June 16, 2025 • 25 mins
What happens when an eight-year-old girl from communist Bulgaria decides she's going to be a poet? Katerina Stoykova joins us to share her remarkable journey from the shores of the Black Sea to becoming a published author, publisher, and literary community builder in Kentucky.
Katerina's story begins with a pivotal childhood moment when a visiting poet sparked an unshakable desire to write poetry. With disarming honesty, she recounts telling her mother about her dream and immediately writing her first poem, determined to prove herself. This early conviction carried her through years of honing her craft, from publishing in magazines as a teenager to finally releasing her first book in her thirties.
Drawing from her fifteen years of experience as founder of Accents Publishing, Katerina offers invaluable guidance for writers navigating the publishing landscape. She breaks down exactly what to look for in a publisher (longevity, fair contracts, good distribution), how to scrutinize publishing contracts, and the factors to consider when choosing between traditional and self-publishing paths. Her practical advice demystifies the often-confusing publishing process with refreshing clarity.
Perhaps most valuable is Katerina's wisdom on handling rejection—an inevitable companion to creative work. Rather than being crushed by rejection or wearing it as a badge of honor, she advocates for emotional neutrality: "Take every rejection as a data point, just like Thomas Edison said about finding ways not to make a light bulb." This perspective, coupled with her three non-negotiables for writers (reading, writing, and workshopping), provides a sustainable framework for creative growth.
Subscribe to hear more conversations with fascinating creators who are living their dreams and building meaningful careers through passion and persistence. How might your own creative journey benefit from Katerina's insights?
Want to be a guest on Living the Dream with Curveball? Send Curtis Jackson a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1628631536976x919760049303001600
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Living the Dream Podcast with
Curveball, if you believe youcan achieve.
Welcome to the Living the Dreamwith Curveball Podcast, a show
where I interview guests thatteach, motivate and inspire.
(00:24):
Where I interview guests thatteach, motivate and inspire.
Today, I am joined by poet andpodcaster and business owner,
katerina Stoichkova.
Katerina is Bulgarian, but shelives in Kentucky and she's got
books out there about poetry andhave a podcast, and she's doing
(00:46):
a lot in the state of Kentuckyto help people also as well.
So we're going to be talking toher about everything that she's
up to and what she's going tobe up to.
So, katarina, thank you so muchfor joining me today.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Thank you, Curtis, for this kind invitation.
I can't wait to talk to youtoday.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Why don't you start off by telling everybody a
little bit about yourself?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Oh well, I was born and raised in Bulgaria during
communist times.
I was born and raised on theBlack Sea, so it was quite
beautiful.
In a lovely resort town.
I was seeing the sun rise outof the Black Sea every morning.
(01:34):
I am an only child.
I wanted to become a poet.
That was my dream when I waseight years old.
When I was at school, a poetcame to the classroom.
I can't remember his name orhis face or anything else, I
(02:02):
just remember that I was insecond grade.
In second grade, and when hewas talking about poetry, I felt
how this huge desire unlockedinside me and I knew beyond a
shadow of a doubt that that'swhat I'm gonna do all my life.
And when?
And then I went home and I toldmy mom mom, I'm gonna be poet.
And I don't think she believedme or anything.
(02:26):
But I told her you'll see.
So I went to my room and Iwrote a poem, and then somebody
told me that I, in order to be apoet, I have to write more than
one poem.
So I continued and continuedtrying to become better and
better, and when I was ateenager, in high school, I
(02:46):
started publishing poems inmagazines throughout the country
.
However, it took longer topublish my first book.
I was in my 30s when thathappened.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Okay, well, talk to the listeners about what it
takes to write a good book andespecially, how do you come up
with a good title for a poetrybook?
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Well, in order to write a good poetry book,
normally people write the poemsfirst, and then they put it
together in some way that makessense for the work as a whole.
So then, what's important towrite a good poetry book, I
(03:36):
think, is, first, to write goodpoems.
Second, to come up with it,come up with a theme.
And third, to have, uh,interesting architecture in mind
.
And fourth, to not be afraid tocompletely abandon those ideas
(03:57):
and try something new.
And try something new and trysomething new, because a poetry
book is not a porcelain cup thatyou break in.
