And just like that, my magnificent friends, we have toiled, struggled, climbed, fought, clawed, rolled, tumbled, cartwheeled and otherwise maneuvered ourselves into another end of another month.
If you are a longtime reader of Lit Mag News, then you already know what this weekend is all about. If not, let me tell you: We are here to celebrate each and every one of you! Your hard work, your efforts, your refusal to give up, your belief in your words, your beautiful hunger, and all that you’ve achieved now and always.
On a personal note, I got two rejections this past week. It has been a while since I sought opportunities that I really deeply wanted down in the marrow of my bones. I cannot tell a lie: receiving rejections from both of these places absolutely sucked. What a feeling! I had forgotten how unpleasant that experience is.
One letter was very sweet and tended gently to all my emotions. The other was a simple “Nope. Pass. Bye.” Both hit me like a sucker punch.
In those moments, I thought of all of you, how persistent you are with your work, and how we are all approaching this process together, from our many different corners of the world. I also thought of how normal it is to get rejected, how much a regular occurrence rejection truly is. I thought, too, of how you just can’t know what it is those gatekeepers are seeking, or thinking, or wanting, at any particular moment. How it’s really not a reflection of the quality of your work and has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on whether or not you are a writer and will continue to write. How it’s okay to feel sad, and disappointed, and let your gut do that yucky-knotty thing for as long as it needs to. But then, it’s okay, too, to move past it. To still call yourself a writer. To go back to your desk the next morning and keep working and keep looking for more opportunities and, above all else, keep recognizing the rewards writing already brings to your life, each and every single day.
(Got your own favorite post-rejection power anthem? Please share it below!)
In more positive news, though, I also have a story live now in Inscape Journal. This magazine is produced by MFA students at Brigham Young University. The print issue appeared in Fall 2022. Sadly, it was their last print issue. The story then took a loooooooong time to get up on their website. Editor Mikayla Johnson was very responsive and communicative every step of the way.
I had the best month of my entire writing life this month, as far as acceptances. I received an acceptance from my top favorite poetry journal— Rattle! And an acceptance from my top CNF journal— Brevity! It felt like years of work paying off all at once— like a major breakthrough in my writing/ publishing journey. And I’m just really grateful and excited about whatever comes next! And I want to encourage everyone— do NOT give up. Rattle rejected me 23 times before accepting me. And Brevity, I first submitted there when I was 19 & I’m 32 now!!! Do not give up submitting and pursing excellence in your craft!
Earlier in the week, I clicked on a website that had just published a poem by a friend of mine and noticed that a certain John Kucera also had a poem there. I immediately contacted the editor to alert him to the fact that JK was a notorious serial plagiarist, and it was more than likely that the poem published under his name had probably been stolen from somebody else (after having changed the title, of course.) I was proved right. It turned out that he had taken a poem written about 10 years ago by George Bilgere and passed it off as his own. The editor took the poem down immediately and thanked me profusely for drawing attention to the matter. So, that’s my first brag! I’m pretty sure that JK does what he does simply to embarrass editors who don’t recognize the work of poets of note.
Another poem, “Paris is Always a Good Idea” has been accepted for publication in June by Syncopation Literary Journal and “A Signal Failure”, also in June, by Impspired. Matt Potter, the editor of Pure Slush, has accepted a flash fiction piece, “Wanted, Preferably Dead”, my satire on bureaucrats who constantly ask pensioners to prove that they are still alive if they want to continue receiving their pension. It will be published in print in Pure Slush’s Lifespan series. Finally, the editor of Impspired is preparing a hybrid collection of my latest poems and short fiction, entitled “Reflections in a Dirty Mirror” to be published soon.
I was very gratified to find that I had three acceptances to Witcraft -- a site that publishes humor. One piece has already been published and the other two coming up in April. Looking for humor? That's a great site. They respond within a day after submitting. Also, another piece of mine has been accepted to Chicken Soup for the Soul - Just Say Yes. My piece entitled, I Got Swiped, will be out in their publication in July 2024. And finally, two poems of mine have been accepted and will be published in Qua Literary and Fine Arts Journal in Winter 2024. March was a great month for me. Only a couple of rejections.
