Category: Uncategorized

MFA Notes, Uncategorized

MFA Notes: The Subconscious Editor

Michael Anthony

the subconscious editor lesley university mfa low residencyQuick Notes: The Importance of the subconscious editor

Recently, I graduated from Lesley University with an MFA in creative writing, and I decided that I wanted to share what I learned in a series of blog posts.

I decided to share for two reasons:

1) My notes, although not too detailed, could possibly  help other writers.

2) Rewriting my notes forces me to re-read and re-think everything I learned, so it’s a win-win.

But before we dive in, please keep two things in mind:

1) These notes are neither complete nor perfect. The classes at Lesley were not typical lecture/note classes; the classes were filled with writing and thinking exercises and often this left no time for notes (in a good way). However, even with that, these sparse notes, I do believe, could still offer value.

2) I may, from time to time, include actual writing prompts from the classes, please bare with me, they’re first drafts and were done in the moment.

I hope you enjoy this series of notes and if you have any questions about the notes, Lesley University, or MFA’s, please feel free to contact me.

The Subconscious Editor

Your subconscious editor (who you are) writes, and the reader reads with their subconscious editor (who they are).

The voice from the subconscious editor: Go into your natural voice and use that.

How far back in time does one look at the soil from where a tree has grown?

If you write with your honest humanity, then people will read with their honest humanity.

All stories are local first, but are universal once it makes a connection.

The first “I” shouldn’t be you, it should be the “seeing eye.”

It’s not about you, it’s about the observations from your prism.

If you have writer’s block then you need to inspire your soul.

It’s the subconscious editor who writes. You need to live a writerly life and feed your subconscious editor.

Where does the subconscious editor come from? – It is the sum of who you are looking back at you.

What is the loam that made you who you are?

How do you view the world? And why?

What is your subconscious editor’s quest?

The subconscious editor makes the world is sees.

Click here to see more MFA Notes…

Recommended book for this section: Drumblair, by Rachel Manley.

Picture: Flickr/Graham Holliday

MFA Notes, Uncategorized

MFA Notes: Life as a Public Writer

Michael Anthony

life as a public writerQuick Notes: Lesley University MFA: Q & A: Life as a public writer

Recently, I graduated from Lesley University with an MFA in creative writing, and I decided that I wanted to share what I learned in a series of blog posts.

I decided to share for two reasons:

1) My notes, although not too detailed, could possibly  help other writers.

2) Rewriting my notes forces me to re-read and re-think everything I learned, so it’s a win-win.

But before we dive in, please keep two things in mind:

1) These notes are neither complete nor perfect. The classes at Lesley were not typical lecture/note classes; the classes were filled with writing and thinking exercises and often this left no time for notes (in a good way). However, even with that, these sparse notes, I do believe, could still offer value.

2) I may, from time to time, include actual writing prompts from the classes, please bare with me, they’re first drafts and were done in the moment.

I hope you enjoy this series of notes and if you have any questions about the notes, Lesley University, or MFA’s, please feel free to contact me.

Life as a Public Writer

Writer down your artistic statement: Who am I as a writer?

Just keep writing. If you don’t write for a while, don’t beat yourself up, forgive yourself and then keep writing. The only thing you control is the work.

[Separate the business-hat from the writer-hat.]

*Work shopping – Just because a piece can make it through a workshop without too much objection or abuse doesn’t mean it’s good. The good stuff should raise objections, it should offend and should invite abuse. (This doesn’t mean to write sloppy. But often it’s the “safe,” writing which is the least objectionable.*

Poetry is a performative act.

You’re constantly changing as a writer.

The readers and critics really only know an idea of me, not the real me.

Don’t let bad reviews get to you. Don’t take reviews personally-good or bad. Never give up!

Click here to see more MFA Notes…

Recommended book for this section: Unless It Moves the Human Heart, by Roger Rosenblatt.

Picture: Flickr/Damian Gadal

Politics / News, Politics / News, ptsd, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Uncategorized

Is PTSD Genetic? Can PTSD be passed onto my children?

Michael Anthony

ptsd uncle sam recruitment poster ptsdIs PTSD Genetic?