You can never put it backtogether.
You put it back together andthen you put it back together
and you put it back togetheruntil until it is something that
(04:18):
you yourself like and apublisher likes enough to make a
commitment for it.
And how to make a good title?
Well, the title of a of apoetry book has a different
function than the title of anindividual poem.
(04:42):
In a poetry book, few thingsare local.
Pretty much every decision thatyou make is a global decision,
so you have to weigh thatdecision uh, to the effect that
it has not only to the the poemthat it affects, but also
against every other poem thathas been included in the
(05:06):
collection.
To me, a good title for apoetry book is one that has
multiple meanings, so it's opento different interpretations, it
is broad, it is non-ating andalso also is welcoming, and it
(05:37):
is representative to the themesincluded in the book.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Well, you mentioned about a publisher.
What should people look for ina publisher when they're trying
to find one?
Speaker 2 (05:55):
One thing that I look for in a publisher is longevity
.
If the press has been aroundfor a while, it is likely that
it will continue.
It is likely that it willcontinue Not only.
I mean.
That means that your book willlikely keep on being in print.
(06:16):
And also, if a press is verynew, that means that they have
some time to learn things thehard way, and I'm speaking from
experience because I'm apublisher.
Accents Publishing is 15 yearsold this year and we never
compromised on quality, but wedid learn things by doing so.
(06:40):
Longevity is one.
Another one is that the presswould have a good contract for
you.
Ideally, you won't have to payfor publication.
Ideally, they will give youpercentage as a royalty.
They would give you a discountto buy your own books.
(07:05):
And the distribution is anotherthing that I would look for in
a press.
I would look for how theypromote their books, and if I
know an author who has beenpublished by this press, I would
(07:27):
definitely ask them questions.
I would ask them two questions.
I have two questions that I askauthors who have been published
by a press what was yourexperience?
And then, do you recommend thepress?
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I know you talked about the contracts.
What should people look for andwatch out for when they are
revealing a contract forpossible signing of it?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
So what they would watch out for.
I mean, I would want to seewhat I'm giving up in terms of
rights and what I'm receiving inreturn.
So what rights I am giving upto the publisher in this
(08:22):
contract, that should be statedexplicitly.
Are you giving up print rights,what locations and for how long
?
Then what I would watch out foris if there is a publisher
deadline to it, because therewould be a clause that would say
(08:47):
that you, the author, need todeliver all your materials by a
certain date.
But let's make sure that thepublisher also has a deadline
also, because if you're a newauthor and you don't have a lot
of pool or literary power, thenthings change, priorities shift
(09:09):
and you don't want your books toget kicked back to the
publisher's queue.
Another thing that you wouldwant to see is you would want to
see an exit clause.
Under what conditions is thiscontract terminated?
(09:31):
So you will want to see, as Isaid, the publisher's deadline.
But also, under what conditionsdo rights return to you, like
if they don't meet demand, or ifthey go't meet demand, or if
(09:52):
they go out of business, or whatelse?
You also want, as I said alittle bit ago, ideally you want
to have royalties.
You want to have outlinedeverything that you're receiving
from this publisher in terms ofroyalties and free copies and
(10:17):
discounts you wanted in writingin the contract why should a
person give some best practicetips on someone deciding whether
they want to look for atraditional publisher or they?
want to self-publish.
(10:37):
Well, I think it's a good ideafor us to be aware of our
personal goals, and if yourpersonal goal is to launch a
long-term literary career, thenit's a good idea, and you have
(10:57):
the time to do that.
In other words, you are fairlyyoung.
So in this case, it is probablyworth it to put in a few years
of trying to win a prestigiouscontest or to try to publish
(11:20):
your collection especially ifit's a first collection in the
best press possible.
So I would look for traditionalpublishing under this
circumstance.
If you're working on your careerin academia, university presses
(11:43):
are a very good choice.
If you are someone who wouldlike to have a book to share
with family and friends and thelarger literary community, then
independent literary presses arevery good choice.
Then, if you have a particularaudience in mind and you do not
(12:15):
plan to venture outside of thataudience, then self-publishing
is a very good choice, becauseyou can control quite a few
variables at that point.
