It’s been quite a month, dear readers. As most of you know, I’ve been traveling in France, much of that time with limited internet. Logging off once in a while is something I cannot recommend enough.
Even better if you find yourself in all sorts of curious company.
My seven-year-old daughter had the honor of naming the animals we encountered. Among such names were “Brian,” “Max,” “Sam,” and—my personal favorite—”Melted Oil.”
What the duck does this have to do with literary magazines?
Nothing, really. Except to say, another big blob of time has gone by full of all manner of adventures. And thus we have arrived at the last weekend of the month.
You know what that means.
It is time for all of you to step forward, tell us about what you’ve been up to and where you’ve published lately.
Indeed, it is time to celebrate you—your successes, your accomplishments, your rugged perseverance, your hard work and your absolute unwavering dedication to your craft.
Tell us, friends. Where did your work appear this past month?
Don’t be shy!
Share the link(s).
Tell us the details. How did you find this particular lit mag? How many other journals did you send your work to before this piece found its home?
Did you edit the piece as you submitted it or did it get picked up pretty much in its original form?
Did you work with the editor(s) on revision? What was that experience like?
Are you pleased with the final product?
Come on out. Now is your time.
Step right up and brag your lit mag!
And here’s one last picture. Do you see the rainbow? Ain’t that something.
Thanks for all the great photos, Becky! It’s been a kind month, with two flash fiction pieces published and three more accepted, plus one longlisted. I sent each to only a handful of magazines; lovely editors, and no changes requested so far. I’ve found some magazines via lists included here (thank you, Becky!) and some via author bios on pieces I’ve read and liked.
Congrats, Donna, that's quite a flashy flash fiction success sprint. I've had 2 publications in The Ekphrastic Review - a flash in their fortnightly prompt & a poem in their "submit your own" section. Lorette is lovely & so passionate about ekphrasis. Sounds like we both gravitate to flash. We should swap reads. :)
PS: Finding new mags via author bios - I wondered how many others did this!
I'm not sure it occurs to everyone to do so. I never see it mentioned in "how to find good journals" articles - lol! Perhaps there's just a very small club of writers with this sneaky strategy. Maybe there'll be more now if others read this thread! :D
Thank you, Melissa. And congratulations to you on a fantastic month! I’ve just read your Molten Summer piece, and loved it (the word “lollies” is so familiar to me, as I grew up in NZ.) . And I love the Ekphrastic Review. Swap reads, yes.
Thanks, Donna! "Molten Summer" was actuallly loosely inspired from an abstract painting on TER. I need to return to their fortnightly prompts. Lately, I'm always working on something for submission for a paying market, so they've taken a back seat. Are you planning on submitting for their "Memory Palace" antho? I have some drafts .. and yes, I'm just combing through the new comments,but your pieces are bookmarked to read!
Donna, I believe I read "After-words" when it came out. I typically keep up with Milk Candy. I should start reading Ekphrastic more. I enjoy your work!
TER has some brilliant writers contributing regularly. I've had a flash & a poem published there too. The creativity of the responses always astounds - & inspires me.
Will it be online too, Lev? I'd love to read it. I have a true ghost story flash too, but I self-published it - so will have to hunt for a journal that takes flash reprints (and actually ikes my flash).
Donna. After reading "Afterwords", I have no words. I'm speechless by its stark & surprising metaphors. My skin kept breaking out in goosebumps. Wow. I'll be returning to read that again & again. OK I'll attempt a few observations. Just loved the opening idea & how that lead to the narrator's conviction he was becoming "winged" & how you just ran with it, somehow keeping to the themes, but also breaking & remaking them in every image. Phew!
"The Rise"" is intriguing - you pull your readers into the scene so effortlessly. Scales like "hammered pearls" is such an evocative image. May I ask you a question about it? (It's something I'm annoyed I didn't quite understand!)
I had a true ghost story accepted by Paranormal Press; a story about London accepted by Mysterious Ink for an anthology of reprints (cool idea!); published a reprint of a comic flash essay in Stone of Madness. There may be more, but that's all I can remember right now at 4am (we've had thunderstorms here that woke our dogs and us super early).
What I do know is that I'm at 52 published or accepted essays or stories in just under two years, including some reprints. It's been an amazingly fruitful writing time for me once I got my bearings during the pandemic. I've also been inspired by the writers I've been editing and coaching at writewithoutborders.com.
How did I pick the pubs above? Checking their websites, reading their guidelines and sampling what they were publishing.
Lev, 52 is an amazing number of acceptances for 2 years of submitting effort. That's like 1 every fortnight - congratulations! I too, underwent a renaissance of my writing in the world's most locked-down city, Melbourne. It re-set my compass & I have no intention of stopping. I just started submitting to journals in Jan. this year & I have 8 acceptances & a longlist, plus a number of higher-tiered rejection slips. I'm up to about 30 submissions, so that feels like a good ratio. 52 submissions is my minimum yearly goal. :)
How long was your true ghost story? Will that be in an antho or is a stand-alone? (I love eerie stories -the Gothic aesthetic is another of my influences. I read too much Poe at an early age!)
I'm amazed myself. My "run" started with an essay about my late mother published August 2021 (which I was well paid for) and everything I wrote seemed to open me up to another essay. Flash, travel, memoir. I often wrote early in the morning with an idea in my head that woke me up.
That's fantastic news about high-tiered rejections. And btw I followed the news from Melbourne and the lock downs because my first cousin lives there and so did my late mother's favorite pupil in the 1940s who I wrote about here: https://www.memoirist.org/post/rendezvous-in-bruxelles-by-lev-raphael
The severity of the lockdowns (esp. the 8pm curfew for months) certainly made it a liminal & memorable experience. And as you've read, gave me much inspiration. Yes, it's wonderful when you have the domino effect of one piece opening up an dea for another piece - good for you - wish it would happen to me a bit more often! Thanks so much for your wonderful comment on my "mask" piece on Exist Otherwise. A lovely surprise! :)
Thanks! Just when I've been thinking "I guess that's it for now," a new idea pops into my head, like writing about my brother (which I never really have) or finally telling the story of two encounters with ghosts, or dealing with my migraines with words as opposed to medication.
I've had 3 ocular migraines this year, all painless. When the first happened, I thought I was having a stroke, or had been thrust into a sci-fi movie. I called my optometrist friend and she told me it was harmless.
They are super scary the first time, but knowing they're harmless makes a difference. I had no idea what was happening and I did see a neurologist first, per my GP's recommendation, to rule out a number of things.
I published a deeply personal story that took me years to understand. Writing this piece was not easy—it required introspection, vulnerability, and a lot of courage. I published it hoping that it would help others who may be going through similar situations. https://minervarising.com/glimpses-by-anne-e-beall/
Anne, this is beautiful. "Like I’ve had an illness and cannot recover—never really be myself again." You've written about such an important relationship and I can very much understand why it took so long to both understand what happened and to organize your thoughts around it. Congratulations.
I saved this link so I could read it later today. I'm saddened by your loss. Your daughter, still so young, might yet experience enlightenment and seek a reunification with you. For both your sakes, I sincerely hope so. A powerful read. Thank you for sharing it with us. Wishing you all the very best.
What an amazing and heartbreaking essay. I hope you two can find your way back to each other, or peace if you do not. Congratulations on this publication!
I have not commented before - thought I'd mention two recent publications, in Mutha Magazine and Heimat Review. Both editors accepted very quickly, and were both great to work with. Links are at:
Congratulations to my Lit Mag colleagues reporting on their publications here. Thanks to Lit Mag for this opportunity to share good news.
I'm at the point in my brief writing career - I started writing poetry two years ago - where rejections are almost welcome. At least it means that someone has read my work! That said, it is always a thrill to get an acceptance.
Recently, I have been writing poems about the gun culture in this country. It made sense to submit to gun control advocacy publishers and to journals know for publishing grit lit. It's such an honor to have Bullets Into Bells (other contributors include Richard Blanco and Rita Dove!) publish my poem We Carry <https://bulletsintobells.com/2023/05/31/we-carry/>. My poem Absolute: For Ukraine was published in New York Quarterly <https://nyq.org/magazine/article/baum-absolute/>. Cowboy Jamboree Press published my poem I See Your Ghost, and then accepted my chapbook How to Rob a Convenience Store for publication in 2024.
Jul 29, 2023·edited Jul 29, 2023Liked by Becky Tuch
If I may be permitted a retroactive brag as a reader initially shy to comment here, "Molten Summer Reverie" is a prose poem I wrote especially for a Canadian journal of surrealist writing. In a quirk of synchronicity, after waiting a month with no word, it was accepted the day after reading it at a poetry event here in Melbourne, Australia. (Did she hear me across the seas? ) I found "Aurora Journal" as I was googling "journals surrealist themes". I loved its aesthetic, read madly, & wrote a poem I felt fit the editor's definition of surrealism (dreamy / ethereal is her preference - although I'd say not a definitive definition of surrealism!). I had 2 beta reader's feedback & it underwent numerous revisions to be accepted without change. It's a paying journal & I'm delighted it landed in its intended home . The E.I.C provides her published authors a wonderful summary feedback that could be used as a review.