Since the February brag, I had a poem accepted for publication this summer by Hyacinth Review. I only submitted "Night Visitor" there for a themed issue. No revisions yet. My nonfiction piece, "Selections from My Academic Planner, 1977-1978," was accepted by The Vassar Review and should be online soon. I didn't expect this piece would be accepted, perhaps due to its hermit crab form. I didn't think that highly of it and I had already completely rewritten it as a straight essay (which I'll send out next year). It was rejected by one lit mag and I withdrew it from another. The Vassar student editors took their jobs seriously and it took me too full days over my spring break to revise. I do think the piece is better for it. But one editor did not understand the difference between West Germany in the 1970s and Germany now and she for sure didn't understand acts of antisemitism.
My story, A PENNY’S WORTH, was published in The Ekphrastic Review—the only magazine I submitted it to, and my second piece to be accepted there. I love that magazine!
45 (?) rejections, 3 lit mags ghosted me (I reached out twice and got crickets and then withdrew the stories and politely said why), one piece paid for xtra feed back and said piece was ripped to shreds, no acceptences.
Well. THAT was a fun month!
Seriously, it's ok. I finally put up the money to hire an editor through the EFA and she is going over some of my most rejected stories (about 10) for line edits, copy edits, some developmental edits and if even one of those pieces gets the WE WANT YOU email, it will have been worth it.
I'm just going to keep on writing. Baseball on the Northside of Chicago starts up on Monday, so there's my day job for the next six months.
Congratulations to everyone on acceptances and rejections! I'm doing the 100 rejections a year challenge through Flash Fiction Magazine so I count rejections as positives these days. Here is a story of mine that came out in March after 19 rejections. I did a few revisions between groups of rejections but nothing major.
Wow, love seeing the wins celebrated here :) so glad to be part of this community. I'm thrilled to have published the second issue of my literary magazine, Big Wing Review. Lots of amazing writers - some well-known, some emerging! Check it out - would love to hear what you all think. https://www.bigwingreview.com/shop
My poem "indelicate flower" was published by Invisible City and two previously published poems appeared, as reprints, in The Field Guide Poetry Magazine. They are "lagger tag" and "Mackinaw". I think it's pretty sweet to find opportunities where one can reshare these 'golden oldies'!
“Zoo,” a flash fiction piece about my conflicting feelings about immigration in America was published by Writers Resist in their special “Amplified Voices” issue this month: https://www.writersresist.com/2024/03/27/zoo-2/
The guest editor and I collaborated on revisions together, and I’m thrilled about how the final product ended up!
I placed a flash fiction piece I wrote in a workshop 15 years ago! It had been edited to within an inch of its life and is 500 words. I submitted this piece to about three places and got rejected. Freedom Fiction accepted it this past week and it’s up on the site now! Www.freedomfiction.com, it’s called Glenna, and it’s a fantasy/superhero story that is unique and was hard to place. My first fiction publication!
Learned last week that North American Review wanted a piece I’d submitted. They are high on my list of places I wanted to publish bc I think they put out such a beautiful product and I like the fiction they choose so much.
March has been a hard working month. I'm writing a novella with a fellow writer and we've been obsessing about it. Not much time to come up for air...
Anyway, I was invited to Offer Kuban's Podcast "The Speakeasy" and it was a fun experience (even if I'm still not used to hearing my Belgian accent on a recording, lol). Here's the link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6b0rFUOv5HsdC7LaiXPBPA
Biggest news is the publication of the "Motel" anthology from Cowboy Jamboree. 28 stories, 28 writers and it's a magnificent book. My story "A Redhead and a Green Car" is in Room 11 - I guess it's a lucky number! It's a piece of retro noir, San Francisco 1950 - I love to do these hardboiled cigarette-smoking guys! https://www.amazon.com/MOTEL-anthology-Barbara-Byar-ebook/dp/B0CXHSC8T3/ - authors are doing a reading today to launch the book.
15 things out this month, year to date 62 out, 31 declines. About 4 declines this month. My historical ratio is about `1 acceptance to 12 declines, so I am fully expecting a tardy avalanche of accepted stuff to come crashing through the walls any time now. On the work front, I've revised and much improved two graphic books from last year and are sending those out anew; have started a new graphic novel that is uncharacteristically fun as hell to write; secured a movie-review gig with our local community radio station (where I have a book reading show) for a boatload of new movies at the Wisconsin Film Festival, and have a new drawing exhibition on display at our Art and Literature Lab, so things are hopping!
