literary Archives

Life During COVID-19 (4/28/2020): Job Search, Internship and Opening Up Utah

April 28, 2020July 9, 2020 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

Job Search

I am focused on applying to jobs. I’m specifically looking for remote work because I think in the long run it makes sense to work from home in case Covid-19 flares up later this year. It’s hard to find remote work, especially in writing fields that isn’t freelance. Finding positions that offer full benefits, time off, a flexible schedule and a good 401k are rare. My goal is to find remote work so I won’t have to work in a restaurant after the stay-at-home order is lifted in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Internship!

Yesterday, I got a Literary Internship for a publishing house. This internship is unpaid but requires only 10-15 hours of work per week. It is valuable experience that I know I need to help build up my resume. My career goal is to work for a publishing house in publishing/editing. This internship is an exciting opportunity and I get the feeling it will be a positive experience.

I know that I can balance full-time work (when I find it) and my internship with everything else I do: blogging, writing, reading, art, and music.

Utah & COVID-19

The stay-at-home order issued by Governor Gary Herbert through May 1st, will presumably be lifted by the end of this week. I am still checking twitter and local news for updates from Salt Lake City’s Mayor Erin Mendenhall. We’ll see what happens, what regulations will be put in place by the Utah Department of Health for restaurants to be have dine-in service. It will be interesting to see what happens this week and the next.

Current Covid-19 stats for Utah

Summary: Total Cases 4233, Total Reported People Tested 100195, Total Covid-19 Hospitalizations 349, Total Covid-19 Deaths 41

Population of Utah (estimated) 3,282,115

A Tiny Opinionated Rant

I believe it is important to save lives and stop the spread of Covid-19 as effectively as possible. It is frustrating to hear about protests saying the stay-at-home order is unconstitutional. I think these people fail to realize the gravity of the situation and that having no vaccine for Covid-19 makes this a serious matter. The argument to sacrifice the weak to open up the economy is revolting.

If anything these people that are protesting against the stay-at-home orders across the nation should be protesting against Trump’s failure as POTUS to handle Covid-19. They should be protesting the government’s pathetic attempt to ‘help’ Americans financially: a one-time check of $1,200 is a slap in the face, the $600 add-on to weekly unemployment is more helpful right now but not for those that are having trouble filing for unemployment.

Trumps response time to Covid-19, his ignorance to take it seriously, his continual suggestions to ingest disinfectants, his failure to help state governor’s, and his continual back and forth indecision about almost every little thing is unacceptable. The man is an idiot and his presidency is a joke. My main concern is voting for this years presidential election. With the spread of Covid-19 and everyone trying to just make it through, the risk of the election being ‘manipulated’ with the excuse of Covid-19 I think is a very real possibility.

End of My Poetry Workshop

Yesterday was the last day of the Free Poetry Workshop taught by Natasha Saje. This workshop was about four months long and I absolutely loved it. Saje is amazing, she taught me so much and I look forward to staying in touch with my fellow students.

Facebook

I finally caved. I am extremely opposed to Facebook but over the last few weeks I have realized when it comes to putting my writing out there and connecting with readers, having a Facebook Profile and Page is a necessity. Below are links to my Profile and Page.

I will be using my Profile for personal/writing updates and my Page is specifically for all content I post to my blog.

Alina’s Facebook Profile

Alina’s Facebook Blog Page

Reading

I finished reading Joan Didion’s Where I Was From

This was a great read. I started it the last week of March and took my time with it. Didion talks about her family history which creates a sort of ‘bookend’ structure for the rest of the book. The meat of it is a detailed history of California, specifically Sacramento where she is from. It was an informative read and I have a craving for more Didion, so I might be raiding my boyfriends bookshelf very soon (he has most of her books).

Uncertainty and Relief

I am hopeful that a gradual re-opening of Salt Lake City will be successful. Our case counts and deaths are very low in comparison to the rest of the nation. But I think there is a real risk at opening the state too soon and a second wave could rip through Utah and our deaths could increase rapidly.

Thank you

I hope that you are safe and well wherever you are. Thank you for reading about my life during Covid-19. Feel free to respond, comment, or contact me directly.

Best,

Alina

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Life During COVID-19 (5/5/2020): Tutoring, Freelancing on Fiverr and Job Searching(Opens in a new browser tab)

Life During COVID-19 (5/21/2020): Novel Writing, My Birthday and Opinions(Opens in a new browser tab)

Life During COVID-19 (6/6/2020): George Floyd Protests and My White Woman Privilege(Opens in a new browser tab)

How to Memorize a Poem in 4 Easy Steps

March 10, 2018June 7, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet2 Comments

woman reading a book beside the window — Photo by Rahul Shah on Pexels.com

One of the great tools of any Poet is memorization. Memorizing and reciting poetry can help a poet write, read, and study poetry. Memorizing poems can benefit your own poetry and writing. By following a few of these suggested steps, anyone can memorize a poem.

