books – Donny Winter

Oct/POEM/ber 2025 – A Poem Writing Challenge

October 1, 2025 by donnywinter, posted in Poetry Challenges

It’s that time of year again; it’s officially OCT/POEM/BER! Throughout the month of October, I challenge willing participants to write one poem per day for 31 days! What’s even more exciting is that this year, I’m partnering with the Friends of Roethke Foundation to promote this challenge!

What is Oct/POEM/ber: Back in 2019, I grew envious of artists and fiction writers because they got to enjoy monthly challenges like Inktober and NANOWRIMO. So, I decided to create a monthly writing challenge for poets and thus, Oct/POEM/ber was born. Throughout the month of October each year, I challenge myself to write one poem per day not only for the fun of it, but to also expand on my content and improve my craft.

How to Participate: Open up a word document or notebook and just start writing! To make it easier for participants, I’ve designed 2 tracks for completing Oct/POEM/ber. The first track provides you a daily prompt to follow. The second track is self-guided and expects you to write a poem per day without the assist of prompts. Some writers benefit from having guidelines, whereas others benefit from not having any! So, there’s a track for both schools of thought! (those are listed below)

Submit Your Work: Your poem has a chance to be PUBLISHED! After the challenge, submit your work to a form which will be made available at the challenge’s end, which will remain open throughout November 2025, to allow participants revision time. The Friends of Roethke Foundation will review poems submitted by participants and select a number for publication on their website. If your work is selected, you’ll receive an email from [insert email] with further details. If your work is not accepted, you’ll receive an email thank you for your participation and interest!

Oct. 1: Haiku

Write a haiku about an object in your immediate vicinity. (These are 3-line poems with 5-7-5 syllable line lengths).

Oct. 2: Alternate Reality

Imagine yourself thriving in an alternate reality and write a poem about what your life would be like in that universe.

Oct. 3: Thresholds

Write a poem about reaching or crossing a threshold in your life. What does “crossing thresholds” mean to you? Are they good or bad? Neutral?

Oct. 4: Aubade (NEW PROMPT)

According to Merriam-Webster, an aubade is “a song or poem about greeting the dawn.” Sometimes it may be about two lovers parting ways at dawn or in general, just about dawn itself. So, for today’s poem, write about dawn.

Oct. 5: Tanka

Write a tanka about any subject. (These are 5-line poems with 5-7-5-7-7 syllable line lengths).

Oct. 6: Weather (NEW PROMPT)

Write a poem in any style and/or length about weather.

Oct. 7: Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)

Write a poem about artificial intelligence. You could write a poem about the vastness of AI, the fear/excitement surrounding it. Perhaps you may want to write a poem featuring some sort of alien AI from a different planet!

Oct. 8: STATIONERY CHAOS

Write a poem on a piece of stationery you’re not accustomed to using – a napkin, piece of tissue, old birch bark on the forest floor. For an extra challenge, write with a utensil you’re not accustomed to using – crayon, marker, eye liner pencil – the sky’s the limit!

Oct. 9: Pantoum

Write a pantoum (follow link for pantoum structure instructions).

Oct. 10: Sisyphean Synergy

Write a poem about a characteristic, aspiration, or struggle you have that’s always been difficult for you to resolve or reach.

Oct. 11: Artistic Ekphrasis

Find a piece of art and write a poem about it. Allow your poem to engage in conversation with the art piece, expand on what the art piece is already saying, or change the meaning you think the art piece conveys. (Example: “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by Keats).

Oct. 12: DAIKAIJU (New Prompt)

In Japanese, the word daikaiju means “great strange beast.” Write a poem about a great, giant, and other-worldly beast. (Examples of Daikaiju: Godzilla, Kong, Mothra, Clifford the Big Red Dog, certain dragons)

Oct. 13: Acrostic

Write a poem in which the first letter in each line spells out a word.

Oct. 14: Socio-Political

Pick an issue or event happening in the world currently and write a poem about how it makes you feel.