I had two long stories come out within a week of each other. They're part of a series I seem to be writing about a guy named Chuck narrated by women at various times of his life. I haven't decided yet whether I'll allow him his own story.
"The Deal" is a reprint, originally published in April 2022 in October Hill Magazine, this time in Issue 2 of The Argyle Literary Magazine, a really nice newer site if you haven't seen it. Before the first acceptance, the story got 25 rejections, starting in 2014. I tweaked it along the way of course, but the basic story never changed. So, yeah, as usual, go figure. Or go read...
And yesterday, "The Reincarnation of Herb McWeed" came out on Fiction on the Web. A humorous tale. This one took on the load of 10 rejections, first sent out in 2021. Again, the story didn't change much. Is it all in the targeting? Who knows. Fiction on the Web is a real warhorse, around since 1996, and takes a couple of stories a week. Here is "Herb":
After taking several years off of the submission merry-go-round, I hopped back on recently and placed one I am really proud of, but thought may not see the light of day, at the perfect mag for it:
Find “rain dance” as the penultimate piece there. The editor was responsive and the magazine is lovely. Highly suggested if you also have work centered on the classics.
Last note: I got another acceptance just yesterday from The Pierian, which I believe I found here. Thanks! Another placement I love; will link when it’s out.
Normally, I don’t rush to submit to new litmags, but I was immediately intrigued by the aesthetic at Gooseberry Pie (“Tart, Messy, and Satisfying”) and its unique requirement (six sentences). EiC Jeff Harvey responded quickly and was a pleasure to work with.
March has been "anthology month" for me. Improbable Press has released "Anna Karenina Isn't Dead", an anthology re-writing female literary characters . My Pandora re-imagining "The Price for Fire" is hanging out with some fabulous stories. It was a year from acceptance to publication. The proof process went smoothly & it was very nice to be paid a decent amount. I received my glossy contributor quite quickly! It's available via Barnes & Noble in hardback & via Improbable Press in digital / paperback (sharing link in case anyone's interested):
And "The Ekphrastic Review" has just sent through our digital copies of their first print anthology "The Memory Palace". I was thrilled to have my prose poem from Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" selected in a blind reading process. Lorette, TER's founder co-edited the anthology with Clare MacQueen of MacQueen's Quinterly. I can't wait to read this one! (The links don't quite appear to be up yet on TER's website).
My ekphrastic poem "Wonderstuck" appears in volume 40 of Pink Panther Magazine https://pinkpanthermagazine.com/, which is a quite attractive print and online publication. I met editor Jennifer DeBellis at a 2023 workshop at the Theodore Roethke House in Saginaw, MI. The Pulitzer-prize-winning poet grew up in Saginaw, and his home has been converted to a museum and writer space. The Friends of Theodore Roethke organization offers many in-person, hybrid, and Zoom-only events that range from scholarship to generative poetry and spoken word workshops. DeBellis specializes in cathartic poetry, and while I didn't write "Wonderstuck" as a result of her workshop, getting introduced to DeBellis's concept of "force of nature" poetry may impact future work. Learning about Pink Panther Magazine was certainly useful. The response time from submission was within a week, and the placement of my poem next to a visual that works as well as the painting that originally inspired it is wonderful.
First of all, thanks, Becky, for your heartfelt share about getting those rejections. Reading your comments helps me to see the reality of the situation, which is, I am a good writer and will find a home for my work if I keep knocking on doors. Secondly, not a publication, but I was longlisted for SmokeLong's Micro March Marathon 400-word contest. I didn't get on the the shortlist, but I'll take the nod.
Harness Magazine.. took about 3 days to be approved. But this is the 11th time they've published one of my pieces. I just love what Genesis the owner has done with it. My first time about 4 years ago, it was owned by a women who had about 2000 subscribers. This young girl took it to over 38000 since she bought it! No submission fees ever, fast response I just love them. They published two of mine in the last month!
