Posted on by Laura Lee

35 submissions this summer—and the rejections roll in…

blog word cloud       Since late spring, I’ve made 35 plus submissions just using Submittable.com.  I love using this vehicle since it helps me keep track of my submissions in one convenient location.  I’ve also made email and US mail submissions.

My goal in submitting work is yes, to be published, but also to encourage me to improve my writing and to feel a part  of a writing community.  I am not a great writer, but I can be a good one if I work at it!

It’s obvious there are more poets than poetical publishing opportunities.  I am receiving a number of rejections after an early spring run of four acceptances, and so yes, I am feeling the sting a bit, even while the editors are quite kind in their notes.  Just doesn’t fit, not right now, etc.  No one has said I should seek solace on another planet.  Yet.

Poets, you know this is mostly unpaid publication anyway, and it’s the joy of being published that urges us onward.

While I’ve submitted mostly poetry, I’ve always worked on some mini-dialogue experiments and one short story.

In the meantime, I am enjoying revising my writing, and submitting more.

I am glad I am not trying to support myself with my writing, but I am also glad I write.  It’s been a part of who I am since I was an angsty pre-teen, writing my wretched “woe is me” type broken-hearted poetry.

Now it’s time to get back to work; I have a lot of writing to do.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by Laura Lee

(Some of my) Published Writings

cropped-be-creative-creative-creativity-256514                         Some of my poems, short stories, and nonfiction articles are included in books and magazines published in the UK, Greece, New Zealand, and the United States.

*Spillwords Press, July 19, 2018, “Stopped,” a poem
Spillwords Press

*Tuck Magazine, June 2018

Tuck Magazine

*Tuck Magazine,  May 2018

Tuck

* Southernmost Point Guest House (UK)

* Journal of Modern Poetry 21 (Volume 21)

JOMP Volume 21 Dear Mr. President

* Journal of Modern Poetry 20 (Volume 20)

JOMP Volume 20 Poetry Writer’s Guide to the Galaxy

* Journal of Modern Poetry 17 (Volume 17)

JOMP Volume 17

* Magazine (New Zealand) , Raewyn Alexander, Publisher

Raewyn Alexander NZ

* Fiction in: http://staxtes.com/2003/ “Between the Sunlight and the Skipping” in English Wednesdays

* Illinois English Bulletin, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English, nonfiction.

Posted on by Laura Lee

Poets? About Frontier Poetry: poetry contest and submissions

poetry        Frontier Poetry is accepting poetry

for a Summer Poetry Award and poetry for General Submissions.

What is Frontier looking for?  It’s refreshing that Frontier specifically tells poets.  In their words:

As a home for emerging authors & established voices together, we are looking for poems that express both traditional excellence in craft and a willing fearlessness in content and form. For us, the frontier of poetry is a place where voices—of all colors, ages, orientations, identities— are made equal by a shared belief in the power of language to confront the dark, the vast, the unexplored.

For further tips, you can look here: What We Look for at Frontier.

In other words, this is a literary press that tells you what they want, offers poets free submissions as well as reading fees for contests.  It has it all, it has a vision, and it is exciting to read there.

Good luck!

And thanks for reading.

Posted on by Laura Lee

Do you have the top poem? Rattle’s yearly poetry prize information

prize  I certainly do not (as yet!), but perhaps you have the winning poem you could submit here: Rattle Poetry Prize.

Rattle publishes find modern poetry, and has many chances for poets to submit with no reading fee.  This major poetry prize is their chance to highlight one outstanding poem and poet, while also helping to fund the Rattle Magazine and all of its other awards, publications, and prizes.

I’m a better teacher than poet, so I don’t mind saying, it’s not me going to win something like this. But perhaps it could be you.

Rattle writes:

The annual Rattle Poetry Prize offers $10,000 for a single poem to be published in the winter issue of the magazine. Ten finalists will also receive $200 each and publication, and be eligible for the $2,000 Readers’ Choice Award, to be selected by subscriber and entrant vote.

Additional poems from the entries are frequently offered publication as well. In 2017 we published 20 poems that had been submitted to the contest from just over 4,000 entries.

Go on, check it out.  Fine poetry and many opportunities to publish there: on their several Facebook pages, in their online magazine, and in print.

Or this–perhaps your competitive nature comes out from time to time.  If so, it may be worth the submission fee.

Good luck, and thanks for reading.

Posted on by Laura Lee

No Tokens Literary Journal

spines      No Tokens Journal declares it is “…a journal celebrating work that is felt in the spine”  and it can be found here, at No Tokens Journal.

Reading that reminds me of what Emily Dickinson wrote about poetry, that “If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire could ever warm me, I know that is poetry.” (http://notable-quotes.com/d/dickinson_emily.html).

No Tokens publishes a print/ bound volume as well as an online journal, making it doubly interesting, in my opinion.  They publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, and “other,” which could include include plays, comics, graphic novels, interviews, etc.

The journal’s passion for great writing is evident, right down to when they declare they will ask for NO TOKENS (no submission fees) while they promise to be a journal:

“…featuring the words and artwork of all voices of the past, present, and future.”

I love this passion for words, stories, voices.