A flash fiction was longlisted for a UK anthology. The longlist consisted of 105 pieces from 584 entries, so although it wasn't shortlisted, this "re-emerging" writer sees this as encouraging feedback.: )
Lastly, another flash fic "Unmasking Desire" was accepted for a journal with Substack origins (now on a separate site). "Exist Otherwise" is a bi-monthly themed journal drawn from 20th-century surrealist (I'm sensing a pattern here), gender-fluid artist Claude Cahun. (David Bowie exhibited their work in NY around 2006). I discovered the journal via a rabbit-hole, starting on a recent Authors Publish newsletter. I didn't resonate with the listed journal, but the other links turned up this gem. The theme was around masks / identity. I decided to work a prose poem into flash fiction - maybe 30 minutes of editing. I submitted & 3 days later it was accepted. Eric sends out proofs, so mine was slightly tweaked (all my suggestions). Delighted with how it's been presented ! Just a heads up - it's under a "resurrected" pseudonym.(I used to publish intelligent erotica & blog about sexuality.) This isn't explicit, but it does explore desire & sexuality- & my pseudonym insisted on claiming it. There's a comments section & I know Eric would love if you commented (moi aussi!)
Melissa, I love this. The way you stirred up heat and passion in the context of the cold, cautious and sterile environment; the push and pull of a woman's desire (while in normal times the desire is so often for more privacy and more space); the beautiful little nugget of private resistance--"defying rules for a dangerous moment;" the magnificent word play--"that locked-down desire...". This is just so great. Bravo.
Becky, thank you so much for reading. Your feedback is so appreciated, as I feel really new here amongst all these very seasoned submitters. You certainly saw a lot of the layers / metaphors I was wanting to convey with this flash! Thanks again! (And the editor is really doing something quite special with his journal IMO)
Oh, & this just landed - been in the works for a couple of weeks, but I was unsure when it would be published. If anyone here follows Becauseyouwrite by Kelly Eden (CNF & personal essay expert - she also runs courses), I'm doing a monthly appearance on her newsletter - this one was posting a few paid opportunities / sub calls for her students. (Working towards my own Substack!) I didn't really know how she was framing it - thought I just had a little corner of her newsletter - but that's not quite how it transpired! If I'd have known I was pretty much the feature I'd have written my intro differently.
I'm always researching where to send my poetry and prose. WOMPO's listserve is a good place to see where other women writers are getting their poetry published. Poets & Writers Magazine also lists many journals and presses, and so does The Writer's Chronicle.
I'm trying to find an editor interested in an essay about my experiences as a woman who was sexually harassed for many years by a male member of my synagogue, while the rabbi and the synagogue "leaders" did very little to assist me. At the end of my esssay, I make recommendations for changing policies to make it harder for such abuse to happen in houses of worship. Do any of you know of a good venue for such an essay? If so, please let me know. Thank you!
Becky, I grew up in Wisconsin, and your photos of cows brought back many good memories of my home state. Have a great time in France!
Beautiful poem, Janet, congrats. For your essay, you might want to try the Jewish-themed magazines. Tikkun, Jewish Currents, Moment Mag all come to mind. Depends on how much is personal essay vs op-ed style. If it's really a personal essay then many lit mags may also be a fit--The Sun, Calyx, Lilith, Image Journal maybe. I'd suggest looking for mags explicitly focused on Judaism and/or women's experiences. My two cents!
Becky, these are good suggestions. My essay has already been rejected by Lilith, Tiferet, and Jewish Currents. My essay is a hybrid: it begins as a personal essay but ends with serious recommendations for changes in how several different Jewish organizations handle complaints about sexual harassment when the situation involves two synagogue members. Although many publications say that they are interested in hybrid works, I have had a terrible time publishing any kind of hybrid essays that I have written. Because hybrid works date at least as far back as Cervantes' Don Quixote (1605 and 1615) and Fielding's Tom Jones (1749), discrimination against authors who combine different genres seems ridiculous to me. Best wishes!
I lived in Wisconsin for some years and started writing poems there. Loved the cows, too! One Art is indeed a fine, fine home. Congratulations! Love the poem. I used to get WOMPOs listserve, but then it got all weird when yahoo stopped doing lists, so it was hard to stay tuned in there.
Rasma Haidri, thank you for your support! My father taught me the difference between Holstein and Guernsey cows. When my family took car trips, we played a game in which each cow we saw counted one point, and each horse doubled a team's score. If you have g-mail, you can get WOMPO's listserve. It also has a Facebook page where women post their publications. Best wishes! Janet
Thank you, Donna. I can send you my poem if you give me an e-mail address. For some reason, Frameless Sky posts only some of the poems in the free online version. A person has to pay to obtain the full issue of haiku and senryu. My website is https://www.janetruthheller.com/ if you want to contact me that way. Best wishes!
This week my 2nd flash fiction "Taking Mary Oliver's Advice" was published by Cotton Xenomorph. I discovered the journal on Twitter and I was very impressed with the work I read. I'd sent this story to 17 journals and received 14 rejections. I had a very interesting experience when I withdrew from two of the journals that hadn't yet responded: they invited me to submit more work - and these are both dream journals for me!
Jul 29, 2023·edited Jul 29, 2023Liked by Becky Tuch
This month saw my longeset piece in Spanish ever published in Luvina, the lit mag of The University of Guadalajara , Mexico (on paper and online). This marks the first time my name has ever appeared on a lit mag's cover, which is a heart-warming achievement, as is my company in the issue, some of Latin America's best contemporary writers. If you read Spanish, here it is: https://luvina.com.mx/la-historia-de-mi-lengua-d-p-snyder/ . Additionally, my translation of the bone-chilling story of motherhood gone wrong, "Instinct" by Basque contemporary writer Mónica Crespo, appears in print in the Summer issue of beautiful Ploughshares, thanks to a quick yes from guest editor, novelist Tom Perrotta. Having our work in Ploughshares is a dream come true!
Yes, Becky, Tom selected instinct from the slush pile, although I did respond to the call for submissions almost immediately, because I know his work and I felt sure that the story would appeal to him. Sometimes, when you see a call for submissions, it feels like the start of a good conversation. Thrilling to hear that you spent some time at the University of Guadalajara! The editor at Luvina is the brilliant poet, Silvia Castillero. She is very open to good writing in Spanish from the United States, and I’d like to encourage all of my bilingual friends in the space to consider submitting to her.
"Sometimes, when you see a call for submissions, it feels like the start of a good conversation." I love this. Such a great way to think about the process.
Becky, those pictures are amazing. Looks like a fantastic trip! This month I have a short story out in Fabula Argentea. I had a feeling it was perfect for them, and I only submitted it to that journal. I received an acceptance in three weeks. The EIC, Rick Taubold, is excellent--he does what he says he will when he says he will, and I was paid ($10) within days of publication. He suggested a few minor edits (generally about comma placement and paragraph breaks). I accepted all but one, and he agreed to leave it alone without a fuss. Two things set this journal apart: 1) at the end of each piece, they explain why they chose it, and 2) the pieces are eclectic, so you can sometimes get away with humor. (Note, however, that they are not on social media, although there is an active comment section on their website.) Here's the link:
I also have a prose poem out in Lost Balloon, another great journal with a lovely EIC. This piece took some time to place (I submitted to numerous journals and racked up both form and high-tier rejections). I think I heard back from Lost Balloon within two months. No payment, but they have a large online following and heavily promote pieces on social media. No edits were proposed.
OMG, well done, Colette! "These people were making him crave a cigarette." - Made me laugh out loud. You totally captured beleaguered-cop vibe. What a great ending! And I agree, it's so lovely to hear from the editors on why they chose the piece.
Collette, "On Retraction" has a kind of dark radiance. I adored the Pandora metaphors & this: "The spoken words imprint with finality, each syllable the weight of a snow-glazed mountain. You walk away. Only an echo returns."
Isn't prose poetry just ... delicious to write? The possibilities as a genre feel limitless.
I've written a few poems on this theme, too - the damage words can do - how once they lift from the tongue, you can't control their impact. One called "If Only the Crow" is published on "Writing in a Woman's Voice" if you'd be interested to read it.
Congratulations on a successful month, & I'll bookmark the other piece to read. :)
Wow Collette, thanks for hunting it down without me providing the link, & I so appreciate your feedback. It's not the prettiest journal, but its owner (Beatte Sigriddaughter) is Poet Laureate of Silver Lake City, so I was honoured she selected one of my poems to publish. :) And thanks for the Twitter follow.
Congrats on the Fabula Argentea one... I've gotten a few rejections from there, and Rick always has said why he didn't take the story. Which is always welcome, and often rare.