I honestly cannot remember if I posted this previously so apologies if I have— it’s an interview from February I did when the author’s EXCELLENT debut novel came out here’s the link https://www.massreview.org/node/11735 but the story to publication is a sort of circuitous interesting one and perhaps helpful:
I pitched an interview w an interesting (LGBTQ) bent of another book to a BIG DEAL pub who liked my pitch but said the book had been out too long (6 months)
So they (the BIG DEAL pub) offered me a different review if I had someone with a book coming out THIS spring — I asked a friend of mine who happens to be a BIG DEAL author for suggestions of folks with big deal books coming out whom I could structure an interview around — they looped in their publisher (Tin House) who suggested the author of the pub in this above interview—
I read the galley, LOVED IT, conducted the interview, but the BIG DEAL pub needed a later release date book— so I had a completed interview to “sell” and still an author with an upcoming book to do another interview with for the BIG DEAL pub (not a bad problem to have) — I returned to my BIG DEAL author friend who suggested himself and his spring release book for the interview (so my BIG DEAL author interview will get published in BIG DEAL pub in May)
I hit up a few pubs for the existing above interview and a TERRIFIC pub I love accepted it — GREAT! As for the original book that had been out 6 months, I hit up another pub without strict publishing deadlines (Streetlight)where I have a relationship and they published it —
So I got the original interview published, an acceptance of the above interview to be published, and an upcoming interview coming out in May…
Then, in an unrelated event, a long (too long for most pubs) essay of mine I had wanted to find a great home for got into the hands of the EIC of the TERRIFIC pub who really “got it” and committed to publishing it this spring (yay)… only issue was they bumped the above interview as their policy prohibits two works by one writer (me) within the same calendar year. In a desperation move I contacted the AMAZING Mass Review, told them the entire truth of the above story, and they were willing to publish this author on their website, coordinating with his book publication.
I guess the moral is, follow every thread and try to do the right thing by authors with upcoming work in terms of reviews/interviews (if you’re so inclined — I LOVE writing / editing reviews and interviews— I know it’s not for everyone…) I have 4 things being published this year JUST from my initial interview pitch…
Sorry for going on so long, hope this proves helpful to someone. And if you have a book coming out, maybe hit me up for an interview ;) …
I had two poems appear in Synkroniciti's Family issue released on March 1st. This is a beautifully designed litmag, the editor is an absolute delight to work with, and she posted an insightful and very well-written review of my work, but the issues are behind a paywall. I have mixed feelings about this. It's a way to fund the litmag, but it limits who might see and read it.
Witcraft recently opened to poetry submissions, and one of mine was the first poem he published, on March 10th. It's in the archives on witcraft.org. A great editor here, Doug Jacquier (who is part of this group), and one who responds very quickly to submissions.
I have a pair of linked sonnets that came out on Innisfree Poetry Journal on March 1st: https://www.innisfreepoetry.org/innisfree-38/cynthia-bernard/. These are "true" to my childhood experiences in their tone, but not in all of the specific details.
A poem of mine was published in Carmina Magazine on March 1st: http://carminamagazine.com/road-trip.html. The editor here is friendly but there was a long time (7 months) between acceptance and appearance.
Sage-ing: The Journal of Creative Aging has an issue they intend to publish online tomorrow. The editor here is thoughtful and helpful, but the tech person who did the layout made a lot of errors. Fortunately they sent out proofs, though it took several rounds of email to get the corrections made. I will have 4 poems in the issue, plus a full page with my photo, bio, and my comments about how writing poetry deepens my self-knowledge and understanding of others and of life.
I have one poem in this month's Verse-Virtual: https://www.verse-virtual.org/2024/March/bernard-cynthia-2024-march.html. In the past I've had multiple pieces there each time (submissions are limited to once every three months), but I prefer for this piece to stand alone. As always, I recommend this journal-plus-community as a great place to read excellent writing and connect with other writers. I've made several delightful friendships with folks I "met" there.
I recently began sending out flash fiction and flash CNF pieces. Several rejections, so far, and a couple of places where pieces have been "In Process" for several weeks, and so, I tell myself, not rejected immediately. :-)
It's been a rough month for me, with several health challenges including rampant insomnia leaving me beyond exhausted. Thanks for this opportunity, Becky, to revisit and share the good news, and also to read about what's been happening for others.
After an arid 2023, when I had a number of near misses but no acceptances, a couple of my stories recently broke through. One, "Charon.com," appeared in The Berlin Literary Review and the other, "Bystanders," was published in Twelve Winters. The latter, which I consider my best piece, had been rejected over 60 times. It garnered its share of encouraging rejections (I love that term) which sustained my faith in the story. “Charon.com” ONLY had 20 rejections. Occasionally, I think a piece has a really good shot with a particular magazine and getting the ax hurts; however, most of the time they roll off my back. Sometimes the accumulation of rejections gets me down, especially those that don’t even mention the name of my story. But those nice, personalized ones can be sustaining, letting me know I’m not crazy for doing this.
