Where We SWWIM: Dispatches from the Editors
Writing Is a Solitary Act, but Publishing Is a Group Project: Advice for Beginning Writers on Publishing Your First Book of Poetry
Welcome to our monthly blog! Where We SWWIM: Dispatches from the Editors is a day-in-the-life, look-behind-the-scenes communiqué/musing. We’re taking turns talking about where we’re traveling, what we’re reading, what’s inspiring us, and more. This month’s post is from Mary Block, SWWIM’s Editor and Director of Development.
Whenever someone asks me for advice about publishing a first book, I say, “find your people.” Find the people who love you and your writing and who want you to succeed. They will pick you up and dust you off when you get rejected (again and again and again) and convince you, by their words and their example, that a literary life is worth pursuing. But don’t just take from them. Give generously to them of your time, your gifts, and your friendship. And then hold on to each other for dear life.
For me, my people were, and are, the women of SWWIM.
I would not have a book without SWWIM. There are many reasons why I feel that this is true, both practical and spiritual. But in this post I’ll detail the ways in which my community gave me a pathway to publishing that otherwise would not have existed.
When I moved home to Miami from New York City in the summer of 2016, I put out a call for friends, essentially, on the NYU Creative Writing Program’s alumni listserv. Catherine Esposito Prescott, one of the co-founders of SWWIM, answered my call, and in doing so changed the course of my life. I was (sort of) new in town, having lived outside of the city for 18 years, and newly a mother to a baby boy. I was longing to connect with other writers and figure out a way to create a writing life here in my hometown of Miami. I had left the city at the age of 14 because I wanted to be a writer, and I thought that people who wanted to be writers didn’t live in places like Miami.
It turned out that I was wrong on several fronts. There were (of course) writers here in Miami, but we were just learning how to find one another. While I was away in the Northeast, organizations like O, Miami, Books & Books, the Miami Book Fair, the UM and FIU Creative Writing Programs, and the beautiful Betsy Hotel were laying the foundations for a thriving literary ecosystem in this young city. And Catherine Esposito Prescott was creating something totally new with Jen Karetnick—a residency and reading series at The Betsy, and later an online literary journal, dedicated to amplifying women writers’ voices and cultivating community for them. They were building exactly what I had dreamed of as a kid growing up here.
I wish I could say that I didn’t hesitate when Jen and Catherine asked me to come onboard. The truth is, I was scared that SWWIM would ask too much of me. I was scared to give up my free time—my writing time—in service to the organization. And, in some ways, I was right to be nervous. I invest many hours in reading submissions for SWWIM Every Day, drafting grant applications, planning and executing events, and liaising with our partner organizations. That’s how I found out that this is exactly what a writing life looks like. Being around these brilliant people all the time motivates me to write lines in my phone’s Notes app between meetings, or in the pickup line at school. But because I’m a part of SWWIM, I’m not just scribbling by myself in the car—I’m building my life in the direction that my colleagues have shown me is possible.
Working for SWWIM is not always glamorous. It’s largely unpaid, behind-the-scenes labor (although, as Director of Development, I’ve been tasked with trying to change that!). Still, it’s provided me with something incredibly valuable: a home, a community, a way to be of service, and an opportunity to be a part of something I’m deeply proud of.
When my manuscript was ready to send out to publishers, Alexandra Lytton Regalado spent hours writing line edits and giving me feedback on its themes and order. Jen Karetnick nominated me for the Hilary Tham Capital Collection, a prize that is only open to people who volunteer at literary organizations; I didn’t win, but I got rescued from the slush pile, and now I’m published with Word Works Books! Alex and Caridad Moro-Gronlier, the Poet Laureate of Miami-Dade County, wrote blurbs for the back cover of my book. Mia Leonin teaches my work to her creative writing students at the University of Miami. The SWWIM Team loves me; they love my work; they wanted me to succeed. And so, in a way, they made it happen.
The launch event for Love from the Outer Bands was held on May 1, 2025, at the gorgeous Books & Books location in Coral Gables. This is a career highlight that every Miami author (and nerdy, bookish Miami kid) dreams of. The room was filled with the people who had dedicated themselves to making Miami a place for writers, and a place where a writing life is possible—foremost among them the women of SWWIM.
I found my people, and I hope you will, too.
Thank you. Just what I needed to hear. Yes, hard to find peeps; confidence; time....
Beautifully and candidly said. You have found such a talented, positive, generous people.
I have, too, in north Florida. Onward!