Oct. 15: Fictional Fugue

Create a fictional character whose identity has been lost and write a poem about their journey toward self-discovery.

Oct. 16: Journal Journeys

Find an diary or journal (old or new), then write a poem inspired by an entry you wrote.

Oct. 17: Utopia (NEW PROMPT)

According to Merriam-Webster, “utopia” is defined as “a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions.” Write a poem imagining a perfect utopian world, the moral implications of utopia, and/or how it contrasts with dystopia.

Oct. 18: Prose Poem (NEW PROMPT)

A prose poem is a poem that often does not conform to verses or stanzas. Sometimes it may be story-like. Write a prose poem about a subject of your choosing. Click here to see a definition and examples of prose poems.

Oct. 19: Boundaries

Write a poem about a boundary. This can be a geological boundary, mental boundary, human-made boundary, or a social boundary set in a relationship/friendship.

Oct. 20: Object Permanence

Find an object wherever you are that connects to a person you care about. Write a 5-10-line poem about said object – describe it using sensory details and use the inspiration it creates to help readers develop an understanding of the person it’s connected to.

Oct. 21: Persona Play

Write a poem with a persona speaking (or narrating) separate from your voice. Oftentimes, these poems are written in second (you) or third person (he, she, them, they) points of view. These poems sometimes have dialogue in them. (Example: your present-self visits your past-self but it’s narrated in third person point of view, so the audience doesn’t know who’s doing the speaking).

Oct. 22: Sublime

Think about a feature in nature that fills you with curiosity and fear, then write a poem about your reactions if you were to be in the presence of such feature.

Oct. 23: Concrete Poetry (NEW PROMPT)

Concrete (or pattern) poetry experiments with creating shapes or patterns on a page using verses and stanzas. Write a poem that creates a visual shape or pattern.

Oct. 24: Recipe

Write a poem in the form of a recipe or about a recipe that’s important/personal to you.

Oct. 25: Sonder

Write a short poem (10 lines or less) about the concept of sonder, which defined as “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.” Click this link to see the full-length formal definition of sonder.

Oct. 26: Erasure Poetry

Research, then copy and paste an article into a word document, then use the strikethrough (or dark high-lighting feature) to blot out the words until the remaining words create a poem. You can also do this using a page from a book or other physical media – strike through or marker out chosen words/line on a given page to make a poem with remaining words.

Oct. 27: Entropy

Write a poem about lack of order, randomness, and/or chaos.

Oct. 28: Zeitgeist (NEW PROMPT)

According to Merriam-Webster, zeitgeist is defined as “the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an area.” Write a poem about the zeitgeist of a given space and/or region.

Oct. 29: Poetic Letters

Write a poem to a person who’s no longer in your life.

Oct. 30: The Gothic

Write a poem inspired by the gothic containing dark and/or haunting imagery.

Oct. 31: Horror

Using grotesque imagery, write a poem about something that induces fear.

TRACK #2: INDEPENDENT/SELF-GUIDED

*The independent track of Oct/poem/ber does not have any prompts or guidelines!*

Recommendations, Helpful Hints, & TidBits

Select whichever writing medium you are most comfortable with: electronic or handwritten.
Most of the poems, aside from the form-focused ones (tanka, pantoum, haiku, and sonnet) are all free-verse or free of particular form. Your poems need not rhyme or be structured in a particular way if you don’t want them to!
Do your best to set aside designated time every day to write – create a routine!
If you fall behind, you can always catch up!
If there is a prompt that you get stuck on or don’t like, switch to the Independent Track that particular day.
Sharing your poems across social media is not required but encouraged. The world deserves to see your work!

Content Discretion

When writing about personal topics, always consider your own well-being above all else. Regardless what prompt you follow or self-guided poem you write, only write about what you’re comfortable writing about. If you need to skip a daily prompt, feel free to do a self-guided/independent poem on that respective day.