I discovered them a couple of years ago and they stuck out to me because their niche at the time was older women writers.
They first published my work in 2022, which was a first for me. Yay! Thrilled to have them support me again. They showcase excellent writers and I like what they do.
I work with their main editor to get the piece ready for their site and she is great to collaborate with. Her input is often wise and she will listen when you do not agree with a suggestion.
I started the month with a rejection for a prose poem, but was happy to receive feedback from the editor. It came close, but it reminded him of a song that he couldn't get out of his head. I reworked it a bit for clarity but kept what could be a reference to that song. I am ready to submit it again.
I ended the month with an acceptance from Full House Literary (https://www.fullhouseliterary.com/). I am very excited my poem, Self-Portrait as Make-Believe, found a home with them. One feature I love about their platform is that they publish your piece and include a recording of you reading it. A reader can choose to read and listen online, listen to the whole issue, or download it to a PDF. Very nice!!
I had one of those rejections too. My betas seemed to love the story, thought it was a good fit for a contest. The pub specifically stated they don't send rejections for contests...but they sent one to ME. LOL <insert crying emoji here>
I had subTerrain on my radar for ages, but ultimately self-rejected a piece years ago. I kept the envelope I intended to mail that story in, stamped and everything, and finally decided to give them a go in October. "Fifty Eyes: Murmur and Sunburst" is my first surrealist story. I'm really proud of it and this magazine is so cool, y'all.
I recently did a workshop with Nicole Breit, who spoke about the more unusual forms she used for a number of essays that did well. I'm playing with new forms now, and it's wonderfully stimulating whether or not it results in higher chances of publication. Please let us know when the Vassar piece goes on line...and good luck with the SAT reading comp test piece—what memories just those words bring back!!! : )
I have a story, The Sixth Bullet, coming out in a League of Utah Writers anthology, "Ghost Town." One publication I shopped it to earlier sent me a polite rejection saying how much they liked my writing (having published an earlier story) but said they'd seen too many stories featuring "bullets." Say what? Who knew?
I generally treat rejections as merely "information." Sort of like an alert my gas tank is approaching Empty. There's always another gas station.
It hasn't come out yet, but I got an acceptance that means the world to me, my first personal essay, about a topic extremely close to my heart. Huge! I had sent it out to about a dozen places or so. Most I hadn't heard back from but this is really my dream publication, a perfect home for my piece. I still can't believe it!
I just want to say thank you to everyone who has listed places they've been accepted to. You've given me a bunch of new lit mags to explore and bookmark for submissions!
I sent it out under a different title to several places last year. Rejected all around. Then I revised and resent several months later and it got accepted pretty quickly!
Last week an agent emailed me to say she’d read & liked it and asked to look at my novel-in-progress!! It’s basically my dream scenario. And a good affirmation that agents are out there reading these publications too.
Becky, "Summer of the Sharks" was brilliant and moving. Sorry about the rejections, but their loss! :)
It's not a literary accomplishment but my first grandchild, Zahava, was born February 11. I am always in awe of young parents who write around their children's schedules. And she's definitely disrupted mine, but more than worth it.
I've had a few successes thus far this year. My essay, "No Regrets", was accepted by the Bucket. It references Abigail Thomas and I understand she has had an essay published in this journal, so that's cool!
Two more essays were accepted "Searching for Cranberries in February" by Remington Review and "My Father--a song" in Syncopation, Paris issue. I think each will be published in the late spring.
"keep recognizing the rewards writing already brings to your life" -- Truly inspiring words, Becky. I'm glad you came to that response. Congratulations on "The Summer of the Sharks." I had one poem published this month, "In the twilight deep," in NonBinary Review (https://www.zoeticpress.com/nonbinary-review). This poem is in a special issue on Old Friends. My daughter had me watch a David Attenborough special on creatures that live in the deepest part of the ocean, and that scene suggested the setting of my poem exploring the loss of a best friend -- lives drifting apart. The editors asked for changes -- cuts mostly, but as you know, that involves reworking. I was relieved when they said they loved the revision. I had another poem accepted for "Of Our Own Accord," a women's poetry anthology. My poem was an old one, resurrected for this submission, "Woman at the Edge."