Can PTSD be passed onto my children?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric ailment that affects many people around the world. This stress disorder can affect anyone and it is typically caused by uncontrollable or unpredictable traumatic events. In most cases, PTSD symptoms appear after several days or hours of certain event. However, there are times that it takes up to few months or weeks for the symptoms to manifest themselves. Common PTSD’s causes may be because of sudden death of loved ones, assault, car or plane crashes, rape, war, natural disasters, kidnap, childhood neglect, physical abuse and other traumatic events.

“Avoiding being reminded of the event, including becoming detached from friends and becoming emotionally withdrawn, is another sign of PTSD.”

But can we tell just by taking a simple blood test if we are predisposed genetically to PTSD? This question has been the biggest issue internationally. International researchers have found a genetic marker that is linked to PSTD in the blood samples of the conflict zone based Marines. This team of researchers is studying to figure out who is more resilient to PTSD, and who is more at risk for PTSD.

Women are more likely to develop this stress disorder than men. Signs tend to cluster into three main areas. One is when a person relives the event through vivid images and nightmares together with an extreme reaction like heart palpitations, uncontrollable shaking and chills. Avoiding being reminded of the event, including becoming detached from friends and becoming emotionally withdrawn, is another sign of PTSD. The last main signs of this disorder are when a person is hyper aroused, irritable, startled easily, and/or has difficulty concentrating and trouble sleeping.

The idea that your genes play a role in whether you develop this stress disorder has been a famous focus of frequent research. Scientists have actually discovered, in mice, the genes that regulate fear. The lack of a brain chemical that is regulating the fear (which is called peptide that releases gastrin), led to fear response that is greater among rodents. In another study, mice that do not have a protein that is necessary to form the so called “fear memories”, have less tendency of freezing up and willing to explore unfamiliar spaces (think of the cartoon Tom and Jerry, and how Jerry (the mouse) wasn’t afraid of Tom the cat. This could have, realistically, been because Jerry lacked a certain protein in his brain that would’ve told him to be afraid of Tom). This is important to note because many people believe that PTSD is an unnatural response, but PTSD can often be a natural response to a somewhat unnatural situation. The brain is almost wired to respond in such a way.

“It’s been said that a single person with PTSD infects/affects/effects up to seven individuals with symptoms.”

There are also studies on twins which show that heredity is accounting for about 30 percent of the differences responding to trauma. Identical twins are much more likely to develop this stress disorder than the fraternal twins. Another research has looked into the role of inherited mental disorders, brain differences or tendencies of addiction.

An unusual research avenue is the contribution of our immune systems to the development of the symptoms of PTSD or if it has also a big role in this development. Prior studies showed that people who have been diagnosed with PTSD as compared to individuals without PTSD suggest that their differences in their genes in relation to inflammation, plays a role.

Therefore, there is a tendency that PTSD can be acquired genetically, however, there is no positive result as researchers are still going on progress of having some clues as to what may predict resilience and risk.

One thing to keep in mind about PTSD, is that even though it may or may not be genetic, a father or mother can still pass on PTSD to their children, and loved ones, through proximity. It’s been said that a single person with PTSD infects/affects/effects up to seven individuals with symptoms. Think of it as the flu. A father gets sick with the flu: he’s lethargic, has a fever, diarrhea, and he’s nauseous. Several days pass and the father’s son gets sick. The son has all the same symptoms as his father, he’s lethargic, nauseous, has diarrhea, etc. Then, the next thing you know, the sister gets sick, the mother, and the whole house is laid up in bed. Now, take that same scenario and imagine a man with PTSD. He’s irritable, short-tempered, has trouble sleeping, is anxious, and is emotionally withdrawn. How long do you think it’ll be before his short-temper and irritability is passed along to his wife and children?

In a sense, it’s the old nature vs nurture debate. Are we predisposed to PTSD or brought up into it?

Picture: Flickr/Ilona Meagher

Best Of, Blackout Poetry, Blogishness, Blogishness, Politics / News, Politics / News, Uncategorized

Blackout Poetry: Combat Action Badge

Michael Anthony

Blackout Poetry Logo DesignThis poem/post will probably be a little more controversial than most Blackout poetry posts. That’s because it involves Combat Action Badges, and the current debate regarding them, and when/how/if/under what circumstances they should be awarded. My position on this is somewhat unique, though I know I’m not alone…

Blackout Poetry: Combat Action Badge

This article originally appeared in the Army Times and was over whether or not Combat Action Badge’s (CAB’s) should be retroactively awarded to soldiers.

