Return to Top of Page
Menu
  • Close
  • About Us
  • Past Issues
  • Contributors
  • Donate
  • Opportunities
  • Staff
  • Submissions
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Search Website
Literary Mama
  • Current Issue
  • Archives
  • Departments
  • Blog

November 22, 2021 | Blog |  No comments

100 Words of Writing Advice from Libby Maxey, Senior Editor and Poetry Editor

By Blog Editor

leather journal on map
Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash

“Read extensively, but write the poems only you could write. Talk with other writers, even if they’re dead. Know your purpose and hold it close. Think of the obvious, then think of something better. Make friends with metaphor. Take your poem to a metaphor’s house and stay. Follow when the metaphor goes out; see what it does and what it becomes. Teach your reader new words, or try what unexpected things old words might do. Shave away unnecessary words, the ones that slow the lines that ought to move and make the poem stumble. Listen. Add, alter, excise—always listen.”

-Libby Maxey, Senior Editor and Poetry Editor at Literary Mama

Libby Maxey has been a member of the Literary Mama staff since 2012. She lives in rural Massachusetts with her husband and two rapidly maturing sons. With her academic career as a medievalist having died a stunningly swift death by childbirth, she now administers the Department of Classics at Amherst College, writes poetry, reads when able, and sings as much Handel as possible. Her work has appeared in The Mom Egg Review, Emrys, The Maynard, Mezzo Cammin and elsewhere. Her poetry chapbook, Kairos (2019), won the Finishing Line Press New Women’s Voices contest.

Tagged: 100 Words of Writing Advice, Blog, How to Write, Libby Maxey, Literary Mama, Poetry Editor, Publishing, Senior Editor, Writing Advice, Writing Tips

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share This Page

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Copy Link

Recent Posts

  • Join the Literary Mama Team! June 29, 2022
  • Now Reading — June 2022 June 24, 2022
  • Meet the Staff: Blog Editor Crystal Rowe June 21, 2022
  • Where Are They Now? An Interview with LM Contributor Windy Lynn Harris June 17, 2022
  • 100 Words of Writing Advice from Brianna Avenia-Tapper, Profiles Editor June 14, 2022

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Don't miss out on Literary Mama news and updates

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS

© 2022 Literary Mama | Search Site | About Us | Staff | Submissions | Privacy Policy