I've been getting many kind comments about my last post. I hope I wasn't misunderstood: I have 63 things OUT, not accepted! And 31 DECLINES this year, and NOTHING accepted. That I suppose is a kind of honorable defeat---like how a washed up boxer used to make money by being beat up royally by up and comers to build up their record of wins. They lost and bled good and were called "tomato cans."
I'm brand new at this, so my "brag" for March is: 4 rejections and 8 outstanding submissions. Don't worry, I'm fine, I'm still in the naive optimist phase.
I do have a question for you all: what is your experience with the paid feedback options some lit mags offer? The fees seem reasonable given the value of an editor's time, but does this sort of feedback really help?
I had the best month of my entire writing life this month, as far as acceptances. I received an acceptance from my top favorite poetry journal— Rattle! And an acceptance from my top CNF journal— Brevity! It felt like years of work paying off all at once— like a major breakthrough in my writing/ publishing journey. And I’m just really grateful and excited about whatever comes next! And I want to encourage everyone— do NOT give up. Rattle rejected me 23 times before accepting me. And Brevity, I first submitted there when I was 19 & I’m 32 now!!! Do not give up submitting and pursing excellence in your craft!
After not sending out a story in a year, I finally did and was accepted 5 days later at Litbreak. My story comes out 4/23.
Earlier in the week, I clicked on a website that had just published a poem by a friend of mine and noticed that a certain John Kucera also had a poem there. I immediately contacted the editor to alert him to the fact that JK was a notorious serial plagiarist, and it was more than likely that the poem published under his name had probably been stolen from somebody else (after having changed the title, of course.) I was proved right. It turned out that he had taken a poem written about 10 years ago by George Bilgere and passed it off as his own. The editor took the poem down immediately and thanked me profusely for drawing attention to the matter. So, that’s my first brag! I’m pretty sure that JK does what he does simply to embarrass editors who don’t recognize the work of poets of note.
Apart from that, HST published “The Medieval Mind”, my interpretation of Sheela-na-gigs. It can be found here: https://horrorsleazetrash.com/2024/03/16/tony-dawson-7/
Another poem, “Paris is Always a Good Idea” has been accepted for publication in June by Syncopation Literary Journal and “A Signal Failure”, also in June, by Impspired. Matt Potter, the editor of Pure Slush, has accepted a flash fiction piece, “Wanted, Preferably Dead”, my satire on bureaucrats who constantly ask pensioners to prove that they are still alive if they want to continue receiving their pension. It will be published in print in Pure Slush’s Lifespan series. Finally, the editor of Impspired is preparing a hybrid collection of my latest poems and short fiction, entitled “Reflections in a Dirty Mirror” to be published soon.
I was very gratified to find that I had three acceptances to Witcraft -- a site that publishes humor. One piece has already been published and the other two coming up in April. Looking for humor? That's a great site. They respond within a day after submitting. Also, another piece of mine has been accepted to Chicken Soup for the Soul - Just Say Yes. My piece entitled, I Got Swiped, will be out in their publication in July 2024. And finally, two poems of mine have been accepted and will be published in Qua Literary and Fine Arts Journal in Winter 2024. March was a great month for me. Only a couple of rejections.
I' had four poems published since our last brag session! Three at The Wave https://www.kelpjournal.com/post/poetry-three-poems-by-la-fellman and one at The Post Grad Journal https://www.thepostgradjournal.com/issue-6/la-felleman. The process at The Wave involved a poetry editor and a copy editor.. The Post Grad team requested an audio recording of the poem. All of these poems had a long journey to final acceptance.
I’m very excited that my CNF essay “Life Lessons” is just out on Marathon Literary Review.
http://marathonlitreview.com/2024/03/23/life-lessons-kate-levin/
It was rejected about 30 times before this acceptance (and I revised it several times along the way).
Thanks for creating this community to support and encourage each other Becky! I look forward to reading your piece.
Since the February brag, I had a poem accepted for publication this summer by Hyacinth Review. I only submitted "Night Visitor" there for a themed issue. No revisions yet. My nonfiction piece, "Selections from My Academic Planner, 1977-1978," was accepted by The Vassar Review and should be online soon. I didn't expect this piece would be accepted, perhaps due to its hermit crab form. I didn't think that highly of it and I had already completely rewritten it as a straight essay (which I'll send out next year). It was rejected by one lit mag and I withdrew it from another. The Vassar student editors took their jobs seriously and it took me too full days over my spring break to revise. I do think the piece is better for it. But one editor did not understand the difference between West Germany in the 1970s and Germany now and she for sure didn't understand acts of antisemitism.