Ultimately, it is moreimportant at some point becomes
more important to have the bookrather than where it came from.
So self-publishing is always anoption.
(12:38):
However, if you are going toself-publish, I would still
recommend that you use aprofessional typesetter and a
designer.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Okay, well, tell us about your company as well as
your podcast.
Accents Publishing is yourcompany, and tell us about the
podcast, what we can expect whenwe listen to it and where we
can listen to it.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Okay, thank you very much.
My company is AccentsPublishing, independent press
for brilliant voices.
We started it 15 years ago withhandmade chapbooks.
At the time we made the $5handmade chapbook and we
couldn't make them fast enough.
(13:27):
They were very popular, verybeautiful, but I found myself
printing and binding books allthe time, so became unmanageable
and we started printing throughprofessional printing companies
, which made things easier forus and we could publish more
(13:53):
books.
For these 15 years we havepublished over 100 books.
I would say that a lot of themare poetry books, although we
have several nonfiction booksand some novels and short story
collections and a series ofnovellas.
I would say that accentspublishing.
(14:17):
I have learned so much and ithas given me so much throughout
the years and I have met somewonderful people and accents is
was a radio show and currentlyis a podcast on WUKY and NPR,
and it has been on a hiatus forhalf a year, but I'm about to
(14:42):
start later this month recordingagain.
Later this month recordingagain.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Okay, well, let the listeners know about your books
that you have out.
Tell us what we can expect witheach one of them and what we
can get them.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Thank you.
My latest book is a nonfictionbook called the Poet's Guide to
Publishing how to Conceive,arrange, edit, publish and
market a book of poetry and Iworked for over 10 years on this
book and I wanted to put in iteverything I know about how to
(15:20):
put together a poetry book andhow to edit it together as a
whole, and how to find apublisher, and then, when you
have your book in your hand, howto stand behind it and how to
promote it.
And my latest and it'savailable wherever books are
(15:43):
sold and my latest poetry bookis called Between a Birdcage and
a Birdhouse and it came outfrom University Press of
Kentucky and it has immigrationpoems in it well, talk to the
(16:06):
listeners about how to taketheir writings to the next level
and and also how to deal, youknow, with rejection, because
you know you face a lot ofrejection, or you can at least
oh yes, one thing is do not wait.
Do not wait.
Do what you can today.
(16:26):
If you're serious about writing, know that it takes decades to
develop as a writer and if youare not actively working on your
craft you're getting behind.
So that is kind of like anurgent message, but I don't want
(16:49):
to scare anybody.
As long as we do the three bigones, the three non-negotiables
reading, writing and umworkshopping, reading poetry,
writing poetry and um talking toseveral, several other people
(17:10):
to get feedback and to becomebetter then we are moving ahead.
So what was the second part ofthe question?
I want to make sure I answer.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
It was just how people can take their writing to
the next level.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Well, talk to the listeners about.
You did some work with theKentucky Book Festival and the
Kentucky Poet Society.
Tell us about those importantroles.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Now I remember the second part of the question,
which was how to deal withrejection, and, uh, I'm sorry,
may I say a sentence about that?
Speaker 1 (17:55):
yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Okay, because I have faced a lot of it over the years
.
Um, I have found that it ismost important to be emotionally
neutral about it.
Emotionally neutral becausesome people let themselves be
destroyed by rejections orbecause they know that they
(18:18):
don't deal with it.
They avoid putting themselvesout there.
And there are other people whoswing the other way and become
proud or wallpaper their youknow writing space with the
rejection.
See how many times I gotrejected and how persistent I am
.
I would just take everyrejection as a data point, just
(18:42):
like thomas edison said you,these are so many ways that I
found out how to not make alight bulb right.
That's the example.
So being neutral about it andto keep good records about where
you've been sent back, whereyou have had work sent back, so
(19:04):
you don't send the same thing tothe same places and do not let
it stop you, really Don't let itstop you.
And your question about theKentucky Book Festival and the
Kentucky State Poetry Society, Ican speak to that.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I can speak to that Kentucky Book Festival is the
biggest, longest runningliterary event in our state.
This year it will be the 44thedition and it was started by
volunteers in Frankfurt, whichis the capital, and authors
would go and would sit behindtables and sign books all day
(20:02):
and meet the public and haveevents.
