History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Poetry Forms: The Golden Shovel

| October 28, 2019

One of the early forms of poetry I played around with was the golden shovel. The form takes its name from a Terrance Hayes poem, which took its name from a Gwendolyn Brooks poem, “We Real Cool,” that includes the line “The Pool Players. Seven at the Golden Shovel.” Using Gwendolyn Brooks poems as the […]

New Poems and Stories Out!

| October 17, 2019

Since I’ve been writing and submitting a lot more poetry lately, I’ve sold some of my poems! And I’ve also got a new story out this week! “The Fairest” appears in the Trickster issue of Eye to the Telescope. It’s told from Eris’s point of view, and it touches on the start of the Trojan […]

August Poetry Challenge Recap

| September 19, 2019

The Write Like You’re Alive challenge is a month-long effort to create something every day of the month. I’ve done the challenge three times now, but this year was the first time I did it strictly with poetry. I didn’t end up writing a poem every day–there were a couple of weekends where I just […]

Poetry Forms: The Crown Cinquain

| September 2, 2019

Since I’ve been writing so much poetry lately, I’ve decided to start talking about some of the different forms of poetry I’ve attempted, and how I’ve approached them. One thing I know is that I don’t always approach poetry in the same way that someone who considers themselves a poet might. I consider myself an […]

Growing as a Short Story Writer

| May 20, 2019

I started writing regularly in 2009 and lucked out by selling my first short story early in 2010. After that, things were a bit more hit and miss for a while. Between 2010 and 2014, I made a total of 11 story sales, some of them for no payment, and mostly for very small payments. […]

2019 Goals

| January 7, 2019

2019 is already off to a roaring start, but I’m just now posting my goals for the year. Like last year, they’re largely numbers driven. 43 completed stories/poems and 34 others at least started This seems like a HUGE number of stories, but it’s definitely viable. There are three contests I take part in that […]

Fun for Friday: A Creative Writing Prompt

| December 21, 2018

If you’re stuck in a rut and need a creative writing prompt that will get your brain thinking in new ways, check out this fun creative writing prompt from The Write Practice! Your end results may be more poetic than prose, but even that can lead you in the direction of a story or something […]

My 2018 Publications

| November 20, 2018

With the proliferation of awards posts popping up across the internet, I went back and looked over what I’ve had published this year and what I’ve written this year, because I started feeling like I hadn’t done much. Turns out (go figure), my brain is a filthy liar. Sales and Publications: I’ve sold 11 pieces […]

Scenes from a Quiet Apocalypse

| July 24, 2018

This time last year, I was writing what became Scenes from a Quiet Apocalypse as part of the Zoetic Press Write Like You’re Alive challenge. I’m taking this year off from the challenge, as I’m doing different challenges instead. However, if you’re a fan of Scenes from a Quiet Apocalypse and wish you could have more, did […]

Link Round Up!

| May 17, 2018

Looking for some of my stories to read? Here’s a quick round up of what has come out this year! “Salt in Our Veins” was reprinted in Goddesses of the Sea (Fantasia Divinity Magazine) in February 2018. The story involves nerieds and pirates. The anthology collects 18 stories about mermaids, sea goddesses, sirens, and other mysterious creatures of […]