July was relatively quiet, not all months can be gangbuster. I had an atmospheric piece, "On a Dusty Road" picked up by The Yard - Crime Blog. They're here, on Substack. I'm not sure how I found them, maybe through this newsletter :) . I tend to look at mags that publish writer buddies, especially when I like their story! So here's the link: https://theyardcrimeblog.com/2023/07/06/on-a-dusty-road-texas-ranger/ . First submission, no edits. Added little pat on the back, they used two of my pictures of West Texas to illustrate the piece. I like that. Now, if I may, I'm August guest editor at Punk Noir Magazine. Subs open August 1 and will close August 24. I will read and select as the weeks go, so if you're interested, don't wait till the 24th. There's a theme and 2,500 words max. No stipend but tons of love! You can find about it here - https://punknoirmagazine.wordpress.com/punk-noir-magazine-3/
Devil's Party Press is publishing a collection of my short stories now available for presale. Thirteen years ago when I began writing more often because my kids were in college and didn't need me as much and I was downright lost and depressed about that, I never thought I'd be able to do this. It's been a joy of a journey and a lot of grit and determination. The very best part is all the writing friends I have made in critique groups, seminars, workshops, getaways. If you have the time and you like short stories please visit me at https://virginiawatts.com/.
This month I saw my poem "Barn Buzzard" published in Walloon Writers Review, a print only publication about northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. It's sold at a number of Michigan bookshops as well as ThriftBooks online. When my siblings and I got together at the old family farm in Cheboygan County last week, I shared it with them and was glad to see they didn't mind that I'd compared all of us to the buzzard that perched on the beam of the fallen barn! If nothing else, we share a good sense of humor.
Last year I bought a copy from a bookshop in Petosky to get a feel for what they like, which is general audience work about the area from people with some connection to Northern Michigan, even as tourists. I'd submitted two pieces but had to withdraw one when it became part of the Tethers End poetry collection under contract with Shanti Arts.
Congrats everyone! I'm excited to share that I just had a craft essay accepted by Cleaver, which was recently featured in Lit Mag News. It's a piece focused on the threats to creative writers posed by generative AI - with a note of hope from Faulkner and, of all places, the US Navy. The editor and I are working on revisions so I don;t have a link yet to share.
I had some trouble placing this piece, and I didn't know The Raven Review well until I found them and submitted. As with the others, they were friendly and professional. They put out a quality publication.
I apologize for the superficial summaries of my publication experiences up there, but these past few months have been busy.
I work quickly, write daily, and submit a lot I started writing for publication at the end of 2019.
Travis, do not apologize for sharing these links! What a month you've had. I enjoyed the raw honesty of "Poison Control." So darkly funny. The idea of an app to predict your own funeral attendees--brilliant. And I love that the editors said you sound like Stephen Wright. Congrats.
That’s really nice to hear, thanks! Things just aligned—the acceptances from earlier in the year. My FB “followers” probably found it a little obnoxious, ha.
November 22, 2022- January 4, 2023, for acceptance; publications July 3, 2023. "The Short Form of Love", in Citron Review. Sent it out twice before. Picked the journal because I admire the poets they select. Small revisions for a small poem. No editing by journal. A lovely experience.
My sestina, "Six," appeared this month in Last Stanza Poetry Journal. There's no online link, and even as a contributor, I have to buy a copy. The editor wanted me to change a few lines that, for me, violated the integrity of the sestina (because she wanted to change the end words in one stanza). I asked and received the opportunity to revise, but alas, I couldn't sustain the sestina in a way that incorporated her changes. So, it appeared as a quasi-sestina. Sigh. You can read about the themed issue, "The Things We Carry," here: https://laststanzapoetry.blogspot.com/2023/03/callout-for-issue-13-of-last-stanza.html
This is actually a deep revision of the first piece I ever submitted to a lit mag over a year ago! Originally, this was a short poem formatted in the style of a note-to-self you might jot down in your Notes App (like the poor man's "Notebook Fragments" by Ocean Vuong). It was my first rejection and in hindsight the rejection was totally fair, but at the time I was devastated. I shelved the piece and returned to it this spring to see if I could salvage something, and after working with it for a while, I realized that where I was going wrong was that this was a CNF piece, not a poem! I'm really proud of how it turned out.
I also submitted it to two other magazines, but Mag 20/20 got to it first. I didn't do any edits, but I did record myself reading it for their website! That's always something I've wanted to do for one of my publications, so that was incredibly cool, but way harder than I expected.
Congrats, Eleanor. Very cool to hear about the process behind this piece. A good reminder that just because a piece goes into the drawer it doesn't need to disappear forever, and may even resurface in a wholly fresh new form.
In July, I had two poems accepted for the debut issue (coming out in early August) of RECESSES, a "zine based in Birmingham, UK, but open to the world".
My poem, 'tadpole', was accepted by Granfalloon, my third piece published in this speculative journal, one I really enjoy.
Two other inaugural journals have accepted my poems for their first issues: Wireworm and Do Geese See God: A Literary Magazine.
One of my newer poems was also accepted by Lowestoft Chronicle with a one-day turnaround. I was especially pleased with how this poem turned out, so it made me very happy to find a home for it so quickly!
Also, this month, I started a volunteer Reader gig for White Cresset Arts Journal.
I'm continuing my New Year's resolution to write a haiku or small poem every day (give or take!) and I'm also enjoying my participation (for the 4th year in a row) in the Poetry Postcard Festival, an opportunity to playfully create - and exchange! - postcards with other likeminded creatives. I highly recommend it!
I did the postcard festival last year but opted for other activities this year. We formed a writers group that meets at the Theodore Roethke Museum [house] in Saginaw, and it was really productive. And White Cresset Arts Journal just accepted by "Shaking the Baby" for its Sept 1 issue. What a small world!
Love the premise of your writers group. I'm participating in a poetry retreat sponsored by River Heron Review in October and so excited about getting to meet & work with new poetry friends. It's so empowering!!
Like most writing opps, I must have found the call on Twitter. I sent the essay to a total of nine (!) journals, including to a contest where it was named a finalist. I withdrew it from the contest after Ninth Letters’s acceptance.
I edited it a few times, including the title. The editors were very responsive and helpful during the editing process especially as I improved the ending. They also allayed my fears about the originality of the form.
I’ve been wanting to experiment with hermit crab essays. I had lots of fun writing this piece, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle with 26 pieces.
I love this lyric essay! Interested to hear you find opps on twitter. I don’t have a system there to find anything specific. I use Duotrope, submittable, lithub, sometimes P&W.
Hi Ramsa, if you join #WritingCommunity on Twitter, I post monthly (sometimes more) submission call round-ups from journals worldwide. I collect them from everywhere! Been doing this since April this year. Also, I subscribe to Authors Publish - it's free, their newsletters land in your in-box - 1 - 3 monthly are sub call lists. And like me, they prioritize fee-free journals. I'm @CuriousSeeds on Twitter.. :)
The tweet was probably from Ninth Letter, or someone who retweeted the call. I also use Submittable! I'll start looking into lithub for calls. Wish I had a system! I also started putting the dates when subs open in my calendar.
I remember seeing this call, but couldn't come up with a piece in time. Congrats, Andrew! I just tried a braided essay for the first time - had heard of the hermit crab form - bookmarked yours to read!
Thanks, Melissa! I wrote this piece last year and thought it might be a good fit for the call that came early this year. I'm the kind of writer who can't write on the fly in response to a call!
Whenever I see a themed call for sub and know I don't have a piece ready to submit, I just treat it as a writing prompt. I noticed a call on a similar theme in another magazine usually comes up sooner or later.
It's inspiring to read everyone's story of their acceptances and then to read the pieces themselves. I'm fairly new to writing creative nonfiction and was pleased to have an essay accepted in June and then another in July, Bread and Butter. It wasn't a story I was sure most journals would be interested in from the beginning. It was rejected eight times.
Then along came Wild Greens to say they would publish it in their Neighborhood issue. I had happened upon the call for submissions by chance a few days before the deadline. I was thrilled it found a home in a lovely magazine. The editor was kind and wonderful to work with.
In dialogue with Mad Swirl: a creative outlet about a poem of mine called I WANT TO BE YOUR LOVER. The cool thing about Mad Swirl is that if they accept 3 of your poems they’ll dedicate a page to you in their poetry forum. I was in dialogue with Editor M.H. about cutting the last 4 lines of the poem but he will not and ‘dems are the breaks I guess. This kind of thing never bothered me before but I’m feeling like poet C.A. Conrad and that the poem wasn’t finished, just orphaned.
Funny thing is this poem was accepted without those last 4 lines by Book Of Matches, A Literary Journal, but I got my wires crossed and it ended up appearing in Mad Swirl before I could withdraw the sub. That’s the first time that’s ever happened in 13 years of submitting poetry. It’s a good problem to have and the only recourse I have is to run the piece how I want it in THIRD ACT, my 10th full-length poetry collection due out in ‘24.
