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Call for Courage Challenge – Share Your Talents

~ amandakusek ~ Leave a comment

Hey party people!

First, before I do anything I just want to thank everyone that visits my blog on a weekly basis. You guys are really why I am here doing this. Otherwise I’d be talking to space, nothingness, a white wall, the sky, my dog. So thank you! The greatest gift you can give me is your eyeballs! The second greatest and sharing my posts. If you read something and you like it please share it! A little bit goes a long way, you have no idea.

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Last month I announced that I’d be doing a Call for Courage Challenge all year long and we’ve already made it to the next installment! I don’t know where January went but we are just cruising along here toward spring (yes!). Last month I challenged you all to reach out to someone you admired or missed. I wanted you to call, text, DM a person that made you nervous for one reason or another. What I heard from those who tried was mainly how hard it was to do this and how the result was nothing like you imagined. I am so proud of you for taking this scary step!

I am taking this challenge too so I decided that I would reach out to an influencer I admire and tell them as such. I reached out to @jera.bean. I have been following her for quite sometime and so appreciate her honesty about her journey. I sent her a DM explaining the challenge, why I admired her and pressed send with my eyeballs closed. And guess what? She responded and invited me to a Soul Cycle class as her guest. A week later I met her in person and took her class (which was killer btw)!

Honestly I thought I’d get a nice DM back but I never imagined she’d be so open to welcoming me into her space. It was so cool, the class was amazing, and I admire her even more.

 

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Jera Foster-Fell aka @jera.bean

 

On that note, this month’s challenge is to SHARE YOUR TALENTS. What are you working on that you rarely tell people about? (It took me years at my day job to tell anyone I write.) What accomplishments have you been too embarrassed to share? (Did you finally try a spin class?) What’s a super weird secret talent of yours? (Can you yodel? No seriously, if anyone can yodel e-mail me ASAP.) Remember, it can be big, small, long, short, whatever. No talent is too insignificant for the Call for Courage Challenge. Take this month to announce to the world: THIS IS WHAT I CAN DO! And then get back over here and tell me how it goes (or message me on social, or e-mail me, or whatever!) I am dying to hear more stories about you all!

Light, love, red wine–
Amanda

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Poet Interview – Arthur Perez Junior -@apjpoetry

~ amandakusek ~ Leave a comment

Stop by every other month for extensive interviews with my favorite up and coming poets. First up in this new series is Arthur Perez Junior. I met Arthur on Instagram and was blown away by his words and depth of feeling. And full disclosure, I was super intrigued to hear and learn more from him because he has accomplished the goal I am now working toward–publishing a book of poetry. (You can buy his book Wandering here.) On to the interview…! 

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Arthur Perez Junior

1. When did you start writing poetry?
I started writing at a very young age, around 10 or so. I had always been interested in stories, story telling and adventure and it really came to life when my father got a word processor (new school typewriter). From that point I wrote shorts stories and poems daily.

2. Since that time, how has your work changed/grown/evolved?
I developed a love of reading and found myself finding influence in the books I read and movies I watched. I have tried to remain true to my feelings and ideas. My style has evolved into something I would categorize as my own, my own style per se, and the ease at which words come has increased over the years.
3. What themes do you find yourself coming back to and why?
Love. It is always love. I have grown into somewhat of a hopeless romantic. I adore the melancholy of love and loss and the theme continues to carry through into my writing consistently.
4. Can you remember one of they very first poems you read?
I remember reading Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken, for the very first time and being so profoundly moved. Even at a young age the idea of forging my own way, resisting the urge to do the ordinary and venture out into the world without certainty. That poem has been ingrained in my mind, a reminder of the value in struggle and persistence.
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One of my favorites from Arthur’s IG Feed
5. There are so many forms of writing. Why poetry for you?
I love rhyme, and although a lot comes through as prose, I have always been drawn to the whimsical nature of poetry. I have been very influenced by late 80s and early 90s hip hop. The flow of the words was intoxicating, and prompted me to get into spoken word and eventually recording and releasing 2 hip hop albums.
6. Who are your favorite “established” poets? 
I love Frost, Rumi, Shakespere, Dickinson, TS Elliot, and scores of others. I love classic literature, and there is no shortage of brilliance.
7. Any up and coming poets you enjoy?
In this age of social media, I am amazed at the sheer amount of talent. There are so many gifted writers with a platform to present there work on a daily basis. I have found several people that move me and if I take the time to follow, have something worthwhile to say.
8. What was it like putting a book of poetry together?
Nerve wrecking and exhilarating. Going through revisions, deciding what gets removed or added and learning the intricacies of publishing were all exciting. I loved the process of it all and hope to take what I’ve learned and make the next release even better.
9. What are your plans for the future with your work?
I am in the process of completing my next release, Star Sailors. I am shooting for an April release. It is all about self exploration and discovery with a space theme. I am very excited about this book and am working tirelessly to ensure that it gets the proper promotion.
10. What’s some advice/motivation you could give to other poets?
First of all, don’t wait. Do it. Release your book and don’t look back. Learn through the process and grow!
Second, have a plan. Do your homework and figure out what works for you.
Thirdly, I would say its your world. Don;t conform. Write what you like, release what you want, and enjoy the ride. 🙂 If you are copying someone’s style, the world has already seen it. Perfect your craft and be the original!
You can connect with Arthur here:

Instagram: @apjpoetry
Are you or do you know an up and coming poet I should feature? Drop me a note in the comments below or hit me up on IG!