Sharing

If you share your poems across social media (which I encourage), please use the hashtags: #octpoember and/or #octpoemberchallenge .

The Assembly Line Has Lost Its Teeth: 2024 Accomplishments & 2025 Plans

January 2, 2025January 2, 2025 by donnywinter, posted in Announcements, Uncategorized, Writing Advice

My office is clean, organized, and I just poured myself a cup of tea. That means its time to do what many others are currently doing: reflect on goals and aspirations for 2025. I remain steadfast in my avoidance of labeling them “resolutions,” as to me, they create a lot of pressure with minimal flexiblity. Instead, I prefer to refer to these goals and aspirations.

To begin, I’d be remiss if I didn’t reflect on 2024. Technically, as a writer, I have not put out a full body of work since my chapbook of poems, Casting Seeds (Alien Buddha Press, 2022) three years ago. It feels like a lifetime and throughout most of 2023, I felt immense guilt for not churning out more work after three back-to-back releases since 2020. I needed some rest and 2024 became my year of resoluteness: I discovered I measured my output based on the other writers in my life, which aggravated that guilt I was feeling. I learned to embrace taking downtime between projects because what we do in the liminal spaces of output matters. With much discomfort at first, I began to celebrate the small accomplishments bit-by-bit, then, discovered that I was actually accomplishing pretty notable things that I was downplaying. After all, western society always convinces us to downplay our own momentum, does it not? So, I’d like to celebrate some of my 2024 accomplishments on both writing and media fronts:

AN EXTENDED PLAY OF MUSIC & POETRY – URGENT FIRE (WITH BROTHERWELL)

As a poet (and former musician), I never dreamed I’d have the opportunity to combine my poetry with music. I’m grateful the universe coaxed Brotherwell and I to cross paths. The past few years, we worked together on songs here and there, but to have the chance to work on an entire album with a concept, I never believed it’d happen until this past year. Back in January 2024, we released Urgent Fire, an extended play of four spoken word songs examining current events, mental health, and so much more. There’s much more from us to come! (Will discuss later)

WORK ON THE GODZILLA: 70th ANNIVERSARY ANTHOLOGY

Similar to my thrill about my work on music, having the chance to write for an official Godzilla comic story was not on my bingo-card. I’ve discussed it at length in interviews and on my podcast Growing Up With Godzilla; however, when my friend Matt Frank approached me to write poetry for a character in his story, “In the Shadow of a God,” I eagerly accepted. Not only did it help me learn about the comicbook writing world but it built a friendship with someone I respect considerably. Fast-forward throughout the year, it led to me having the opportunity to speak at G-FEST 2024 on the Kaiju Writer’s Panel, a co-signing session, and led to a number of guest appearance opportunities on some podcasts, including but not limited to: United Kaiju Podcast, Kaiju Conversation LIVE, Collect All Monsters, Tomes of Evil, and SKREEONK! As a writer and lifelong Godzilla fan, 2024 marked a major milestone for me in this regard.

CONCLUDING OUR PODCAST “RESTITCHING THE TAPESTRY“

A major part of my life since 2020 was our podcast Restitching the Tapestry. Ari Whipple, my friend of 20 years, joined forces with me to discuss current events, pop culture, social justic, and art regularly on Thursday evenings. After 5 seasons and 180 episodes, we decided to conclude the show. It was an emotional end; however, looking back on all we’ve accomplished, I’m incredibly proud. We covered a lot of ground, had revelations, shared poetry, cried together, laughted together… and so much more. If anything, I’m most grateful for the friendship I’ve cultivated with Ari, and I’m happy viewers will always be able to watch (or listen) to our massive project. If you’d like to listen to Restitching the Tapestry on YouTube, click the image above. Otherwise, it can be found on streaming services.