My poem “Midwestern” was in the recent Prairie Schooner. The last time I had a poem in PS was in 1998! So I was pleased. “Midwestern” had been submitted many places over the years, in many revised versions. When I finally got it revised to what might be its best form I decided to start at the top of my list and sent it to Prairie Schooner. I also just got an acceptance from Rattle, another on my top list, for a poem called “Fresh”. When I wrote “Fresh” I thought that it sounded like the type of poem, the pacing etc., that Tim would like, so I only sent it to him. My acceptance to rejection ratio is about 1% to 99%, but I have not been sending poems out so regularly the past year or so. There are fewer poems I feel are ready. My second collection was just published by Rebel Satori Press, after being rejected by at least 20 presses over the years, and revised accordingly. I had just gotten it revised into a form I felt good about, again, and Rebel Satori had a call for Queer Mojo titles. I sent the book in believing it was neither queer nor mojo enough, but they took it! https://rebelsatori.com/product/blue-like-apples/ My website www.rasma.org needs updating, but sharing it here will motivate me to get that done!
Congrats on the Rattle acceptance Rasma, & your story about how long you've been revising your chapbook before it led to an acceptance is inspiring - perhaps I shouldn't just abandon mine as a bad idea because 3 comps didn't like it. :( / :)
This was a response to a themed submission call, and I actually reduced the essay by about half its original word-count in the hours before the call was due! It's one I'd been working on and failing to place for multiple years now, and I'm so happy it got this home. The editors didn't do much hands-on with me, but they also were very good about letting everyone approve their pieces before publishing and paid what they could. It was a good experience and I would recommend submitting to them if you are a sports type at all--which I'd generally say I am *not,* so I am tickled pink over this!
The fallow clouds finally parted and my novel excerpt, "Masks on Fire" is now on the new issue of Collidescope, an especially smart and visually exciting journal! Newest version of the novel departs from this part, but if it gets readers interested, all the better! Thanks editor George Salis!!
Deep Overstock was one of the first journals to accept my work and I've grown rather fond of their themed issues, their personal responses, their quick turnaround, and their professional touch.
Got a poem out in Provenance. It’s my first try at the luc bat form, and was written after a visit to Angel Island, which housed military training grounds and also internment camps during the first half of the 1900s.
Also had a couple of poems accepted to San Antonio Review, one to Bulb Culture Collective, and a short story to Unleash Lit. All should be dropping in September.
My poem "Spirit in the Dark at the Church of Zoom" was accepted by Feral journal of poetry & art after being rejected by 28 other lit mags (https://feralpoetry.net/spirit-in-the-dark-by-la-felleman/). The rejections didn't cause me to edit the poem; I kept submitting it as is until it found a home. The theme of Issue 16 is Music, my poem was inspired by an Aretha Franklin performance, and the editor saw the fit, thankfully. I do like the layout of the online journal. Each literary piece is paired with original art on a webpage. Contributors do not get a free copy of the print version, so that's something to keep in mind if that is important to you. Overall, a good experience and I will submit to Feral again.
Thanks for all the great photos, Becky! It’s been a kind month, with two flash fiction pieces published and three more accepted, plus one longlisted. I sent each to only a handful of magazines; lovely editors, and no changes requested so far. I’ve found some magazines via lists included here (thank you, Becky!) and some via author bios on pieces I’ve read and liked.
“After-words” in Milk Candy Review: https://milkcandyreview.home.blog/2023/07/13/after-words-by-donna-shanley/
“The Rise” in The Ekphrastic Review: https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/the-rise-by-donna-shanley
Donna, what a month! Congrats!
Congrats, Donna, that's quite a flashy flash fiction success sprint. I've had 2 publications in The Ekphrastic Review - a flash in their fortnightly prompt & a poem in their "submit your own" section. Lorette is lovely & so passionate about ekphrasis. Sounds like we both gravitate to flash. We should swap reads. :)
PS: Finding new mags via author bios - I wondered how many others did this!
I do that -- have discovered so many great mags via author bios...
Same.
I'm not sure it occurs to everyone to do so. I never see it mentioned in "how to find good journals" articles - lol! Perhaps there's just a very small club of writers with this sneaky strategy. Maybe there'll be more now if others read this thread! :D
Thank you, Melissa. And congratulations to you on a fantastic month! I’ve just read your Molten Summer piece, and loved it (the word “lollies” is so familiar to me, as I grew up in NZ.) . And I love the Ekphrastic Review. Swap reads, yes.
Thanks, Donna! "Molten Summer" was actuallly loosely inspired from an abstract painting on TER. I need to return to their fortnightly prompts. Lately, I'm always working on something for submission for a paying market, so they've taken a back seat. Are you planning on submitting for their "Memory Palace" antho? I have some drafts .. and yes, I'm just combing through the new comments,but your pieces are bookmarked to read!
I do have TER’s Memory anthology in view, Melissa, but no piece for it yet. It will likely be a last-minute sub...
At the rate I'm going, mine will be too if I don't choose to work on the drafts already started. :D
Donna, I believe I read "After-words" when it came out. I typically keep up with Milk Candy. I should start reading Ekphrastic more. I enjoy your work!
Thank you, Travis. I've enjoyed your stories too!
TER has some brilliant writers contributing regularly. I've had a flash & a poem published there too. The creativity of the responses always astounds - & inspires me.
Bravo! It's awesome to have editors like and even love our work.
Thank you, Lev! I hope you’ll post the link to your ghost story when it’s published.
Yes, can't wait to see it in print. I get the proofs August 16th and it comes out in September.
Will it be online too, Lev? I'd love to read it. I have a true ghost story flash too, but I self-published it - so will have to hunt for a journal that takes flash reprints (and actually ikes my flash).
Donna. After reading "Afterwords", I have no words. I'm speechless by its stark & surprising metaphors. My skin kept breaking out in goosebumps. Wow. I'll be returning to read that again & again. OK I'll attempt a few observations. Just loved the opening idea & how that lead to the narrator's conviction he was becoming "winged" & how you just ran with it, somehow keeping to the themes, but also breaking & remaking them in every image. Phew!
Thank you so much, Melissa, for this generous and humbling comment!
"The Rise"" is intriguing - you pull your readers into the scene so effortlessly. Scales like "hammered pearls" is such an evocative image. May I ask you a question about it? (It's something I'm annoyed I didn't quite understand!)
Thanks, Melissa, and yes, of course!
Congrats, Donna! I loved "After-words" when it first came out, and "The Rise" is excellent as well.
Thank you so much, Colette! That is heartwarming.
Congratulations, Donna!
Thank you, Carol!
I had a true ghost story accepted by Paranormal Press; a story about London accepted by Mysterious Ink for an anthology of reprints (cool idea!); published a reprint of a comic flash essay in Stone of Madness. There may be more, but that's all I can remember right now at 4am (we've had thunderstorms here that woke our dogs and us super early).
What I do know is that I'm at 52 published or accepted essays or stories in just under two years, including some reprints. It's been an amazingly fruitful writing time for me once I got my bearings during the pandemic. I've also been inspired by the writers I've been editing and coaching at writewithoutborders.com.
How did I pick the pubs above? Checking their websites, reading their guidelines and sampling what they were publishing.
Lev, 52 is an amazing number of acceptances for 2 years of submitting effort. That's like 1 every fortnight - congratulations! I too, underwent a renaissance of my writing in the world's most locked-down city, Melbourne. It re-set my compass & I have no intention of stopping. I just started submitting to journals in Jan. this year & I have 8 acceptances & a longlist, plus a number of higher-tiered rejection slips. I'm up to about 30 submissions, so that feels like a good ratio. 52 submissions is my minimum yearly goal. :)
How long was your true ghost story? Will that be in an antho or is a stand-alone? (I love eerie stories -the Gothic aesthetic is another of my influences. I read too much Poe at an early age!)
It's about 1700 words.
I'm amazed myself. My "run" started with an essay about my late mother published August 2021 (which I was well paid for) and everything I wrote seemed to open me up to another essay. Flash, travel, memoir. I often wrote early in the morning with an idea in my head that woke me up.
That's fantastic news about high-tiered rejections. And btw I followed the news from Melbourne and the lock downs because my first cousin lives there and so did my late mother's favorite pupil in the 1940s who I wrote about here: https://www.memoirist.org/post/rendezvous-in-bruxelles-by-lev-raphael
The severity of the lockdowns (esp. the 8pm curfew for months) certainly made it a liminal & memorable experience. And as you've read, gave me much inspiration. Yes, it's wonderful when you have the domino effect of one piece opening up an dea for another piece - good for you - wish it would happen to me a bit more often! Thanks so much for your wonderful comment on my "mask" piece on Exist Otherwise. A lovely surprise! :)
:-)
That's awesome!
Thanks!
