“This book is a compilation of essays about writing, publishing, editing and surviving life as a writer and poet. You can read one essay in a sitting, and put the book aside until you have more time to read more. The essays do not have to be read consecutively – you can pick and choose which ones you want to read or not and/or which ones you want to read first, or last or in-between all the others.Writing is a difficult business, if you are trying to make a living of any sort with it. As many writers tend to be working on their own, if you can’t find writing opportunities then you need to try to make your own. Poetry is also a difficult business if you want to have any sort of success with it at all. You have to create your own opportunities with it as well. That’s what Whitman did with his poetry – he created his own success. His poems and his methods with publishing his poetry are the inspiration for the lead essay and this book.The lead essay involves how to read Walt Whitman, a must read for would be poets and poetry lovers to read and digest. How many even read Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” all the way to the end? I’m still working on reading it – the whole thing, the Deathbed edition. He is the reason we have free verse in poetry. His very approach and success to poetry can teach would be poets and current poets a lot about how to succeed in this art, this field even today.I’m always looking for ways to make a living and make money with writing while also satisfying my overall need to write. My essays in this book, offer different insights into writing, publishing, editing and surviving as a writer and/or as a poet. I hope that they will give you ideas and encouragement towards your writing and publishing goals!” ~Joshua Grant