“We don’t fight wars for awards.”

Here’s my take: Back when I was in the army, and serving in Iraq, I was awarded a CAB while serving in Mosul, Iraq. Now, at the time, CAB’s were a huge thing. Everyone wanted one. Some people wanted CAB’s so bad that they were even willing to lie to get them and “pretend,” as though they had been in a direct combat situation. It was a sad, sickening, spectacle. Several of my commanders lied about being in combat (and then backed up one another’s stories) just so they could get the coveted “Combat Action Badge.” This, ultimately, led myself and several fellow soldiers to come up with the saying “Never trust a soldier with a chest full of metal, unless the metal is shrapnel.” Lying was so prevalent that towards the end, the CAB, and several other awards, meant nothing to us.

People were trying so hard to get CAB’s that they were petitioning the Army, even back then, to change the regulations. Some soldiers wanted CAB’s for being around unexploded ordnance (I kid you not) others wanted unit-wide CAB’s since some of us had been in combat (that is actually too ridiculous for me to be able to explain in a blog post). And the coup de grace of all this is that at the end of my deployment, several fellow soldiers wanted me to lie about the events of an attack so that another soldier could be awarded a CAB. I refused, and the soldiers got upset with me, as though I was the asshole.

Anyway, if you can’t tell by now, I have no respect for soldiers, or anyone else, who feels the need to bitch, complain, and whine that they don’t have enough awards to pin on their chests.

We don’t fight wars for awards. Act like it!

 Poem Transcription:

Debate

Over

CABs

The Combat Action Badge

Was made to

Award Veterans

They want to be recognized

 For more military/war related blackout poetry click here.

To read more about the military experience and CAB’s check out the following book:

Best Of, Blackout Poetry, Blogishness, ptsd, Uncategorized

Blackout Poetry: Veteran Suicides

Michael Anthony

Blackout Poetry Logo WarIn case you’re not familiar with Blackout Poetry, Blackout Poetry is the act of creating poems by blacking out words that appear in newspaper articles (or books, but typically newspaper articles). I was inspired to give it a shot after being introduced to it by Austin Kleon. I’ve got a six month subscription to The Army Times and I’ll be experimenting with it throughout the next few months.

 —Blackout Poetry veteran suicides

This was an article that appeared in the April 13th 2015 edition of The Army Times. The article discussed veteran suicides across active duty and reserve/national guard soldiers. In 2014 suicides decreased for active duty soldiers but increased for reserve soldiers. With 22 veterans killing themselves every day in the United States (we’ve lost two to suicide from the unit I served with in Iraq) this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. I tried to boil down the article into its major points and through the redaction process I came up with the poem pictures above (and transcribed below).

Suicides Up

Suicides confirmed

it was their own

hand.

Suicides Down

Service members

protect us

support them.

Crisis line, 800-273-8255

 For more military/war related blackout poetry click here.

To learn more about the war-time military experience check out the following book:

MFA Notes, Uncategorized

MFA Notes – Journalistic Imperative

Michael Anthony

journalistic imperativeMFA Notes from Lesley University

What does it take to be a journalist?

Recently, I graduated from Lesley University with an MFA in creative writing, and I decided that I wanted to share what I learned in a series of blog posts.

I decided to share for two reasons:

1) My notes, although not too detailed, could possibly  help other writers.

2) Rewriting my notes forces me to re-read and re-think everything I learned, so it’s a win-win.

But before we dive in, please keep two things in mind:

1) These notes are neither complete nor perfect. The classes at Lesley were not typical lecture/note classes; the classes were filled with writing and thinking exercises and often this left no time for notes (in a good way). However, even with that, these sparse notes, I do believe, could still offer value.

2) I may, from time to time, include actual writing prompts from the classes, please bare with me, they’re first drafts and were done in the moment.

I hope you enjoy this series of notes and if you have any questions about the notes, Lesley University, or MFA’s, please feel free to contact me.

Journalistic Imperative

Always collect more data and research than you need. The goal should be to use the top 15%. The other 85% isn’t wasted; you need it all to be able to find that top 15%.

Types of research: Travel, eating, interviews, online, archival data, retrace steps/restage, public records, journals, immersion, photos, letters, etc.