Congratulations, Lev! A wonderful and yes, fruitful time!
Thanks! Just when I've been thinking "I guess that's it for now," a new idea pops into my head, like writing about my brother (which I never really have) or finally telling the story of two encounters with ghosts, or dealing with my migraines with words as opposed to medication.
Sorry to hear you have migraines, Lev. Philip Roth and also I believe Joan Didion suffered from them. A common writer affliction, it seems.
Thanks. I suffered my first one, a scary ocular migraine, after my mother died.... https://www.recoveringself.com/health/me-and-my-migraines
It's one of the first essays I published in the pandemic and I think the first about this subject.
I've had 3 ocular migraines this year, all painless. When the first happened, I thought I was having a stroke, or had been thrust into a sci-fi movie. I called my optometrist friend and she told me it was harmless.
They are super scary the first time, but knowing they're harmless makes a difference. I had no idea what was happening and I did see a neurologist first, per my GP's recommendation, to rule out a number of things.
It’s inspiring to hear how consistency reaps reward! Congratulations & thanks, Lev!
I published a deeply personal story that took me years to understand. Writing this piece was not easy—it required introspection, vulnerability, and a lot of courage. I published it hoping that it would help others who may be going through similar situations. https://minervarising.com/glimpses-by-anne-e-beall/
Anne, this is beautiful. "Like I’ve had an illness and cannot recover—never really be myself again." You've written about such an important relationship and I can very much understand why it took so long to both understand what happened and to organize your thoughts around it. Congratulations.
Thank you so much for reading it. Appreciate your kind words.
I saved this link so I could read it later today. I'm saddened by your loss. Your daughter, still so young, might yet experience enlightenment and seek a reunification with you. For both your sakes, I sincerely hope so. A powerful read. Thank you for sharing it with us. Wishing you all the very best.
Thank you so much for reading. So kind of you.
That is a gorgeous piece. Thanks for posting the link here.
Thank you so much for reading it. Appreciate your kind words.
What a beautiful, heart-rending piece! I hope that writing has relieved some hurt & hope it speaks to the readers who need it!
Thank you so much! Appreciate your reading it.
What an amazing and heartbreaking essay. I hope you two can find your way back to each other, or peace if you do not. Congratulations on this publication!
Thank you so much for reading it!
I have not commented before - thought I'd mention two recent publications, in Mutha Magazine and Heimat Review. Both editors accepted very quickly, and were both great to work with. Links are at:
https://www.muthamagazine.com/2023/06/love-and-the-terror-of-loss/?fbclid=IwAR0l9V1Kxy2tIChgz49jXWh7naXWGVSA7XbTn7D9HWK5CRiioHfeWP_Z4BA
and
https://www.heimatreview.com/joy-in-unexpected-fields.html
I also just launched my personal website: www.lizbirdwrites.com
Powerful work, Liz. Congrats!
Both wonderful stories! The first, gripping. The second, delightful -- "there was beer and camaraderie to be had..."
Thanks so much for your kind words, Meg!
The Terror of Loss is so powerful and moving and universal. Great work.
Thank you so much, Kresha!
Love and the Terror of Loss is so moving. Congratulations, Liz!
Thank you for your kind words, Donna!
My new book dropped. https://www.amazon.com/Brief-Natural-History-Women/dp/1957248130
Wonderful! Congrats, Sarah!
Well, that's huge. Congratulations!
Thank you!
Awesome! Congratulations, Sarah.
Congratulations to my Lit Mag colleagues reporting on their publications here. Thanks to Lit Mag for this opportunity to share good news.
I'm at the point in my brief writing career - I started writing poetry two years ago - where rejections are almost welcome. At least it means that someone has read my work! That said, it is always a thrill to get an acceptance.
Recently, I have been writing poems about the gun culture in this country. It made sense to submit to gun control advocacy publishers and to journals know for publishing grit lit. It's such an honor to have Bullets Into Bells (other contributors include Richard Blanco and Rita Dove!) publish my poem We Carry <https://bulletsintobells.com/2023/05/31/we-carry/>. My poem Absolute: For Ukraine was published in New York Quarterly <https://nyq.org/magazine/article/baum-absolute/>. Cowboy Jamboree Press published my poem I See Your Ghost, and then accepted my chapbook How to Rob a Convenience Store for publication in 2024.
My website is https://www.rachelrbaum.net/poetry. Be well.
Congrats, Rachel!
Thank you, Becky!
Congratulations, Rachel! Good placements!
If I may be permitted a retroactive brag as a reader initially shy to comment here, "Molten Summer Reverie" is a prose poem I wrote especially for a Canadian journal of surrealist writing. In a quirk of synchronicity, after waiting a month with no word, it was accepted the day after reading it at a poetry event here in Melbourne, Australia. (Did she hear me across the seas? ) I found "Aurora Journal" as I was googling "journals surrealist themes". I loved its aesthetic, read madly, & wrote a poem I felt fit the editor's definition of surrealism (dreamy / ethereal is her preference - although I'd say not a definitive definition of surrealism!). I had 2 beta reader's feedback & it underwent numerous revisions to be accepted without change. It's a paying journal & I'm delighted it landed in its intended home . The E.I.C provides her published authors a wonderful summary feedback that could be used as a review.
https://www.theaurorajournal.org/winter-2023-volume/molten-summer-reverie
A flash fiction was longlisted for a UK anthology. The longlist consisted of 105 pieces from 584 entries, so although it wasn't shortlisted, this "re-emerging" writer sees this as encouraging feedback.: )
Lastly, another flash fic "Unmasking Desire" was accepted for a journal with Substack origins (now on a separate site). "Exist Otherwise" is a bi-monthly themed journal drawn from 20th-century surrealist (I'm sensing a pattern here), gender-fluid artist Claude Cahun. (David Bowie exhibited their work in NY around 2006). I discovered the journal via a rabbit-hole, starting on a recent Authors Publish newsletter. I didn't resonate with the listed journal, but the other links turned up this gem. The theme was around masks / identity. I decided to work a prose poem into flash fiction - maybe 30 minutes of editing. I submitted & 3 days later it was accepted. Eric sends out proofs, so mine was slightly tweaked (all my suggestions). Delighted with how it's been presented ! Just a heads up - it's under a "resurrected" pseudonym.(I used to publish intelligent erotica & blog about sexuality.) This isn't explicit, but it does explore desire & sexuality- & my pseudonym insisted on claiming it. There's a comments section & I know Eric would love if you commented (moi aussi!)
https://existotherwise.cc/unmasking-desire/
Becky, I love this community & your posts are always inspiring & informative. :)
Melissa, I love this. The way you stirred up heat and passion in the context of the cold, cautious and sterile environment; the push and pull of a woman's desire (while in normal times the desire is so often for more privacy and more space); the beautiful little nugget of private resistance--"defying rules for a dangerous moment;" the magnificent word play--"that locked-down desire...". This is just so great. Bravo.
Becky, thank you so much for reading. Your feedback is so appreciated, as I feel really new here amongst all these very seasoned submitters. You certainly saw a lot of the layers / metaphors I was wanting to convey with this flash! Thanks again! (And the editor is really doing something quite special with his journal IMO)
Oh, & this just landed - been in the works for a couple of weeks, but I was unsure when it would be published. If anyone here follows Becauseyouwrite by Kelly Eden (CNF & personal essay expert - she also runs courses), I'm doing a monthly appearance on her newsletter - this one was posting a few paid opportunities / sub calls for her students. (Working towards my own Substack!) I didn't really know how she was framing it - thought I just had a little corner of her newsletter - but that's not quite how it transpired! If I'd have known I was pretty much the feature I'd have written my intro differently.
https://becauseyouwrite.substack.com/p/4-paying-publishers-who-want-your/comments
Two wonderful pieces! congratulations!
Thank you so much for reading them, Meg. :)
Beautiful piece!
Thanks, Christine. Which one did you read? :)
Congratulations! It's absolutely encouraging feedback—more than encouraging, really!
Yes, thanks. And the two actual acceptances are pretty encouraging too! :)
my poem appeared in Poetica Magazine: Catering- a poem about the Machtesh Ramon crater in Israel and what it represented to me.
Congrats, Michal.
Dear Friends,
I had four poems published in July. I have listed them below.
“Your Angry Words.” (tanka) Moonbathing #28 (Spring/Summer 2023): 8.
“A Former Patient Returns.” ONE ART (June 27, 2023). https://oneartpoetry.com/2023/06/27/a-former-patient-returns-by-janet-ruth-heller/ I wrote this poem in the 1980s and am happy to have found such a good home for this work.
“Black Sheep.” (senryu) The Frameless Sky 18 (June 2023): online.
“Cottonwood Seeds.” (tanka) Ribbons 19.2 (Spring/Summer 2023): 42.
I'm always researching where to send my poetry and prose. WOMPO's listserve is a good place to see where other women writers are getting their poetry published. Poets & Writers Magazine also lists many journals and presses, and so does The Writer's Chronicle.
