Okay, writers, artists, educators, poets, HUMANS… Hear this:
Tiferet Journal hopes to foster peace through literature and art.
There is nothing better. Period. Read. Write. Learn.
Link to Two Published Poems at Tuck Magazine
I am pleased to have had two poems published here, in Tuck Magazine.
I am particularly happy to be published here since Tuck Magazine tries to bring social justice issues to light, while helping its writers publish. Perhaps you want to get a more global look at issues; Tuck Magazine does that.
Where have you been submitting? How is writing and publishing going for you?
Thanks for reading!
Laura Lee
Writers: a nice feature of submittable.com
Writers! Perhaps you knew about this great feature of Submittable, but I did not until today. Submittable.com is a site where some publishers collect submissions to journals and contests, reply to the writers, accept submissions, reject submissions. It’s a way to read submissions “blindly,” without seeing an author’s name.
I like using Submittable, since it also helps me keep track of what piece of writing I’ve submitted where.
What I just discovered, however, is a great find: the “discover” section of the website. There I found many journals listing their requirements, deadlines, etc. All in one place.
I also found sites I now like to read from (is that the term…read from? Read there?)
So, writers, if you haven’t discovered the DISCOVER feature of Submittable yet, here you go: Discover Opportunities Submittable. If you don’t have an account there yet, you will need to create a free account.
What are some useful writing tools you have discovered?
Thanks for reading!
Laura Lee
Coffin Bell Journal, a mini-review
Another interesting site. This is not my genre, dark literature, but I realize many of my writings contain very dark elements–just not supernatural. With some editing, they could fit the genre. In any case, here is a journal that has an interesting premise. From 
their website: Coffin Bell
Coffin Bell is a new quarterly online journal of dark literature seeking poetry, flash fiction, short stories, and creative nonfiction exploring dark themes. When we say “dark themes,” we don’t necessarily mean traditional horror. Send us your waking nightmares, dark CNF, dystopian flash, cursed verse. Surprise us. Make us think in a new way. Give us a new fear. Make our skin crawl.
If you write flash fiction or dark verse, read here and consider submitting. The site is attractive, the care given to writers evident in their bios. What an interesting group of writers published there already, from lawyers to ghost writers.
Yesterday I changed the speaker of a poem from human to animal, something I’ve not done before. Have you considered writing outside of your genre? If so, what was your experience?
Thanks for reading!
Belied/rough draft
Parking here to edit and revise
Belied
The woods, late spring
pond at sunsets
bat-skimmed surface
white tail pulled down
new leaves. The hawk flew low
as well.
Over the walking path
my shadow squat and low
No wings
no hooves, no wild thing.
Even the blue jay flew low
that night, while grasshoppers
jumped quickly across the path
my short shadowed sadness and dread
belied the flood of gold.
Of Coyotes, Babies, Macduff, and Strangers. (Five poems Submitted Tonight)
I submitted five persona poems to a favorite journal tonight, written in the voices of five distinct others: a coyote, a baby, Macduff from Macbeth, Simon from Lord of the Flies, and two strangers. It was fun to find and edit the poems, as well as working on a few others I just could not include at this time.
I love writing persona poems; I am both a a daughter of storytellers and a current poet, and persona poems combine poetry and stories. It’s tricky for me to write in a persona not female, not human, not me at all, but I love to try doing this.
Now I wait many months to find out if any of these poems will be published. In the meantime, I know I will be writing more persona poems, since I am taking a writing class this summer.
What’s the most interesting voice you have written in?
Submitted Four Poems–I’ll (im) patiently wait
Since poetry is a labor of love, I will patiently wait to hear…. in six months to a yea
r. Keep smiling. Keep track of where I have sent out work and when. If by some magical turn of events any of the works are accepted elsewhere, I’ll then know to withdraw them. (Yes, I checked on simultaneous submissions.) Poetry editors seem to be much better about this than they were many years ago.
Publications
Link: My Publications Include
Some (not so?) random thoughts
A kinder atmosphere in my world with the teachers out for summer. It’s just nice to know good people are out there. And I know such good teacher colleagues and friends.
*~*~*~
I would have returned the email, even between terms. Yes, I judge her for not replying. Yes, I know she wasn’t being paid to check emails between terms.
But I would have. And I always did.
Because of being like that, so hyper-vigilant, I will never relax. I have never relaxed. Always on. Retirement would kill me.
*~*~*~
Some people are multi-talented in music and art and writing. It’s amazing. It’s great to see.
*~*~*~
I wish I’d thanked my parents for moving us from a middle-class existence in a high-crime area to a poor existence in a much safer one. I never thanked them, but rather blamed them for making us poor by moving. I am ashamed I didn’t appreciate how much better a safe life would be for all of us, and especially for someone as sensitive as I am. I am decades too late for they have died, but I wish I could tell them: “Thank you for this sacrifice.”
*~*~*~
One of the joys of being a highly sensitive person is that I can find great joy in simple beauties, actions, sounds, smells, sights. To me, nothing is simple, and I am grateful for all beauty of person or nature.
Because I am off-the-chart highly sensitive, I also find life to be greatly complicated and difficult at times, exhausting often.
A gift and a curse, but I don’t know how to be otherwise.
Someone laughed at me chuckling over ducks recently, but that’s all right. It was delightful to hear them quacking and see them flying overhead on an otherwise cool and quiet spring afternoon.
That’s me, sometimes flying, often quacking. Never graceful, but often feeling grace.
*~*~*~
This aging is a hoot. I remember things so clearly that turn out to be decades ago.
*~*~*~
Kindness matters. I would advise against ambition over compassion. In the long run, if we are human, we need each other more than another thing. Yes, that’s a privileged point of view, for many struggle to survive, and I’ve been there. When I was struggling so hard just to keep a roof over my head, I was all ambition.
But after survival, and during survival, I do believe compassion is paramount.
*~*~*~
What’s with so few people reading poetry? Language is so magical and poetry the most possessed!
*~*~*
I like the free photo/ image I found from pexels.com more than anything I have created. Talk about evocative!
*~*~*~
In my dreams, I can paint. And sing. And dance. Also in my dreams, I awaken and realize I cannot do any of those.
*~*~*~
Just some random (or not) thoughts on a lovely quiet and cool late spring evening before the riot of summer heat sets in.
Laura Lee
Palette Poetry, a good poetry site (mini review)
Poets, another good site for reading poetry and for celebrating poetry is Palette Poetry. Palette states its mission is:
…to uplift and engage emerging and established poets in our larger community.
The world is eager for poets. In 2016, more people spent their hard earned money on poetry books than any other year on record. When times are dark, the world always turns to poets for empathy, for answers, for words, bucking and new.
Palette Poetry is here to paint our small part of the world with truth through poetry, as hopeful and eviscerating as truth can be.
Palette sponsors contests, publishes poetry, promotes fun with and improvement of poetry. I love Palette’s lack of pretension, as shown by these words:
Our goal is to simply find and publish the best poetry we can, no matter its roots in craft.
If you love to read and or write poetry, this would be a great site to visit. If you hope to be published there, the editors note that they publish only the best poetry, so be sure to submit only your best.
Their site is inviting and exciting. Why not visit Palette Poetry?
Laura Lee 