Involuntary memory: a smell, sight, touch or sound, that reminds us of something or someone.

Eventually you’ll come across information and research that contradicts one another. This can be good, because where there’s contradiction there’s a story. (Also, if you come across two things that contradict each other, you don’t have to chose one or the other, you can report both–or dive into the story of the contradiction.) If one side of the contradiction feels better than the other, go with your gut.

*Research from all angles and perspectives*

*What’s the theme?*

Different narration perspectives: The me as a child, the me now. My friend, my brother, father, etc. The “we” and “us.” Don’t use these different voices as a gimmick, though.

How do you know when you’re done researching? Or when you’re done with your project?

  • Deadlines.
  • When the dots are all finally connected.
  • When things start repeating themselves; if five people say “blue,” and then so does number six, then maybe you can be like, “Okay, it’s blue. I can move on to something else.

Click here to see more MFA Notes…

Recommended book for this section: The Situation and the Story, by Vivian Gornick.

Uncategorized

New Blog Design…

Michael Anthony

The new blog design is almost done!  We should have it fully functional in another week, but for now you should be able to see all the great changes.

Bringing the block back online is exciting.  I’m going to be changing things up a little bit.  I’ll still be blogging about writing, ptsd, and veteran issues, but I’ll be adding some other stuff as well.

Inspired by Austin Kleon, and his “Black OUT poetry,” I ordered a subscription to The Army Times.  I’ll be adding a few black out poems every week with articles from the paper.

Also, I’ll be adding book notes/reviews from some of the books I read.  I’ve been reading about two books a month every since I started grad school and I’ve always kept notes and reviews for my personal library, but I thought it would be beneficial to share the notes and reviews.

More soon!

 

 

 

Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Uncategorized

Vegan Diet for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Michael Anthony

UntitledThe immune system attacks healthy tissue when an autoimmune disorder is present. Pain, swelling and stiffness result from the assault on the lining of the joints that occurs when Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is present. A link between RA and diet has not been established clearly and there are not official guidelines for it but there is an indication that eating a diet without animal products can make the symptoms less severe, especially when there are sensitivities to specific foods. A vegan diet might aid you to have a longer healthier life.

 Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms and Antibodies

 The body will produce antibodies when you eat something that it sees as a danger in order to fight the attack. The inflammation causing pain from RA results from the processes that are triggered. Certain foods, particularly those of an animal origin cause antibodies to be produced in those with Rheumatoid arthritis.

 Vegan Diets Benefits

 Unlike a vegetarian diet which removes only meat from the diet, the vegan diet removes all animal products and is thought to prevent strokes and heart attacks in those suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis.

 The center of vegan meals is rice, millet, corn, sunflower seeds, and vegetables. The main source of calcium is sesame milk and the vegan diet is made up of ten percent protein, thirty percent fat and sixty percent carbohydrates.

 Those that continually follow a vegan diet manage to lower levels of LDL cholesterol faster than those that do not follow a vegan diet. There are also lower levels of C-reactive proteins in the blood. The C-reactive protein indicates that inflammation is present in the body. Vegans lose more weight and have a lower body mass index on average than those who do not follow a vegan diet.

 Things to Remember with a Vegan Diet

 There are some things to keep in mind when you consider changing to a vegan lifestyle. There can be deficiencies in the nutrients such as calcium and vitamin B12 unless you follow a careful plan for menus. You should consult a professional before you make serious changes to your diet. Four food groups should be emphasized with a vegan diet:

 Legumes

  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Grains

 It is also recommended that you take a multivitamin daily. It is easier to transition to a vegan lifestyle to help deal with your RA when you do it a little bit at a time. There are some foods that you can add little by little to your diet and obtain key nutrients:

 Broccoli, collard greens, soy products, fortified juices and kale all give you calcium.

  • Pinto beans, soy products, spinach and chickpeas provide iron.
  • Corn, soy products and legumes provide protein.
  • Fortified soymilk and breakfast cereals can provide you with vitamin B12.

 When it comes to Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms, eating a vegan diet can go a long way to reducing the pain associated with inflammation by reducing the response of the immune system to things that it mistakenly considers to be harmful.

Tammy Mahan has worked in the healthcare field for over 20 years. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with Healthline.com.