I'm trying to find an editor interested in an essay about my experiences as a woman who was sexually harassed for many years by a male member of my synagogue, while the rabbi and the synagogue "leaders" did very little to assist me. At the end of my esssay, I make recommendations for changing policies to make it harder for such abuse to happen in houses of worship. Do any of you know of a good venue for such an essay? If so, please let me know. Thank you!
Becky, I grew up in Wisconsin, and your photos of cows brought back many good memories of my home state. Have a great time in France!
Best wishes!
Janet Ruth Heller
Beautiful poem, Janet, congrats. For your essay, you might want to try the Jewish-themed magazines. Tikkun, Jewish Currents, Moment Mag all come to mind. Depends on how much is personal essay vs op-ed style. If it's really a personal essay then many lit mags may also be a fit--The Sun, Calyx, Lilith, Image Journal maybe. I'd suggest looking for mags explicitly focused on Judaism and/or women's experiences. My two cents!
Becky, these are good suggestions. My essay has already been rejected by Lilith, Tiferet, and Jewish Currents. My essay is a hybrid: it begins as a personal essay but ends with serious recommendations for changes in how several different Jewish organizations handle complaints about sexual harassment when the situation involves two synagogue members. Although many publications say that they are interested in hybrid works, I have had a terrible time publishing any kind of hybrid essays that I have written. Because hybrid works date at least as far back as Cervantes' Don Quixote (1605 and 1615) and Fielding's Tom Jones (1749), discrimination against authors who combine different genres seems ridiculous to me. Best wishes!
I lived in Wisconsin for some years and started writing poems there. Loved the cows, too! One Art is indeed a fine, fine home. Congratulations! Love the poem. I used to get WOMPOs listserve, but then it got all weird when yahoo stopped doing lists, so it was hard to stay tuned in there.
Rasma Haidri, thank you for your support! My father taught me the difference between Holstein and Guernsey cows. When my family took car trips, we played a game in which each cow we saw counted one point, and each horse doubled a team's score. If you have g-mail, you can get WOMPO's listserve. It also has a Facebook page where women post their publications. Best wishes! Janet
Congratulations, Janet! I'm sorry that I couldn't see your poem in Frameless Sky, which looks like a lovely magazine.
Thank you, Donna. I can send you my poem if you give me an e-mail address. For some reason, Frameless Sky posts only some of the poems in the free online version. A person has to pay to obtain the full issue of haiku and senryu. My website is https://www.janetruthheller.com/ if you want to contact me that way. Best wishes!
This week my 2nd flash fiction "Taking Mary Oliver's Advice" was published by Cotton Xenomorph. I discovered the journal on Twitter and I was very impressed with the work I read. I'd sent this story to 17 journals and received 14 rejections. I had a very interesting experience when I withdrew from two of the journals that hadn't yet responded: they invited me to submit more work - and these are both dream journals for me!
Here's the link: https://www.cottonxenomorph.com/journal/2023/7/27/taking-mary-oliver-advice
Wonderful, Ellen! Absolutely do submit to those mags that asked for more work! Congrats.
Powerful story!
This month saw my longeset piece in Spanish ever published in Luvina, the lit mag of The University of Guadalajara , Mexico (on paper and online). This marks the first time my name has ever appeared on a lit mag's cover, which is a heart-warming achievement, as is my company in the issue, some of Latin America's best contemporary writers. If you read Spanish, here it is: https://luvina.com.mx/la-historia-de-mi-lengua-d-p-snyder/ . Additionally, my translation of the bone-chilling story of motherhood gone wrong, "Instinct" by Basque contemporary writer Mónica Crespo, appears in print in the Summer issue of beautiful Ploughshares, thanks to a quick yes from guest editor, novelist Tom Perrotta. Having our work in Ploughshares is a dream come true!
Amazing, congrats! What an honor to be selected by Tom Perotta! Did he pull your piece from the "slush pile"?
Also, btw, I studied for a brief time at The University of Guadalajara when I was in college. Beautiful place! I had no idea they had a lit mag.
Yes, Becky, Tom selected instinct from the slush pile, although I did respond to the call for submissions almost immediately, because I know his work and I felt sure that the story would appeal to him. Sometimes, when you see a call for submissions, it feels like the start of a good conversation. Thrilling to hear that you spent some time at the University of Guadalajara! The editor at Luvina is the brilliant poet, Silvia Castillero. She is very open to good writing in Spanish from the United States, and I’d like to encourage all of my bilingual friends in the space to consider submitting to her.
"Sometimes, when you see a call for submissions, it feels like the start of a good conversation." I love this. Such a great way to think about the process.
Becky, those pictures are amazing. Looks like a fantastic trip! This month I have a short story out in Fabula Argentea. I had a feeling it was perfect for them, and I only submitted it to that journal. I received an acceptance in three weeks. The EIC, Rick Taubold, is excellent--he does what he says he will when he says he will, and I was paid ($10) within days of publication. He suggested a few minor edits (generally about comma placement and paragraph breaks). I accepted all but one, and he agreed to leave it alone without a fuss. Two things set this journal apart: 1) at the end of each piece, they explain why they chose it, and 2) the pieces are eclectic, so you can sometimes get away with humor. (Note, however, that they are not on social media, although there is an active comment section on their website.) Here's the link:
https://fabulaargentea.com/index.php/article/the-best-neighbors-by-colette-parris/
I also have a prose poem out in Lost Balloon, another great journal with a lovely EIC. This piece took some time to place (I submitted to numerous journals and racked up both form and high-tier rejections). I think I heard back from Lost Balloon within two months. No payment, but they have a large online following and heavily promote pieces on social media. No edits were proposed.
https://lost-balloon.com/2023/07/12/on-retraction-colette-parris/
Happy weekend to all! :)
OMG, well done, Colette! "These people were making him crave a cigarette." - Made me laugh out loud. You totally captured beleaguered-cop vibe. What a great ending! And I agree, it's so lovely to hear from the editors on why they chose the piece.
Thank you Becky! I definitely cracked myself up writing that piece; glad you were entertained! :)
Collette, "On Retraction" has a kind of dark radiance. I adored the Pandora metaphors & this: "The spoken words imprint with finality, each syllable the weight of a snow-glazed mountain. You walk away. Only an echo returns."
Isn't prose poetry just ... delicious to write? The possibilities as a genre feel limitless.
I've written a few poems on this theme, too - the damage words can do - how once they lift from the tongue, you can't control their impact. One called "If Only the Crow" is published on "Writing in a Woman's Voice" if you'd be interested to read it.
Congratulations on a successful month, & I'll bookmark the other piece to read. :)
Thank you Melissa! Also, I just read "If Only the Crow."
"If only I had caught
the squawking crow of my need
before it lifted from my tongue"
Outstanding piece.
Wow Collette, thanks for hunting it down without me providing the link, & I so appreciate your feedback. It's not the prettiest journal, but its owner (Beatte Sigriddaughter) is Poet Laureate of Silver Lake City, so I was honoured she selected one of my poems to publish. :) And thanks for the Twitter follow.
Congratulations, Collette! "Retractions" = wonderful!
Thank you Carol!
Good story in Fabula Argentea! Congrats!
Thank you Meg!
Best Neighbors is great fun - congratulations, Colette! And getting to read why it was chosen was a helpful addition.
Thank you Ellen! Glad you enjoyed it!
Congratulations, Colette! "Retraction" is a lovely piece, and Lost Balloon a fine magazine.
Thanks so much, Donna!
Congrats on the Fabula Argentea one... I've gotten a few rejections from there, and Rick always has said why he didn't take the story. Which is always welcome, and often rare.
I've had a poem recently in Open: Journal of Arts and Letters: https://ojalart.com/poetry-all-forms-stylesrobbie-nesterspace-talk/
Also 2 poems in The Journal of Radical Wonder and a third coming out in a couple of days. Here's one of them: https://medium.com/the-journal-of-radical-wonder/emily-dickinson-in-the-virtual-world-3b0f3b4f0477
Poems accepted to Minyan, One Art, and Sheila Na Gig forthcoming.
You're on a roll, Robbi. Congrats!
Oh and two poems forthcoming in MacQueen's Quinterly. Wonderful editor and journal.
Great poems! I especially like Space Talk—hubby and I are very into Star Trek this summer!
July was relatively quiet, not all months can be gangbuster. I had an atmospheric piece, "On a Dusty Road" picked up by The Yard - Crime Blog. They're here, on Substack. I'm not sure how I found them, maybe through this newsletter :) . I tend to look at mags that publish writer buddies, especially when I like their story! So here's the link: https://theyardcrimeblog.com/2023/07/06/on-a-dusty-road-texas-ranger/ . First submission, no edits. Added little pat on the back, they used two of my pictures of West Texas to illustrate the piece. I like that. Now, if I may, I'm August guest editor at Punk Noir Magazine. Subs open August 1 and will close August 24. I will read and select as the weeks go, so if you're interested, don't wait till the 24th. There's a theme and 2,500 words max. No stipend but tons of love! You can find about it here - https://punknoirmagazine.wordpress.com/punk-noir-magazine-3/
Terrific, Martine, congrats! And thanks for letting us know about the submissions call.