Benefits of Memorizing Poetry

If you are a Poet, Writer, or avid reader, memorizing poetry can help you gain further insight into literature and writing. As a Poet, memorization, and recitation are key. At some point, you may have to read a poem out loud and practice always helps. For writers, reading and studying writing no matter the form or style is crucial.

Regardless if you love to read poetry or if you are just curious. Reading and memorizing poems can help you in the future. Analyzing text, recitation and memorization all contribute to learning and retaining information. And it only takes a little bit of curiosity and one poem for someone to fall into poetry completing.

woman sitting and reading a book, how to memorize a poem — Photo by Yaroslav Shuraev on Pexels.com

Step 1: Pick a Poem to Memorize

Skim through a few of your favorite poetry books or search online. Find a poem that you like. It is easier to memorize poems that you like. It may be easier to memorize a poem if you have a printed copy. I would suggest having a printed copy of the poem and a few extra sheets of blank paper.

Step 2: Find a Place to Read Poetry

Once you have your poem picked out, find a place you can study. A quiet place that has no distractions is ideal. Consider an empty room or a quiet spot at a park. Your place of study should be particular to you, find a place you feel comfortable and are familiar with.

woman sitting while reading a book, how to memorize a poem — Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Pexels.com

Step 3: Pick apart a Poem

Before you start memorizing, read the poem a few times over to familiarize yourself with it. Using a pen or highlighter, begin to mark off parts of the poem into smaller fragments. Separating the poem visually through line breaks, stanzas or couplets can help you tackle the poem a little at a time.

Step 4: Memorizing a Poem

Take an extra sheet of blank paper and cover the poem. Reveal your marked fragments by moving the blank paper over the poem as you recite the poem slowly out loud. Reciting poetry out loud can help you memorize faster. Try to mimic the rhythm of the poem as you recite. Can you recognize parts of the poem when you recite? Can you visualize the poem on the page in your mind?

woman reading a book while sitting on a bed, how to memorize a poem — Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Poems to Memorize

It will take time to memorize a poem. The poems length, form, and style can all contribute to the amount of time it may take you. I recommend picking a shorter poem first such as William Carlos Williams “The Red WheelBarrow”. Starting with smaller poems can help you get used to memorizing. After a bit of practice and a few poems ready to recite, pick harder poems.

Harder poems can include William Shakespeare’s Sonnets, John Donne’s “At the round earth’s imagined corners (Holy Sonnet 7)” or even John Milton’s “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent”. Memorizing a classic poem can help you study poetry. And conducting research can provide you with valuable knowledge about a poem. Knowing the history, cultures, and societies in which poem was written can add to the experience.

Want to learn more about poetry? Feel free to browse these blog posts! If you enjoy what I’ve written, I really appreciate a like, share, or most of all leave a comment and let’s connect ? Thank you!

? How to Read a Poem

? Recommended Poetry Books

? Poetic Forms: Found Poetry

Review of “Writers Gone Wild” by Bill Peschel

February 17, 2018April 2, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

Writers Gone Wild: The Feuds, Frolics, and Follies of Literature's Great Adventurers, Drunkards, Lovers, Iconoclasts, and Misanthropes — photo source: goodreads.com

I recently finished “Writers Gone Wild: The Feuds, Frolics, and Follies of Literature’s Great Adventurers, Drunkards, Lovers, Iconoclasts, and Misanthropes” by Bill Peschel. This book was interesting in that it contains numerous little facts about various western writers and poets. Most notable literary figures that are highlighted multiple times in this book include Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Oscar Wilde, and James Joyce among many others.

I found this book to be funny and pleasant to read after a long day. And the little fact snippets are very short making for easy and fast reading. Some snippets are just a paragraph while others are a couple of pages. The book is divided up into three parts, “On the Job”, “Off the Job” and “Everything Else”. The facts are not all ‘facts’ since most of the time possible rumors and hearsay at the time of their creation are discussed. Which I think makes this little collection all the more fascinating.

Bill Peschel writes with a humorous tone and fluid style that allows for enjoyable reading. And at the end of each little section, there is often bullet points of facts related to the story. I would say that anyone with a love for the modern classics of western literature should give this book a go. It would be enjoyed by the avid reader and book geek that finds themselves getting lost in a trail of Wikipedia pages in search of interesting speculations about their favorite authors. I recently conducted a two-hour meander on Wikipedia and online sources about one of my favorite writers, Bram Stoker. I was amazed to learn about his prevalence in the Irish Theatre scene and the fact that he was a personal assistant to the then-popular actor Henry Irving. Of course, I don’t consider Wikipedia trustworthy but good for light curious reading now and then. “Writers Gone Wild” goes on my shelf as a good reference book that I may pick up again and skim through on a rainy day. It has an average rating of 3.3/5 stars. I honestly think it deserves better.

I hope that whoever reads this takes a little time to research the book and give it a chance. Thank you for reading my review and I hope that you will return in the future!

-Alina