COMPLETING SEASON 3 OF MY PODCAST “GROWING UP WITH GODZILLA“

I’d be remiss to not mention the completion of season 3 of my Godzilla podcast, Growing Up With Godzilla! The show has started to take off, to the extent where attendees at G-FEST 2024 ACKNOWLEDGED it. 2025 will mark the show’s 4th season starting in February.

MAJOR POETRY READINGS: THE QUEER CONFESSIONAL & CASTING SEEDS

I had two major poetry readings throughout 2024: THE QUEER CONFESSIONAL during Pride Month and CASTING SEEDS in late summer. Both of them were a huge success. Special thank you to Lolobees Lounge in Bay City, MI and the Roethke Museum in Saginaw, MI for hosting. If you’d like to watch either reading, you can find them on my poetry YouTube channel via the links above.

Here are some other accomplishments I’d like to list:

Getting 11 poems published
My poem “The Symphony of Sullen Warnings” placing first runner-up in Wingless Dreamer’s Petals and Pines 2024 poetry contest
My book Feats of Alchemy was listed as a Favorite Book of 2024 on Walden’s Poetry
Starting and sustaining a successful newsletter for PFLAG Great Lakes Bay Region, a local LGBTQ+ organization
Becoming a board member on Friends of Roethke, a local organization charged with protecting the legacy of Theodore Roethke
Facilitating a partnership with Friends of Roethke, distributing my Oct/POEM/ber Poetry Challenge to a wider audience
Guest appearing on a local podcast, Saginaw Valley Spoken Word Podcast, to discuss my career as a queer poet
Being invited as a guest speaker at Delta College for an Author’s Spotlight
Guest appearing for 3 episodes on the Star Trek podcast, IDIC – Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
Helping launch a literary magazine for Delta College called 1961
Resumed the podcast series “Universal Journeys” with my dear friend Brenda Bates.
Participated in an author’s reception facilitated by Bookmarks in Midland, MI
Guest appeared at Great Lakes Bay Pride with Leopard Print Books

Looking back on this list accomplishments in 2024, my immediate insecurity is: how will I catch lightning in a bottle again? One of my major goals this year is to ignore that voice – because it creates a pressure and fear of failure. Instead, I’m trying to affirm myself by saying: our accomplishments vary and take different shapes depending on where we are in life. In 2025, I may accomplish one thing as opposed to a dozen and ultimately, that’s completely okay. This capitalistic assembly line we’re on inbeds this deep conditioning that we must constantly need to churn out content and accomplishments. I’ve found that when I fall prey to that, fear-based ambition short-circuits actual output. 2025 will be about continuing to unlearn that conditioning and replacing these fear-based habits with grace-granting ones.

Despite my TedTalk in the prior paragraph, I don’t want my being cognizant of fear-based ambition to negate my excitement for what’s to come. As always, a new year brings new goals and aspirations. Here is my 2025 list:

GET MARRIED: I’m getting married this year in November! I’m pretty stoked about this! Anyway, I’d be ridiculous not to list this first!
READ MORE: Since working as a teacher involves a lot of reading, I find myself depleted when it comes to liesurely reading after coming home from work. In 2025, I’d like to carve out more time for casual reading. In fact, my friend Ari (who I mentioned before) has been sharing some thoughtful tricks about low-stress reading that have empowered me. I plan to start a reading journal, read at least 1 book a month, and actually use my Kindle to improve my access to reading material.
FINALIZE AND SEND OUT MY CHAPBOOK: Yes, I’m nearly done writing a chapbook of poems! I don’t want to share too many details, but I’m finishing up some final poems and organizing. I’ll be sending it to my editors some time in the next month or two. Then, it’s going out to publishers!
FINISH MY NEXT FULL-LENGTH POEM COLLECTION: I’m about 75% through completing my next full-length book of poems. I doubt it will be released this year but that’s progress, right?
BEGIN WORK ON A FICTION SHORT-STORY COLLECTION: This is probably an unexpected one, but yes, I am slowly getting back into writing fiction. In fact, I’m hoping this short-story collection will lead to a full-length novel series. It’s ambitious (oh the irony considering my ambition tirade earlier); however, we writers dream big don’t we?
FINISH ANOTHER EP WITH BROTHERWELL: We are beginning work on the next segment of what will be a full-length album of poetry and music.
SUBMIT (AND HOPEFULLY GET ACCEPTED) A GODZILLA COMIC BOOK PITCH: Throughout late 2024, I’ve worked on sending out Godzilla comic pitches to IDW Publishing. I haven’t had any bites yet, but I’m not giving up. I have a lot of stories in me, so, one of my goals is to score my own Godzilla story in comic book form. I don’t care if it is a limited series or one-off, I’m just excited to stretch myself to other genres outside of poetry.
WRITE A BLOG POST PER MONTH: I honestly should use my website blog more!
WORK ON PROMOTING WORK MORE: Marketing is always this writer’s worst enemy – it is quite time consuming!