A Breakdown of Trump’s First Days

~ amandakusek ~ 1 Comment

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Last week was a difficult one for me, as it was for many Americans. I’ve experienced every emotion available to a person and my mind has finally begun to settle and allow me to explore how can I become more active in creating change for marginalized groups. I think like many white people, this election has woken me up in a VERY REAL way and I am ready to do my part.

Part of that will be sharing some political pieces on this blog. I will still continue to write about courage when it comes to living, loving, and writing, but moving forward courage will also apply to politics. Because now it must.

I read this NPR article about Trump’s 100 Day plan. While there was much in there that angered me, and surprisingly a point I agreed with on a surface level, there were points that were EXTREMELY vague in what they mean for this country.

How was I ever going to research all of that? Oh wait… Oh thank god… I don’t have to because an old friend of mine (and former running mate for student office at the University of Iowa) Scott McKeag broke it all down on Facebook for me.

I asked Scott, now a social studies teacher in Virginia, if I could repost it here unedited by me for you all to read. Scott breaks down what I was confused about and then goes on to write a very interesting opinion piece. He also makes a pretty legit request of all of us. I join you all to click the “Read More” button below and read it.

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Call For Guest Bloggers

~ amandakusek ~ Leave a comment

I am so excited to announce that Cheap Courage is now accepting guest bloggers!

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Below you will find your basic standards for post submissions… these are the things that will make it easier for me to vet writing and schedule posts. The most important thing is that the post reflect the Cheap Courage lifestyle. That means it is not only a reflection of your life so far, but most importantly, it’s all about doing NEW stuff! The stuff that scares you. Write about anything and everything but keep the heart of this blog in mind. 

We are here to grow. We are here to challenge ourselves. We are here to laugh. We are here to find our courage when all hope is lost.

That’s it! Follow the submission guidelines below and you’re golden!

  • Read the Cheap Courage About page to familiarize yourself with what I do here.
  • Spin around in a circle.
  • If you would prefer to pitch before you write a post, please do the following: 
    • Write a 3-5 sentence pitch about the post and why it’s a good fit for Cheap Courage.
    • Send me one other blog (or essay or journal entry or love letter… anything so I know you have a fairly decent grasp of the English language) to read.
    • Write a nice bio.
    • Put it all in an e-mail to me at kusekamanda@gmail.com with the subject line: “I have Cheap Courage and that makes me brave”.
  • If you have a post written and you’d like me to share it, please do the following:
    • Send me only original posts, I am happy to link to your site, your Instagram, your dog’s Facebook, whatever! But I will only take originals.
    • Keep the post between 500-1,000 words. 800 tends to be a personal sweet spot I love.
    • Write a nice bio.
    • Put it all in an e-mail to me at kusekamanda@gmail.com with the subject line: “I have Cheap Courage and that makes me brave”.

I absolutely, positively cannot wait to start working with all of you!

6 Books To Make You Feel Strong

~ amandakusek ~ Leave a comment

Can you hear that? That’s me sighing so deeply that the roof is rattling. The past two weeks have been trying, tiring, and… good for my character. Two weeks ago I received a promotion at my day job. This was a position that I had been chasing for two years relentlessly. And now it’s here. And now it’s mine. And now I am hella tired.

Adjusting to my new role has, on the surface, been alright, I feel like I am where I need to be finally… however, I come home exhausted, I work later, and my balance of life has been thrown for a loop. It’s amazing how small changes affect our entire being.

At the same time as my promotion I really hurt a tendon in my left leg and had to stop training for my half marathon. I am unable to run. Running is my main source of stress relief so not only have I found myself coping with new issues but I do not have my usual coping tools available to me. It’s been a weird September.

I found myself going back to my bookshelf for comfort. Reading books I read a decade ago for the first time, to help relax me. I wanted to find a center and I hoped it would be in those pages. I read Kerouac’s On The Road, Hornby’s High Fidelity, and I’ve been eyeing my Fitzgerald collection (I own all of his books) with a hunger I usually reserve for pizza.

As a result of using texts to soothe me, where I would normally use my body, I’ve put together a list of books that have made me feel strong in the past and that deserve a re-read. I’m hoping you too will pick up on of these books and feel strong and centered.

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