The festival draws thousands ofpeople and we have about 150
authors and it is a communitycelebration.
It is People love to be there.
(20:23):
The first half an hour all yousee is authors hugging each
other because they haven't seeneach other all year.
So it's kind of like I quoteother authors family reunion and
everybody with a new book wantsto be part of the Kentucky Book
Festival and publishers timethe release of their books so
(20:47):
that they can come at this intime or to be included for the
Kentucky Book Festival.
I had the privilege of servingas the director for two years
and I was able to appreciate howhard administrators work,
(21:12):
administrators of literaryevents work, and how many
considerations come into playand how it looks.
Easy and flawless the event theday of, but it has taken like
10 months of meticulouspreparation.
Easy and flawless the event theday of, but it has taken like
(21:33):
10 months of meticulouspreparation for that to happen?
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Okay, well, tell us about any upcoming projects that
you're working on thatlisteners need to be aware of.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
I teach a class based on my poetry guide to
publishing book.
It's a five month uh, fivemonth class in which the
students work on to put theirbook together.
And I'm finishing this one andI'm gearing up to make a new one
and I will be working on my ownpoems and relax a little bit
(22:17):
and, who knows, maybe I'll evenfilm a narrative feature.
That will be my third narrativefeature that I'm co-writing and
acting in, so it's going to bea busy summer.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Sounds like it will, so everybody can keep up with
everything that you're up to.
Throw out your contact info.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Well, following me on social media would be the
easiest way to do that.
Social media would be theeasiest way to do that.
K-a-t-e-r-i-n-a-s-t-o-y-k-o-v-a.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Katerina Stoykova is my name.
Okay, we'll close this out withsome final thoughts.
Maybe, if that was something Iforgot to talk about, that you
would like to touch on any finalthoughts you have for the
listeners.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Well for the listeners.
Well for the listeners, I wouldsay um, having a creative life
is a wonderful way to enrichyour regular life and um, I find
myself a whole lot more happyand fulfilled and excited about
(23:28):
my life when I'm creatingsomething.
So I wish everybody a wonderfulcreative summer and thank you,
curtis, for being a wonderfulhost.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Oh well, thank you for coming on and, listeners,
please be sure to purchaseKaterina's books, you know.
Check out everything that she'sup to and going.
Please be sure to purchasekatarina's books, you know.
Check out everything that she'sup to and gonna be up to.
Follow rate review.
Share this episode to as manypeople as possible.
Follow us on your favoritepodcast platform and visit
wwwcurveball337.com for moreinformation on the living a
(24:03):
dream with curveball podcast.
Thank you for listening andsupporting the show.
And katarina, thank you forThank you for listening and
supporting the show.
And Katarina, thank you for allthat you're doing and thank you
for joining me.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
For more information on the Living the Dream with
Curveball podcast, visitwwwcurveball337.com.
Until next time, keep livingthe dream.
Welcome to the Living the Dream Podcast with
Curveball, if you believe youcan achieve.
Welcome to the Living the Dreamwith Curveball Podcast, a show
where I interview guests thatteach, motivate and inspire.
(00:24):
Where I interview guests thatteach, motivate and inspire.
Today, I am joined by poet andpodcaster and business owner,
katerina Stoichkova.
Katerina is Bulgarian, but shelives in Kentucky and she's got
books out there about poetry andhave a podcast, and she's doing
(00:46):
a lot in the state of Kentuckyto help people also as well.
So we're going to be talking toher about everything that she's
up to and what she's going tobe up to.
So, katarina, thank you so muchfor joining me today.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Thank you, Curtis, for this kind invitation.
I can't wait to talk to youtoday.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Why don't you start off by telling everybody a
little bit about yourself?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Oh well, I was born and raised in Bulgaria during
communist times.
I was born and raised on theBlack Sea, so it was quite
beautiful.
In a lovely resort town.
I was seeing the sun rise outof the Black Sea every morning.
(01:34):
I am an only child.
I wanted to become a poet.
That was my dream when I waseight years old.
When I was at school, a poetcame to the classroom.
I can't remember his name orhis face or anything else, I
(02:02):
just remember that I was insecond grade.