I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to accomplish this list throughout 2025; however, I’m excited to forge forward and do my very best. As we navigate this year, I wish both writers and readers love and creative energy. Let’s keep doing what we love because we owe ourselves this enrichment. Happy New Year!

XoXo

Donny Winter

How I Learned to Take Downtime Between Writing Projects

May 8, 2024 by donnywinter, posted in Writing Advice

There was a point in time when I firmly believed I’d never attain any sort of success as a writer. Of course, I was pleasantly surprised when my career took off in mid-2020 with the release of my first poem collection, Carbon Footprint. The success of the book and the sheer amount of content I generated throughout the pandemic allowed for the successes of my next two books, Feats of Alchemy (2021) and Casting Seeds (2022) to take shape. After that whirlwind three years of book releases, readings, workshops, and marketing, I realized that I needed a year to recharge, which was actually something I felt ashamed about [at first].

Part of that shame stemmed from the fear of not continuing to strike while the iron was hot. I had spent so many years cultivating a following that the pressure of letting people down made me think that I’d fade into obscurity again (something a lot of LGBTQ+ writers fear considering our niche topic areas and erasure trauma). Despite these worries, I knew I needed to mentally recharge. So, I made the decision to take 2023 as my year off.

Let me make one thing clear, despite taking the year off, I was still writing. I worked on some poetic music projects, wrote individual poems, wrote poetry for a comic book. I was still being productive, it just took a different shape beyond that of assembling a book. Periodically, I would do a reading or an interview where someone would ask, “what’s next, Donny?” Sometimes they’d add, “writer’s take downtime, what’s that look like? I didn’t know that was a thing.” I didn’t either until I made the decision to take a break. As a result, I began to make a number of discoveries about my identity as a writer.

Unlearning Expectations about Output Frequency

I’ve recently told people in interviews and workshops that: “we all can’t have the impressive creative output of Taylor Swift.” I think many of us aspire to have that level of creative output, and I fancied myself one of those people until I realized that it simply wasn’t sustainable for me. I began watching other writers develop work and release collection after collection, which I believed was something I had to do. The discovery I made was that that’s simply not how I work. I had to unpack my own creative processes – some people are creative in consistent stints through out each year. Not me, I have random (and unpredictable) spurts of creative output. I’m sure much of this is attributed to my mental health and my job as a college professor. Throughout the year, there are variables tapping energy from that creative cistern. This is typically why I’m at my most creative throughout the summer (and sometimes October since that’s when my poetry challenge happens). In the end, I learned that my output does not have to match the outputs of other writers.

Create Organically, Not Forcefully

Early on in my year off, I felt the need to produce more due to the established pressure mentioned. As a result, I began to try to force myself to write, which made me feel resentful of the craft. I made myself stop because my mind was telling me, “Donny, you deserve this break. The quality of your work is suffering.” So, I put the pen down and learned that to create organically, the rejuvenation period matters because it uplifts the quality of my work versus attempting to churn something out by force.

