The Poet's Journey: From Bulgaria to Kentucky
The artistic journey of poet Katerina Stoykova offers profound insights into the creative process and the power of persistence. Born in Bulgaria during communist times, Katerina's story begins on the shores of the Black Sea where, as an eight-year-old child, she experienced an epiphany that would define her life's direction. When a visiting poet came to her second-grade classroom, something extraordinary happened – a deep, unstoppable desire to become a poet awakened within her. That moment of clarity demonstrates how pivotal childhood experiences can shape our entire lives and careers.
Katerina's artistic development followed a patient trajectory. She began publishing poems in magazines during her teenage years, but her first book wouldn't appear until she was in her thirties. This timeline reveals an important truth about creative work: mastery requires time, dedication, and persistent effort. For aspiring writers feeling discouraged by slow progress, Katerina's experience serves as both encouragement and a reality check. Creative success rarely happens overnight; instead, it emerges through consistent commitment over years or even decades.
When discussing what makes a good poetry book, Katerina emphasizes multiple factors: writing good individual poems, developing a cohesive theme, creating interesting architecture, and being willing to repeatedly revise the overall structure. Her metaphor speaks volumes: "A poetry book is not a porcelain cup that you break and can never put back together. You put it back together and then you put it back together until it is something that you yourself like and a publisher likes enough to make a commitment for it." This recursive approach to creative work – building, dismantling, and rebuilding – highlights the importance of flexibility and persistence in artistic creation.
For those navigating the publishing landscape, Katerina offers invaluable guidance drawn from her fifteen years of experience as the founder of Accents Publishing. She emphasizes researching a publisher's longevity, contract terms, distribution capabilities, and promotion strategies. Regarding contracts specifically, she advises writers to carefully examine what rights they're surrendering and what they're receiving in return, including royalty structures, publisher deadlines, and exit clauses. These practical insights demystify an often confusing industry and empower writers to make informed decisions about their work.
The eternal question of traditional publishing versus self-publishing receives thoughtful consideration. Katerina suggests that the choice depends on individual goals: those building long-term literary careers or academic credentials might benefit from traditional or university presses, while those with specific audience targets might find self-publishing more advantageous. Her pragmatic observation that "ultimately, it becomes more important to have the book rather than where it came from" offers perspective to writers who might be overthinking their publishing path. Whether traditionally published or self-published, she recommends professional typesetting and design – an important reminder that production quality matters regardless of publishing route.
Perhaps most valuably, Katerina shares wisdom on handling rejection – an inevitable part of any creative pursuit. She advocates for emotional neutrality, treating rejections as mere data points rather than personal failures. This mindset shift can be transformative for creative professionals. By neither letting rejection destroy them nor wearing it as a badge of honor, writers can maintain momentum through the challenging process of finding their audience. As Katerina reminds us, "having a creative life is a wonderful way to enrich your regular life," a perspective that places artistic work in its proper context – not as a source of validation, but as a meaningful dimension of a fulfilling existence.