Devil's Party Press is publishing a collection of my short stories now available for presale. Thirteen years ago when I began writing more often because my kids were in college and didn't need me as much and I was downright lost and depressed about that, I never thought I'd be able to do this. It's been a joy of a journey and a lot of grit and determination. The very best part is all the writing friends I have made in critique groups, seminars, workshops, getaways. If you have the time and you like short stories please visit me at https://virginiawatts.com/.
Awesome, great news, congrats!
This month I saw my poem "Barn Buzzard" published in Walloon Writers Review, a print only publication about northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. It's sold at a number of Michigan bookshops as well as ThriftBooks online. When my siblings and I got together at the old family farm in Cheboygan County last week, I shared it with them and was glad to see they didn't mind that I'd compared all of us to the buzzard that perched on the beam of the fallen barn! If nothing else, we share a good sense of humor.
Last year I bought a copy from a bookshop in Petosky to get a feel for what they like, which is general audience work about the area from people with some connection to Northern Michigan, even as tourists. I'd submitted two pieces but had to withdraw one when it became part of the Tethers End poetry collection under contract with Shanti Arts.
Congrats, Jeanne. Lovely that you were able to share the work with your family.
Congrats everyone! I'm excited to share that I just had a craft essay accepted by Cleaver, which was recently featured in Lit Mag News. It's a piece focused on the threats to creative writers posed by generative AI - with a note of hope from Faulkner and, of all places, the US Navy. The editor and I are working on revisions so I don;t have a link yet to share.
Oh, I'm jealous that Karen got to see the essay before Lit Mag News! :) But really that's awesome. Do share the link once it's up.
Thanks for the kind words, and will do! I need to give a shout-out of gratitude to Lisa Romero, who edits Cleaver's craft essays.
Hello.
I responded very early this morning, but it was semi-coherent, I felt, so I'll try again.
I'm new to Lit Mag News. July 2023 was possibly my most prolific month for publications. I had six pieces go online.
Here are the links in roughly chronological order (they're all flash fiction):
"PETS" in Idle Ink: https://idleink.org/2023/07/01/pets-by-travis-flatt/
They were lovely and quick to work with. I'd send to them again in the future, for sure.
"Joseph's Gray Place" in Stone of Madness https://stoneofmadnesspress.com/issue-22/travis-flatt
Their response to my work was extremely kind. It bolstered my confidence.
"Star Birth" in AntipodeanSF https://www.antisf.com/the-stories/star-birth
For this journal/podcast I've recorded a reading, which will air later this year (I believe.) They said I sound like comedian Steven Wright. Ha.
"Theater Kid" in Sleet Magazine https://www.sleetmagazine.com/selected/flatt_v15n1.html
I started this story as a HAD prompt, and it morphed into this draft.
"Old Man Steve" in A Thin Slice of Anxiety http://www.athinsliceofanxiety.com/2023/07/fiction-old-man-steve.html
I've very fond of working with the editors here, they're quick and kind. Very professional. I highly recommend them.
"Poison Control" in The Raven Review https://www.theravenreview.org/poison-control-flatt.html
I had some trouble placing this piece, and I didn't know The Raven Review well until I found them and submitted. As with the others, they were friendly and professional. They put out a quality publication.
I apologize for the superficial summaries of my publication experiences up there, but these past few months have been busy.
I work quickly, write daily, and submit a lot I started writing for publication at the end of 2019.
My site is www.travisflattblog.com
Twitter(gross, I know):@WriterLeeFlatt
Travis, do not apologize for sharing these links! What a month you've had. I enjoyed the raw honesty of "Poison Control." So darkly funny. The idea of an app to predict your own funeral attendees--brilliant. And I love that the editors said you sound like Stephen Wright. Congrats.
Congratulations, Travis! What an incredible month!
That’s really nice to hear, thanks! Things just aligned—the acceptances from earlier in the year. My FB “followers” probably found it a little obnoxious, ha.
November 22, 2022- January 4, 2023, for acceptance; publications July 3, 2023. "The Short Form of Love", in Citron Review. Sent it out twice before. Picked the journal because I admire the poets they select. Small revisions for a small poem. No editing by journal. A lovely experience.
Congrats, Wendy!
Congrats, Wendy! The Citron Review is a fine journal.
My sestina, "Six," appeared this month in Last Stanza Poetry Journal. There's no online link, and even as a contributor, I have to buy a copy. The editor wanted me to change a few lines that, for me, violated the integrity of the sestina (because she wanted to change the end words in one stanza). I asked and received the opportunity to revise, but alas, I couldn't sustain the sestina in a way that incorporated her changes. So, it appeared as a quasi-sestina. Sigh. You can read about the themed issue, "The Things We Carry," here: https://laststanzapoetry.blogspot.com/2023/03/callout-for-issue-13-of-last-stanza.html
Congrats, Barbara.
I had a vignette-style CNF piece about Much Ado About Nothing and a very weird breakup published in Mag 20/20 this month. It's called "The Fourth Story": https://www.magtwentytwenty.com/post/the-fourth-story-eleanor-ball.
This is actually a deep revision of the first piece I ever submitted to a lit mag over a year ago! Originally, this was a short poem formatted in the style of a note-to-self you might jot down in your Notes App (like the poor man's "Notebook Fragments" by Ocean Vuong). It was my first rejection and in hindsight the rejection was totally fair, but at the time I was devastated. I shelved the piece and returned to it this spring to see if I could salvage something, and after working with it for a while, I realized that where I was going wrong was that this was a CNF piece, not a poem! I'm really proud of how it turned out.
I also submitted it to two other magazines, but Mag 20/20 got to it first. I didn't do any edits, but I did record myself reading it for their website! That's always something I've wanted to do for one of my publications, so that was incredibly cool, but way harder than I expected.
Congrats, Eleanor. Very cool to hear about the process behind this piece. A good reminder that just because a piece goes into the drawer it doesn't need to disappear forever, and may even resurface in a wholly fresh new form.
In July, I had two poems accepted for the debut issue (coming out in early August) of RECESSES, a "zine based in Birmingham, UK, but open to the world".
My poem, 'tadpole', was accepted by Granfalloon, my third piece published in this speculative journal, one I really enjoy.
Two other inaugural journals have accepted my poems for their first issues: Wireworm and Do Geese See God: A Literary Magazine.
One of my newer poems was also accepted by Lowestoft Chronicle with a one-day turnaround. I was especially pleased with how this poem turned out, so it made me very happy to find a home for it so quickly!
Also, this month, I started a volunteer Reader gig for White Cresset Arts Journal.
I'm continuing my New Year's resolution to write a haiku or small poem every day (give or take!) and I'm also enjoying my participation (for the 4th year in a row) in the Poetry Postcard Festival, an opportunity to playfully create - and exchange! - postcards with other likeminded creatives. I highly recommend it!
Congrats! I love the idea of exchanging postcards with other poets/writers!
I did the postcard festival last year but opted for other activities this year. We formed a writers group that meets at the Theodore Roethke Museum [house] in Saginaw, and it was really productive. And White Cresset Arts Journal just accepted by "Shaking the Baby" for its Sept 1 issue. What a small world!
Small world, indeed. Congratulations!!!
Love the premise of your writers group. I'm participating in a poetry retreat sponsored by River Heron Review in October and so excited about getting to meet & work with new poetry friends. It's so empowering!!
I published “Empirical Evidence: An Abecedary” in Ninth Letter’s online issue on Invisibility. http://www.ninthletter.com/summer-2023/summer-2023-cnf/514-zubiri
Like most writing opps, I must have found the call on Twitter. I sent the essay to a total of nine (!) journals, including to a contest where it was named a finalist. I withdrew it from the contest after Ninth Letters’s acceptance.
I edited it a few times, including the title. The editors were very responsive and helpful during the editing process especially as I improved the ending. They also allayed my fears about the originality of the form.
I’ve been wanting to experiment with hermit crab essays. I had lots of fun writing this piece, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle with 26 pieces.
This is lovely and powerful, Andrew. Congratulations.
Thanks, Becky!
I love this lyric essay! Interested to hear you find opps on twitter. I don’t have a system there to find anything specific. I use Duotrope, submittable, lithub, sometimes P&W.
Hi Ramsa, if you join #WritingCommunity on Twitter, I post monthly (sometimes more) submission call round-ups from journals worldwide. I collect them from everywhere! Been doing this since April this year. Also, I subscribe to Authors Publish - it's free, their newsletters land in your in-box - 1 - 3 monthly are sub call lists. And like me, they prioritize fee-free journals. I'm @CuriousSeeds on Twitter.. :)
The tweet was probably from Ninth Letter, or someone who retweeted the call. I also use Submittable! I'll start looking into lithub for calls. Wish I had a system! I also started putting the dates when subs open in my calendar.