Navigating Burnout

Midway through my year off, I discovered that the main villain in my story was burnout. I didn’t take into consideration that three successful books over the course of three back-to-back years would tax me, creativitly speaking. Being new to the publication world back in 2020, I didn’t realize the level of marketing I needed to do to sustain any sort of success. I knew I was social media savvy; however, the level of consistency required seemed daunting. On top of the marketing, publically performing at workshops and readings, facilitating open mics, while balancing an already performative full-time job made me realize how depleted I felt. That burnout began impacting my mental health in a way I couldn’t quite articulate at the time. At this point, I began realizing that this downtime was doing something more for me; it was crucial rest for my mind.

I’m Not T-Swift, but I Do Have Eras

Granting myself the grace to take a year off from continuous output taught me one other important thing: the spaces of downtime in between eras actually matter. Like musicians organizing album eras, I began thinking of my poem collections in terms of “eras” as well. Carbon Footprint had its own unique era, the same with Feats of Alchemy and Casting Seeds. I began to relax another pressure I had subliminally kept internally: “how do I one-up myself next time?” This downtime reiterated to me that success isn’t one-upping former peaks, it’s about sustaining one’s craft and legacy through the enrichment this work promotes.

Books Aren’t the End-All, Be-All

One of the things I’m grateful for during this year of downtime has been the versatility I’ve developed as a writer. Unique opportunities presented themselves throughout 2023 – working on an album of song-poems with brotherwell and having the opportunity to write poems for a Godzilla comic celebrating the character’s 70th anniversary. The discovery that my poetry can find presence in multiple forms of media helped me appreciate not only the versatility of the artform itself but the transferability of my abilities. Had I not taken this downtime, I would have never made these discoveries.

Overall, looking back on this year in low-power-mode has made me more excited about my eras to come. I’ve been hard at work on my third full-length collection of poems, the comic book I worked on is about to meet the world, and the music project with brotherwell is ongoing. The shame in taking a break no longer exists because it helped me realize that my horizons are brighter and longer than I ever could have imagined. So, take that break if needed. It does wonders for the creative spark.

xoxo

Donny

2024: Getting Ready for the New

January 16, 2024 by donnywinter, posted in Announcements

I couldn’t be more excited for what 2024 has to offer on the creative front. I spent 2023 recuperating and recharging my creative energies and now, I’m ready for what’s next. Here’s what I’ve been and what I will be working on:

#1: Urgent Fire, an EP of Poetry and Music with brotherwell

Urgent Fire, Out now and all streaming services. — *Check out our EP on all streaming services!*

I’ve always had a dream to weave my poetry together with music, and brotherwell (a musician [and good friend] from Florida) has allowed me to do that. Having been a musician for a number of years, I never quite found the way to merge these worlds. However, brotherwell’s talented way with words and sound have provided me the perfect alchemic brew. Over the past two years, we’ve collaborated on numerous tracks, especially on his prior collaborative album Re:covery.

In mid-2022, brotherwell approached me to collaborate on an album composed entirely of our own work, and I jumped at that opportunity. This extended play is the first segment of a much larger body of work which listeners find more about later. These four songs touch on mental health, climate change, LGBTQ+ survival, and so much more. You can now stream and/or purchase Urgent Fire across all streaming services!

#2: Work on a COMIC BOOK

Godzilla: 70th Anniversary comic book image showcasing its release date on May 8, 2024. — *Check out my work in the upcoming Godzilla: 70th Anniversary comic book!*

In late 2023, I was invited by my dear friend, writer, and comic book artist Matt Frank to collaborate on a story in IDW Publishing’s upcoming Godzilla: 70th Anniversary comic book one-shot. Obviously, I can’t reveal any details about this beyond that. All I can say is that it’s going to be awesome.

I can talk about my feelings though, right? I have to say: this is something I’ve always wanted to do and I never thought I’d get the opportunity. So, big thanks to Matt for believing in my work and inviting me to participate. If I could go back in time and tell my teenage-self that he’d go from writing Godzilla fan fiction to writing in an official Godzilla comic book, he’d be awestruck. These characters, films, and stories are so important to me. I’m grateful to have some small involvement in this 70th anniversary celebration.