In second grade, and when hewas talking about poetry, I felt
how this huge desire unlockedinside me and I knew beyond a
shadow of a doubt that that'swhat I'm gonna do all my life.
And when?
And then I went home and I toldmy mom mom, I'm gonna be poet.
And I don't think she believedme or anything.
(02:26):
But I told her you'll see.
So I went to my room and Iwrote a poem, and then somebody
told me that I, in order to be apoet, I have to write more than
one poem.
So I continued and continuedtrying to become better and
better, and when I was ateenager, in high school, I
(02:46):
started publishing poems inmagazines throughout the country
.
However, it took longer topublish my first book.
I was in my 30s when thathappened.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Okay, well, talk to the listeners about what it
takes to write a good book andespecially, how do you come up
with a good title for a poetrybook?
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Well, in order to write a good poetry book,
normally people write the poemsfirst, and then they put it
together in some way that makessense for the work as a whole.
So then, what's important towrite a good poetry book, I
(03:36):
think, is, first, to write goodpoems.
Second, to come up with it,come up with a theme.
And third, to have, uh,interesting architecture in mind
.
And fourth, to not be afraid tocompletely abandon those ideas
(03:57):
and try something new.
And try something new and trysomething new, because a poetry
book is not a porcelain cup thatyou break in.
You can never put it backtogether.
You put it back together andthen you put it back together
and you put it back togetheruntil until it is something that
(04:18):
you yourself like and apublisher likes enough to make a
commitment for it.
And how to make a good title?
Well, the title of a of apoetry book has a different
function than the title of anindividual poem.
(04:42):
In a poetry book, few thingsare local.
Pretty much every decision thatyou make is a global decision,
so you have to weigh thatdecision uh, to the effect that
it has not only to the the poemthat it affects, but also
against every other poem thathas been included in the
(05:06):
collection.
To me, a good title for apoetry book is one that has
multiple meanings, so it's opento different interpretations, it
is broad, it is non-ating andalso also is welcoming, and it
(05:37):
is representative to the themesincluded in the book.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Well, you mentioned about a publisher.
What should people look for ina publisher when they're trying
to find one?
Speaker 2 (05:55):
One thing that I look for in a publisher is longevity
.
If the press has been aroundfor a while, it is likely that
it will continue.
It is likely that it willcontinue Not only.
I mean.
That means that your book willlikely keep on being in print.
(06:16):
And also, if a press is verynew, that means that they have
some time to learn things thehard way, and I'm speaking from
experience because I'm apublisher.
Accents Publishing is 15 yearsold this year and we never
compromised on quality, but wedid learn things by doing so.
(06:40):
Longevity is one.
Another one is that the presswould have a good contract for
you.
Ideally, you won't have to payfor publication.
Ideally, they will give youpercentage as a royalty.
They would give you a discountto buy your own books.
(07:05):
And the distribution is anotherthing that I would look for in
a press.
I would look for how theypromote their books, and if I
know an author who has beenpublished by this press, I would
(07:27):
definitely ask them questions.
I would ask them two questions.
I have two questions that I askauthors who have been published
by a press what was yourexperience?
And then, do you recommend thepress?
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I know you talked about the contracts.
What should people look for andwatch out for when they are
revealing a contract forpossible signing of it?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
So what they would watch out for.
I mean, I would want to seewhat I'm giving up in terms of
rights and what I'm receiving inreturn.
So what rights I am giving upto the publisher in this
(08:22):
contract, that should be statedexplicitly.
Are you giving up print rights,what locations and for how long
?
Then what I would watch out foris if there is a publisher
deadline to it, because therewould be a clause that would say
(08:47):
that you, the author, need todeliver all your materials by a
certain date.
But let's make sure that thepublisher also has a deadline
also, because if you're a newauthor and you don't have a lot
of pool or literary power, thenthings change, priorities shift
(09:09):
and you don't want your books toget kicked back to the
publisher's queue.
Another thing that you wouldwant to see is you would want to
see an exit clause.
Under what conditions is thiscontract terminated?
(09:31):
So you will want to see, as Isaid, the publisher's deadline.
But also, under what conditionsdo rights return to you, like
if they don't meet demand, or ifthey go't meet demand, or if
(09:52):
they go out of business, or whatelse?
