Patrice Gopo: Releasing an Essay Collection
A Milestones Met Interview
Please share your exciting news (agent signing, book sale, etc.)!
I’m excited to share that my second essay collection, Autumn Song: Essays on Absence (University of Nebraska Press | American Lives Series) is now available. This collection invites readers into one Black woman’s experiences encountering absences, seeing beyond the empty spaces, and grasping at the glimmers of glory that remain. The official release date is actually September 1st, but the book has already shipped from the warehouses and is out in the world (writing this at the end of July)! That was unexpected for me and required that I change course a bit with my marketing & publicity efforts.
How long have you been writing/pursuing an agent/publishing deal and how has the Courage to Create program/tools served you in reaching this milestone?
I finished this essay collection in early 2021, and my book proposal went out on submission around the same time (just the FYI: my experience with essay collections is that you need to a book proposal for your project even if your manuscript is already written). After numerous rejections from large and small presses, the University of Nebraska Press acquired the manuscript in the late spring of 2022.
Let’s just say that journey was filled with occasional moments of hope paired with a whole lot of turmoil. As we all know, it’s hard to be on submission. The rejections can lead you to question yourself and your work. I remember one press rejected my manuscript twice!! The acquiring editor had passed my manuscript onto another editor, and they both independently rejected it. That was a lot. I needed ice cream that day!!
I joined the CTC community in the autumn of 2021, and I found this space to be such an encouragement, just normalizing the reality of what it means to be on submission—whether in the forum or the literary life sessions. I also found the CTC beliefs to be a huge help. During those hard days of being on submission and wondering if this manuscript would find a home, beliefs like “The only STAMP OF APPROVAL we need is our own,” “We BELIEVE our books and careers into BEING,” and “It takes THE TIME IT TAKES.” were very meaningful reminders.
When we reach a milestone, it means we may encounter new fears and challenges, as well as joys along the journey. How has being a part of the CTC community prepared you for both enjoying the celebration of a milestone reached and the work that is next to come?
CTC is such a place of celebration!! I love how we celebrate all the goodness happening in our lives. That alone can bolster a person. I remember sharing with the group earlier this year that I had just announced AUTUMN SONG to my newsletter subscribers and on social media, sharing about pre-ordering, etc. I felt free to celebrate that and acknowledge how vulnerable I felt taking those actions. And this community was a place that made space for the reality of how I was feeling but also cheered me on. It’s a place that continues to help encourage me to take the next brave step. And honestly, I think that is what we need across this journey—whether crafting the words, submitting our work, or launching a book in the world, we keep taking brave steps forward. There will always be a lot of vulnerability, but we can also choose to be brave. And when we don’t feel it, to know that others can remind us how brave we are.
In the Courage to Create, we call on our Big Why as we engage in the ups and downs of the literary life? What’s your BIG WHY and how does it keep you motivated to keep working towards new milestones?
So, my BIG WHY has been known to fluctuate over time . . . But right now, I’m feeling these words: “Telling lyrical stories that celebrate joy, expand understanding, and foster compassion . . .” Reminding myself of these words regularly helps me determine which ideas to pursue and which ideas to release. These words also help me remember what my hopes are with my work. It can be so easy to get caught up in external expectations floating around out there, not taking the time to determine if meeting such expectations is what I want to do. Having a big why can serve as a beautiful boundary setter, course corrector, and general friendly voice that tells me the purpose of what I do matters!
It’s not easy to keep creating courage when it comes to our literary lives. Did you ever encounter a low point or period and did you lean on any of the CTC tools or practices? What did the no/not yets, or near misses/champagne rejections teach you in hindsight not that your YES is here?
As I mentioned above, that period of time looking for a publication home for my essay collection was filled with a lot of turmoil. Those CTC beliefs and literary life coaching sessions truly served as an encouragement. And ultimately, now with this collection (and with other projects too), I have recognized and embraced the reality that the type and style of my writing isn’t for every publisher, but it is for a particular publisher. Part of the whole submission journey is bravely putting my work out there and knowing I am taking steps toward finding that right publishing fit!
As we celebrate your milestone reached, what thoughts can you share with other writers who may doubt they will reach their first or next milestone?
One of my favorite pieces of advice I read at the start of my writing journey is that if you keep at it, the writer you are today will not be the writer you are six months from now. And I find that so true for many things. I think if we keep on the journey, we will grow and change in ways that bring whatever goal or milestone that much closer.
What is your favorite Courage to Create Belief?
We STRIVE to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Patrice Gopo is an award-winning essayist who writes stories steeped in themes of place, belonging, and home. She is the author of two essay collections: Autumn Song: Essays on Absence (University of Nebraska Press American Lives Series) and All the Colors We Will See (a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection). Her debut picture book, All the Places We Call Home, is based on one of her essays. When she’s not writing, Patrice hosts the podcast Picture Books Are for Grown-Ups Too! because she believes in the power of stories to help build connections between people. Please visit www.patricegopo.com to learn more.
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