I think I will give them a try.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Posted on by Laura Lee

Alt Minds Literary Magazine-Submissions Until 7-14

bright cardiac cardiology care              Alt Minds Literary Magazine is looking for “…fiction and non-fiction/memoir (1,000 to 3,000) of any genre and poetry (no more than 40 lines) that is related to mental health, in theme, subject matter, characterization, whatever “mental health” means to you.”  Unlike many new journals, this is a paying journal with a very narrow audience: writing with themes related to mental health.

Furtheremore, the editor and founder is brave to state she wished to create “…a literary magazine that focuses exclusively on content about mental health and all the idiosyncrasies that come along in living with mental illness.”  That’s brave.

I’ve submitted two poems there; one is about a competency hearing and one is about drives–literal and metaphorical.

I’m still very pleased and surprised to find so many literary journals–seems to be something for everyone.

Thanks for reading!

bright cardiac cardiology care

 

 

Posted on by Laura Lee

Publications

be-creative-creative-creativity-256514    Some of my poems, short stories, and nonfiction articles are included in books and magazines published in the UK, Greece, New Zealand, and the United States.

*Spillwords Press, July 19, 2018, “Stopped,” a poem
Spillwords Press

*Tuck Magazine, June 2018

Tuck Magazine

*Tuck Magazine,  May 2018

Tuck

* Southernmost Point Guest House (UK)

* Journal of Modern Poetry 21 (Volume 21)

JOMP Volume 21 Dear Mr. President

* Journal of Modern Poetry 20 (Volume 20)

JOMP Volume 20 Poetry Writer’s Guide to the Galaxy

* Journal of Modern Poetry 17 (Volume 17)

JOMP Volume 17

* Magazine (New Zealand) , Raewyn Alexander, Publisher

Raewyn Alexander NZ

* Fiction in: http://staxtes.com/2003/ “Between the Sunlight and the Skipping” in English Wednesdays

* Illinois English Bulletin, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English, nonfiction.

Posted on by Laura Lee

Lucky Thirteen? (Submissions) but about those boys trapped in the Thai cave…

 

windows    Lucky (I hope) thirteen active submissions of poetry out right now… wait, one is a short nonfiction piece entirely written in dialogue. We shall see! The “declined” or rejections outnumber thirteen–but I am enjoying finding new literary magazines and I am editing, revising, and writing poetry. EXCEPT I cannot write about those poor boys trapped in the caves in Thailand. I usually have no problem writing to a prompt, but these boys, these trapped boys…

I mean those boys are mainly in the dark…and they are BOYS. There is ONE adult with them. I followed the lives and stories of the 33 Chilean miners, big strong men, trained men…and I know how very rough they had after the rescue. The miners were down below much longer… but these are boys…and it could take months. Sigh…

If I were honest, I would say I can barely breathe thinking about those boys.

Here are links to some current articles:

Thailand Cave Rescue Options.

I can barely breathe when I think of all those who are trapped, scared, in the dark–literally or emotionally.

I need to open the window now, despite the stifling heat.

There is a poem there about the need to open windows even in the heat.  Even in the bitterly cold.  (Oh, I’ve had issues doing that.)

Not too long ago, my husband and I were in a resort with huge windows, but they did not open.  I wanted to stay somewhere else,  somewhere the windows opened.

But that’s another story or other stories.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by Laura Lee

Spillwords.com, a Mini-Review

spill  **Update: I am having a poem, “Stopped,”published here July 19th.

Spillwords.com is a publisher of fiction, poetry, and original artwork, as well as a re-publisher of “literary greats” that are now in the public domain.  This publisher’s goal is to create a:

…home for all that live and breathe words, spilled or inspired, through literature of every genre, from writers and poets of every walk of life.

The team of editors will work, they state,  to ensure “…work is presented responsibly.”

The writers I saw published there come from all over the globe, and there is a special part of the site dedicated to publishing in Spanish.  The other writers, from all over the world, are published in English.

I am pretty sure the publisher is actually in Poland; I checked and the mail address in there, in Poland.

It’s great to find new (to me!) places to submit work, and to read poetry and fiction from all over.

Thanks for reading!

 

Posted on by Laura Lee

Update on Submission: The Value & Power & Fun of Poetry–Submitted to Willowdown Books

dream courage harmony inspire rocks images Update: the work I submitted here is short-listed; the editors will determine the overall themes of the works they are interested in and then let us short-listed know if we will be published.  I was not familiar that as a writer I would ever be told this, so this is interesting.

As I find new (to me) literary journals, I am delighted to find the absolute joy of language and belief in the power of poetry to be prevalent.  The journals I am finding are truly labors of love, and the publishers and editors are publishing poetry because they love poetry, love language, and believe poetry is important.  What a pleasant change of pace from the local, national, and world news, which is portraying a country and world in hate-filled crisis after crisis!

For example, I just had to submit some poems to Willowdown Books out of the UK: Willowdown Books.

Willowdown is sponsoring “The Poetic Bond VIII,” a bound poetic journal in autumn; submissions are due by the end of the day tomorrow here: The Poetic Bond.

So what creates a “poetic” bond?  The publisher wants to create this bond by publishing poetry that is deeply connected with humanity, nature, and the universe.

You tell me, poets, if this isn’t the heart of poetry?  Deep connections.  Humanity. Nature. The universe.

Yes sirree.  Sure is for me.

Plus the play and delight of language.

Have a look at the “poetic bond” and Willowdown Books.

Oh! For submitting, we got to pick a book out, sort of a thank you for submitting.  This also shows support for the poets already published, so that’s a great idea.

Thanks for reading!