You also want, as I said alittle bit ago, ideally you want
to have royalties.
You want to have outlinedeverything that you're receiving
from this publisher in terms ofroyalties and free copies and
(10:17):
discounts you wanted in writingin the contract why should a
person give some best practicetips on someone deciding whether
they want to look for atraditional publisher or they?
want to self-publish.
(10:37):
Well, I think it's a good ideafor us to be aware of our
personal goals, and if yourpersonal goal is to launch a
long-term literary career, thenit's a good idea, and you have
(10:57):
the time to do that.
In other words, you are fairlyyoung.
So in this case, it is probablyworth it to put in a few years
of trying to win a prestigiouscontest or to try to publish
(11:20):
your collection especially ifit's a first collection in the
best press possible.
So I would look for traditionalpublishing under this
circumstance.
If you're working on your careerin academia, university presses
(11:43):
are a very good choice.
If you are someone who wouldlike to have a book to share
with family and friends and thelarger literary community, then
independent literary presses arevery good choice.
Then, if you have a particularaudience in mind and you do not
(12:15):
plan to venture outside of thataudience, then self-publishing
is a very good choice, becauseyou can control quite a few
variables at that point.
Ultimately, it is moreimportant at some point becomes
more important to have the bookrather than where it came from.
So self-publishing is always anoption.
(12:38):
However, if you are going toself-publish, I would still
recommend that you use aprofessional typesetter and a
designer.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Okay, well, tell us about your company as well as
your podcast.
Accents Publishing is yourcompany, and tell us about the
podcast, what we can expect whenwe listen to it and where we
can listen to it.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Okay, thank you very much.
My company is AccentsPublishing, independent press
for brilliant voices.
We started it 15 years ago withhandmade chapbooks.
At the time we made the $5handmade chapbook and we
couldn't make them fast enough.
(13:27):
They were very popular, verybeautiful, but I found myself
printing and binding books allthe time, so became unmanageable
and we started printing throughprofessional printing companies
, which made things easier forus and we could publish more
(13:53):
books.
For these 15 years we havepublished over 100 books.
I would say that a lot of themare poetry books, although we
have several nonfiction booksand some novels and short story
collections and a series ofnovellas.
I would say that accentspublishing.
(14:17):
I have learned so much and ithas given me so much throughout
the years and I have met somewonderful people and accents is
was a radio show and currentlyis a podcast on WUKY and NPR,
and it has been on a hiatus forhalf a year, but I'm about to
(14:42):
start later this month recordingagain.
Later this month recordingagain.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Okay, well, let the listeners know about your books
that you have out.
Tell us what we can expect witheach one of them and what we
can get them.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Thank you.
My latest book is a nonfictionbook called the Poet's Guide to
Publishing how to Conceive,arrange, edit, publish and
market a book of poetry and Iworked for over 10 years on this
book and I wanted to put in iteverything I know about how to
(15:20):
put together a poetry book andhow to edit it together as a
whole, and how to find apublisher, and then, when you
have your book in your hand, howto stand behind it and how to
promote it.
And my latest and it'savailable wherever books are
(15:43):
sold and my latest poetry bookis called Between a Birdcage and
a Birdhouse and it came outfrom University Press of
Kentucky and it has immigrationpoems in it well, talk to the
(16:06):
listeners about how to taketheir writings to the next level
and and also how to deal, youknow, with rejection, because
you know you face a lot ofrejection, or you can at least
oh yes, one thing is do not wait.
Do not wait.
Do what you can today.
(16:26):
If you're serious about writing, know that it takes decades to
develop as a writer and if youare not actively working on your
craft you're getting behind.
So that is kind of like anurgent message, but I don't want
(16:49):
to scare anybody.
As long as we do the three bigones, the three non-negotiables
reading, writing and umworkshopping, reading poetry,
writing poetry and um talking toseveral, several other people
(17:10):
to get feedback and to becomebetter then we are moving ahead.
So what was the second part ofthe question?
I want to make sure I answer.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
It was just how people can take their writing to
the next level.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Well, talk to the listeners about.
You did some work with theKentucky Book Festival and the
Kentucky Poet Society.
