yes. Available upon request.

Who is this Web site for?

Beginning and intermediate poets.

How do I get started?

Click on submission process for critiques.


Why is your site named Redeeming Words?

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." This favorite scripture, coupled with a favorite theme: redemption, is the origin of "Redeeming Words." The name works on a physical level as well. When we learn to recycle the words of one poem to use in another poem, or search for the exact word, or when we eliminate errors in spelling, grammar, or usage when proofreading, we are redeeming words.

Why do you use bridges in your Web site?

Bridges connect one place to another place. Poetry does the same. Aristotle defined poetry in terms of metaphors (analogies). In Greek "metaphor" literally means "carry across." When we carry something across we have made a connection--a sort of bridge between things. Poetry can wander through mental maps connecting thoughts, feelings, and life events. Inside spiritual maps, poetry is informed by reflection. Poetry comes from a deep place where “deep calls to deep.”
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Other Links

These links are not poetry related. Please see the Resource List for all poetry related links. These are links of other colleagues who are writers, editors, or other interesting links.


Simon Presland
www.simonpresland.com

Do you need an editor? Simon offers a full array of services--the one stop source for all of your writing and editing needs. Ghostwriting, newsletters, business brochures, substantive editing, and more. 


                                                  
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Sample Poem for Children: 
      
The Chalk

by Laura Evans

To a teacher, the world
is held captive
by a piece of chalk.
Antarctica to Zambia,
every insect, fish, and bird,
multiplication tables,
Alexander Hamilton,
a grammar of letters,
and even planets
are stored inside chalk.

A true teacher
has the power
to unlock these wonders.
And it is the patient lines
on the map of her face
that students rely on
to navigate through the world.


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Sample Devotion:               Are You a Sheep or a Goat?

Suggested Bible Reading:                                       Matthew 25:31-46

    All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.    ~Matthew 25:32-33 (NRSV)

    Imagine you can throw a rock the length of two football fields. At the far end of the second field is a group of sheep and goats. They mingle together. Due to the distance, you can't distinguish the sheep from the goats. Despite this disadvantage, you will be able to identify the sheep from the goats after you throw your rock. How? By watching what the sheep and goats do when a rock suddenly lands near them. When sheep are frightened, they run away in a group. In contrast, frightened goats will break away and flee as individuals in different directions.
    Jesus can also identify you by your behavior. If you are found volunteering at your local school, hospital, or nursing home, you are answering the call of the flock. Or you might take a less formal approach. For example, you might ask your elderly neighbor if you can pick up groceries for her when you go to the store. Your behavior tells Jesus you are thinking of others. You are not just going your own way like a goat. When you care for people around you, then the Good Shepherd will invite you to join the flock. Then you can enjoy the company and compassion of Jesus.

    Dear Lord, thank you for allowing me to serve You through volunteering in the     
    community. Amen.

    Thought for the Day: Look for God in the eyes of those you serve.

    Prayer Focus: Thank God for those you come in contact with in the name of     
    the Lord.
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Sample Essay:            Therapy and Art

    Steve Martin, speaking to Charlie Rose, said the difference between therapy and art is that in therapy you hang on to your discoveries; in art, you abandon them. 
    Well, Steve, yes and no. It depends on what you are looking at--the final result or the process. Paul Valéry said, "A poem is never finished, only abandoned." If the final result is a poem, abandonment is one possibility. Yet, the process of taming words (for language will always run wild among the people) is neither abandoned nor forgotten. This is witnessed when comparing the earliest poems with the latest ones of, say, Ted Kooser. In poems, many poets leave a map of their maturation, things remembered not abandoned. 
    Conversely, in therapy there are times when abandonment, to let go, is required to move forward. In certain cases, especially patients who suffered childhood abuse, it can be necessary to abandon personal senses to get to the common sense of society. For example, children raised in abusive situations learn to read the world according to their own particular household signs. Yet, when they grow up, in order to respond appropriately to the larger world, they need to let go of what made sense in their childhood world. As adults, they learn every time someone raises his voice, they will not always get hit. In the larger world, they find some people are very noisy, but harmless. If they can abandon their childhood sensibilities, they can quit cowering in the face of a booming voice. 
    Therapy is about finding insight, then choosing which insights to hang on to and which to put aside. The solid insights become the foundational blocks upon which we can build better lives. The insights we abandon are the ones that can crush us. Bitterness, guilt, and other feelings are too heavy to constantly carry. It is best to leave these with God. 
    So, Steve, does your distinction actually apply to therapy and art? You will have to decide for yourself. As for me, I question the purpose of such a distinction. There is enough compartmentalization in the world which, too often, leads to disconnection rather than clarity. 
    It has been reported that Freud admitted he did not discover the unconscious, the poets did. As a poet and writer, I see therapy and art as twins--fraternal, to be sure, due to the inherent differences. But I recognize their symbiotic nature when I write. 
    However, you do not have to be an artist to participate in therapeutic writing. You can find your way to insight by being honest with yourself and accountable to God. Paper is the earthly realm that can pin down our cloudy thoughts, our fears, our dreams, and help clarify our thinking. Paper, like God, is always with us--a faithful companion while traveling through this world.

Resources:

~Journal to the Self: Twenty-Two Paths to Personal Growth, Open the Door to Self-   Understanding by Reading, Writing, and Creating a Journal of Your Life by     
   Kathleen Adams
~Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions by James W. Pennebaker
~Writing As A Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives by     
   Louise DeSalvo.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional therapist. These are personal opinions. This essay is not meant to suggest any personal treatment program. If you are experiencing problems, please contact an appropriate resource: a crisis hotline, a therapist, or your physician.

*Charlie Rose show with Steve Martin as a guest aired on Jan. 25, 2008.
Do not reproduce any writing on this page in any form. © Laura Evans 2008
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