#3: Beginning Work on My Third, Full-Length Poetry Collection

An image of Donny Winter's three collections of poems, Carbon Footprint, Feats of Alchemy, and Casting Seeds. — *My first two, full-length collections of poems and my first chapbook.*

After the success of my first two, full-length collections of poems, Carbon Footprint (2020) and Feats of Alchemy (2021), along with my chapbook Casing Seeds (2022), I needed to take a year off from book writing. As an artist, I think downtime is just as important as productive time. (More on that in a future entry) [wait, was 2023 downtime considering I was still working on poetry for other projects?] In entering 2024, I’ve been feeling an energy I haven’t felt in ages, and I’m ready to begin my next writing era.

I can’t reveal a lot about this new collection beyond the fact that I’ve generated about 30 poems thus far. I may not finish it this year; however, some significant progress will be made. Depending on how many poems I generate, workshop, and edit, I may even consider putting out another chapbook if the next full-length takes awhile to complete.

Regardless, I’m in such a good place as an artist. I know there’s a lot of good things on the horizon and I don’t feel bogged down by the pressure to over-produce or rush. Poetry is wine – it betters as it sits in the barrel.

As always, thank you for beliving in my work. There are other small-scale projects I’m working on, but I’ll reveal those in the near future!

Talk soon!

xoxo Donny

Confessions of an Anxious Writer (Pre-Book Release)

October 21, 2021 by donnywinter, posted in Storytelling

The day before a book release is often an exciting time for writers. Considering my second collection of poems, Feats of Alchemy, is coming out tomorrow, this is only the second time I’ve experienced this strange mixture of euphoria and anxiety. To add to this, the pressure of releasing a second book after a successful first book ups the expectation level, which inadvertently fuels even more anxiety. Of course, despite this mounting euphoria and anxiety, another feeling is creeping from the shadows: solace.

Looking back and looking forward simultaneously (because that’s what we anxious people do), there is a peculiar comfort setting in with the knowledge that my work has finally been released into the world and that it’s being well received. Considering both of my collections deal with LGBTQ+ challenges, life experiences, successes, and trauma, having shards of my history being explored and celebrated has created the most wholesome catharsis I’ve ever felt. Thankfully, this catharsis has allowed me to set aside much of this “success-pressure anxiety” and find the joy in this process.

This new collection, Feats of Alchemy, is a book I feel even more confident about when it comes to quality. As a poet over the years, I’ve grown considerably and this collection is the culmination of that growth. Plus, with the success of Carbon Footprint, I now feel more confident in my ability to experiment in my poetry, which readers will discover.

Anyway, as I continue to ride this hype-train leading into tomorrow’s release, if you’re interested in learning more about my collection, Feats of Alchemy, feel free to visit the videos below. Thank you all for the support, and thank you to Alien Buddha Press for giving my poetry a home. Keep writing!

–Donny Winter

Donny Winter introduces his collection, Feats of Alchemy, and discusses some of its themes.

Donny Winter performs the poem “Serizawa” from Feats of Alchemy, which is a Godzilla inspired piece.

For National Coming Out Day, Donny Winter performs the poem “Cyberpunk [Un]dead” from his collection, Feats of Alchemy.

Donny Winter performs the poem “The [Un]salvaged Body, Biotic and Broken” from his collection, Feats of Alchemy

“Feats of Alchemy” – Cover Art Reveal

September 1, 2021 by donnywinter, posted in Announcements

I’m excited to reveal the cover art of my upcoming, second collection of poems, Feats of Alchemy. This collection will be released by Alien Buddha Press on Friday, October 22, 2021. Special thank you to my artist and dear friend, Seth Stang, for creating this wonderful piece. Stay tuned for more news!