Tell us about those importantroles.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Now I remember the second part of the question,
which was how to deal withrejection, and, uh, I'm sorry,
may I say a sentence about that?
Speaker 1 (17:55):
yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Okay, because I have faced a lot of it over the years
.
Um, I have found that it ismost important to be emotionally
neutral about it.
Emotionally neutral becausesome people let themselves be
destroyed by rejections orbecause they know that they
(18:18):
don't deal with it.
They avoid putting themselvesout there.
And there are other people whoswing the other way and become
proud or wallpaper their youknow writing space with the
rejection.
See how many times I gotrejected and how persistent I am
.
I would just take everyrejection as a data point, just
(18:42):
like thomas edison said you,these are so many ways that I
found out how to not make alight bulb right.
That's the example.
So being neutral about it andto keep good records about where
you've been sent back, whereyou have had work sent back, so
(19:04):
you don't send the same thing tothe same places and do not let
it stop you, really Don't let itstop you.
And your question about theKentucky Book Festival and the
Kentucky State Poetry Society, Ican speak to that.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I can speak to that Kentucky Book Festival is the
biggest, longest runningliterary event in our state.
This year it will be the 44thedition and it was started by
volunteers in Frankfurt, whichis the capital, and authors
would go and would sit behindtables and sign books all day
(20:02):
and meet the public and haveevents.
The festival draws thousands ofpeople and we have about 150
authors and it is a communitycelebration.
It is People love to be there.
(20:23):
The first half an hour all yousee is authors hugging each
other because they haven't seeneach other all year.
So it's kind of like I quoteother authors family reunion and
everybody with a new book wantsto be part of the Kentucky Book
Festival and publishers timethe release of their books so
(20:47):
that they can come at this intime or to be included for the
Kentucky Book Festival.
I had the privilege of servingas the director for two years
and I was able to appreciate howhard administrators work,
(21:12):
administrators of literaryevents work, and how many
considerations come into playand how it looks.
Easy and flawless the event theday of, but it has taken like
10 months of meticulouspreparation.
Easy and flawless the event theday of, but it has taken like
(21:33):
10 months of meticulouspreparation for that to happen?
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Okay, well, tell us about any upcoming projects that
you're working on thatlisteners need to be aware of.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
I teach a class based on my poetry guide to
publishing book.
It's a five month uh, fivemonth class in which the
students work on to put theirbook together.
And I'm finishing this one andI'm gearing up to make a new one
and I will be working on my ownpoems and relax a little bit
(22:17):
and, who knows, maybe I'll evenfilm a narrative feature.
That will be my third narrativefeature that I'm co-writing and
acting in, so it's going to bea busy summer.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Sounds like it will, so everybody can keep up with
everything that you're up to.
Throw out your contact info.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Well, following me on social media would be the
easiest way to do that.
Social media would be theeasiest way to do that.
K-a-t-e-r-i-n-a-s-t-o-y-k-o-v-a.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Katerina Stoykova is my name.
Okay, we'll close this out withsome final thoughts.
Maybe, if that was something Iforgot to talk about, that you
would like to touch on any finalthoughts you have for the
listeners.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Well for the listeners.
Well for the listeners, I wouldsay um, having a creative life
is a wonderful way to enrichyour regular life and um, I find
myself a whole lot more happyand fulfilled and excited about
(23:28):
my life when I'm creatingsomething.
So I wish everybody a wonderfulcreative summer and thank you,
curtis, for being a wonderfulhost.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Oh well, thank you for coming on and, listeners,
please be sure to purchaseKaterina's books, you know.
Check out everything that she'sup to and going.
Please be sure to purchasekatarina's books, you know.
Check out everything that she'sup to and gonna be up to.
Follow rate review.
Share this episode to as manypeople as possible.
Follow us on your favoritepodcast platform and visit
wwwcurveball337.com for moreinformation on the living a
(24:03):
dream with curveball podcast.
Thank you for listening andsupporting the show.
And katarina, thank you forThank you for listening and
supporting the show.
And Katarina, thank you for allthat you're doing and thank you
for joining me.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
For more information on the Living the Dream with
Curveball podcast, visitwwwcurveball337.com.
Until next time, keep livingthe dream.
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