Thoughtful, far-ranging in its reflection on culture & powerful, Andrew. "Security guards are suspicious of people who look like them. "
I 've used the alphabet to order ideas in articles before- by about letter 15, I wished the English alphabet was shorter! :D So well done.
I remember seeing this call, but couldn't come up with a piece in time. Congrats, Andrew! I just tried a braided essay for the first time - had heard of the hermit crab form - bookmarked yours to read!
Thanks, Melissa! I wrote this piece last year and thought it might be a good fit for the call that came early this year. I'm the kind of writer who can't write on the fly in response to a call!
Whenever I see a themed call for sub and know I don't have a piece ready to submit, I just treat it as a writing prompt. I noticed a call on a similar theme in another magazine usually comes up sooner or later.
Congrats to all you super talented scribes.
This month I won 3rd prize (including some cash) in the Peter Cowan Writers Centre annual national 600-word short story competition. https://sixcrookedhighways.com/2023/06/25/at-the-end-of-the-word-2/
And Odd Magazine published my little snippet 'The Bus To Nowhere'. https://theoddmagazine.wixsite.com/oddity-26/odd-shorts
Wow, Doug, congratulations!!
It's inspiring to read everyone's story of their acceptances and then to read the pieces themselves. I'm fairly new to writing creative nonfiction and was pleased to have an essay accepted in June and then another in July, Bread and Butter. It wasn't a story I was sure most journals would be interested in from the beginning. It was rejected eight times.
Then along came Wild Greens to say they would publish it in their Neighborhood issue. I had happened upon the call for submissions by chance a few days before the deadline. I was thrilled it found a home in a lovely magazine. The editor was kind and wonderful to work with.
It's here: https://www.wildgreensmagazine.com/magazine#h.8a55qzrjxkig
Becky, thanks for this forum! And tell your daughter Melted Oil is the best name.
Congrats, Sherri! I lived in Pittsburgh for almost a decade. I love revisiting it so vividly through your piece.
I had a poem accepted by redrosethorns magazine. It’s a home/belonging theme. Hoping to soon get some micros into magazines too
Congrats, Nona!
Thank you so much!
In dialogue with Mad Swirl: a creative outlet about a poem of mine called I WANT TO BE YOUR LOVER. The cool thing about Mad Swirl is that if they accept 3 of your poems they’ll dedicate a page to you in their poetry forum. I was in dialogue with Editor M.H. about cutting the last 4 lines of the poem but he will not and ‘dems are the breaks I guess. This kind of thing never bothered me before but I’m feeling like poet C.A. Conrad and that the poem wasn’t finished, just orphaned.
Funny thing is this poem was accepted without those last 4 lines by Book Of Matches, A Literary Journal, but I got my wires crossed and it ended up appearing in Mad Swirl before I could withdraw the sub. That’s the first time that’s ever happened in 13 years of submitting poetry. It’s a good problem to have and the only recourse I have is to run the piece how I want it in THIRD ACT, my 10th full-length poetry collection due out in ‘24.
Congrats, Jim. A good problem, indeed.
My poem “Midwestern” was in the recent Prairie Schooner. The last time I had a poem in PS was in 1998! So I was pleased. “Midwestern” had been submitted many places over the years, in many revised versions. When I finally got it revised to what might be its best form I decided to start at the top of my list and sent it to Prairie Schooner. I also just got an acceptance from Rattle, another on my top list, for a poem called “Fresh”. When I wrote “Fresh” I thought that it sounded like the type of poem, the pacing etc., that Tim would like, so I only sent it to him. My acceptance to rejection ratio is about 1% to 99%, but I have not been sending poems out so regularly the past year or so. There are fewer poems I feel are ready. My second collection was just published by Rebel Satori Press, after being rejected by at least 20 presses over the years, and revised accordingly. I had just gotten it revised into a form I felt good about, again, and Rebel Satori had a call for Queer Mojo titles. I sent the book in believing it was neither queer nor mojo enough, but they took it! https://rebelsatori.com/product/blue-like-apples/ My website www.rasma.org needs updating, but sharing it here will motivate me to get that done!
Fantastic, Rasma. Congratulations!
Congrats on the Rattle acceptance Rasma, & your story about how long you've been revising your chapbook before it led to an acceptance is inspiring - perhaps I shouldn't just abandon mine as a bad idea because 3 comps didn't like it. :( / :)
Here is a link to the backstory of my most recent short story publication, "The Chet Arthur Five Play Jeffersonville," in the Spring edition of Rock Salt Journal. I lost count of how many times I submitted it before I did a hatchet job to it. https://lizgauffreau.com/2023/06/28/short-story-publication-the-chet-arthur-five-play-jeffersonville/
Great, Liz! Hard-won publication acceptances are so often the best. Congrats.
Thank you, Becky! Truth be told, the best thing about getting a story published is not needing to send it out again (and again and again).
Ha. Very true.
Loved "melted oil". :)
I know, I'm totally stealing it. :)
Hello hello! I published a braided essay about contortion classes and trying to get chronic pain diagnosed. It's called "You Don't Break" and it's in Words and Sports Quarterly here: https://www.wasquarterly.com/sports/vol-3-no-1#you-don-t-break
This was a response to a themed submission call, and I actually reduced the essay by about half its original word-count in the hours before the call was due! It's one I'd been working on and failing to place for multiple years now, and I'm so happy it got this home. The editors didn't do much hands-on with me, but they also were very good about letting everyone approve their pieces before publishing and paid what they could. It was a good experience and I would recommend submitting to them if you are a sports type at all--which I'd generally say I am *not,* so I am tickled pink over this!
Awesome, Allison. Congrats!
Cleaver was kind enough to just share my craft piece, "Navigating Back: Stargazing and the Threat of AI." Here's the link: https://www.cleavermagazine.com/navigating-back-stargazing-and-the-threat-of-ai-a-craft-essay-by-scott-hurd/
https://spillwords.com/facing-my-death/
I had poem accepted by Spillwords.
Huzzah! Congrats, Branwen!
The fallow clouds finally parted and my novel excerpt, "Masks on Fire" is now on the new issue of Collidescope, an especially smart and visually exciting journal! Newest version of the novel departs from this part, but if it gets readers interested, all the better! Thanks editor George Salis!!
Gregg, that's terrific! Congratulations.
I had a short poem called "Photo Taken in Times Square, 2010" featured in the print edition of Deep Overstock where the theme was "Romance." This week I am featured reading it on their podcast. Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/do21-romance-ep-6-david-de-young-junix-seraph-photo/id1526944685?i=1000622788765
Or if you prefer to read:https://deepoverstock.com/2023/07/01/photo-taken-in-times-square-2010-by-david-de-young/
Deep Overstock was one of the first journals to accept my work and I've grown rather fond of their themed issues, their personal responses, their quick turnaround, and their professional touch.
Nice, David! Congrats.
Got a poem out in Provenance. It’s my first try at the luc bat form, and was written after a visit to Angel Island, which housed military training grounds and also internment camps during the first half of the 1900s.
Also had a couple of poems accepted to San Antonio Review, one to Bulb Culture Collective, and a short story to Unleash Lit. All should be dropping in September.
Great, Mukund, sounds fascinating. Congratulations.
My poem "Spirit in the Dark at the Church of Zoom" was accepted by Feral journal of poetry & art after being rejected by 28 other lit mags (https://feralpoetry.net/spirit-in-the-dark-by-la-felleman/). The rejections didn't cause me to edit the poem; I kept submitting it as is until it found a home. The theme of Issue 16 is Music, my poem was inspired by an Aretha Franklin performance, and the editor saw the fit, thankfully. I do like the layout of the online journal. Each literary piece is paired with original art on a webpage. Contributors do not get a free copy of the print version, so that's something to keep in mind if that is important to you. Overall, a good experience and I will submit to Feral again.
What a very cool poem, LA! Congrats!
What an inspiring group, overall! I have many links open to be read this week... thanks, one & all, for posting!
I agree, Meg. It's super-inspiring. I just had a permanent smile on my face as I was scrolling through. All these success stories! :)
Molten Summer Reverie.
This comment went walkabout - but thank you, Christine & happy writing to you!
I had a piece appear in Unbroken, the prose poem journal. I like the look of the website if that's something you consider when submitting.
https://www.theunjournals.com/38c
It's one of a series and the first to find a home so that was nice to see.
I also had acceptances in DMQ Review and Red Rose Thorns.
Thanks so much, Meg!
enjoy, enjoy!! i am so jealous...
Thanks all! Yes, I've had a good month.
Thanks Jon! I'm glad to hear that Rick provides feedback on submissions.