Had a CNR piece on rivers come out in Salvation South that I'm very proud of https://www.salvationsouth.com/will-the-rivers-still-run-blue-ridge-mountain-rivers-essay-gary-grossman/ and a poem as well https://www.salvationsouth.com/all-the-promise-leaf-out-poem-gary-grossman/ . Poems in Poetry Breakfast https://poetrybreakfast.com/2024/03/18/recollections-a-poem-by-gary-grossman/ and The Prose Poem https://theprosepoem.com/truth-matters/ . Finally, two poems accepted in both MacQueen's Quinterly and Verse-Virtual. A good month.
My story, A PENNY’S WORTH, was published in The Ekphrastic Review—the only magazine I submitted it to, and my second piece to be accepted there. I love that magazine!
https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/a-pennys-worth-by-donna-shanley
Congratulations on your story in Inscape Journal, Becky!
45 (?) rejections, 3 lit mags ghosted me (I reached out twice and got crickets and then withdrew the stories and politely said why), one piece paid for xtra feed back and said piece was ripped to shreds, no acceptences.
Well. THAT was a fun month!
Seriously, it's ok. I finally put up the money to hire an editor through the EFA and she is going over some of my most rejected stories (about 10) for line edits, copy edits, some developmental edits and if even one of those pieces gets the WE WANT YOU email, it will have been worth it.
I'm just going to keep on writing. Baseball on the Northside of Chicago starts up on Monday, so there's my day job for the next six months.
Congratulations to everyone on acceptances and rejections! I'm doing the 100 rejections a year challenge through Flash Fiction Magazine so I count rejections as positives these days. Here is a story of mine that came out in March after 19 rejections. I did a few revisions between groups of rejections but nothing major.
https://iselemagazine.com/2024/03/15/the-innocents-joan-slatoff/
I was thrilled to have my review of DeWitt Henry's poetry collection Restless for Words published by Black Fox Literary Magazine. https://blackfoxlitmag.com/2024/02/29/a-review-of-dewitt-henrys-restless-for-words-by-elizabeth-gauffreau/
Wow, love seeing the wins celebrated here :) so glad to be part of this community. I'm thrilled to have published the second issue of my literary magazine, Big Wing Review. Lots of amazing writers - some well-known, some emerging! Check it out - would love to hear what you all think. https://www.bigwingreview.com/shop
My poem "indelicate flower" was published by Invisible City and two previously published poems appeared, as reprints, in The Field Guide Poetry Magazine. They are "lagger tag" and "Mackinaw". I think it's pretty sweet to find opportunities where one can reshare these 'golden oldies'!
https://www.invisiblecitylit.com/poetry/indelicate-flower/
https://thefieldguidemagazine.com/julie-allyn-johnson/
“Zoo,” a flash fiction piece about my conflicting feelings about immigration in America was published by Writers Resist in their special “Amplified Voices” issue this month: https://www.writersresist.com/2024/03/27/zoo-2/
The guest editor and I collaborated on revisions together, and I’m thrilled about how the final product ended up!
I placed a flash fiction piece I wrote in a workshop 15 years ago! It had been edited to within an inch of its life and is 500 words. I submitted this piece to about three places and got rejected. Freedom Fiction accepted it this past week and it’s up on the site now! Www.freedomfiction.com, it’s called Glenna, and it’s a fantasy/superhero story that is unique and was hard to place. My first fiction publication!
Learned last week that North American Review wanted a piece I’d submitted. They are high on my list of places I wanted to publish bc I think they put out such a beautiful product and I like the fiction they choose so much.
March has been a hard working month. I'm writing a novella with a fellow writer and we've been obsessing about it. Not much time to come up for air...
Anyway, I was invited to Offer Kuban's Podcast "The Speakeasy" and it was a fun experience (even if I'm still not used to hearing my Belgian accent on a recording, lol). Here's the link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6b0rFUOv5HsdC7LaiXPBPA
Biggest news is the publication of the "Motel" anthology from Cowboy Jamboree. 28 stories, 28 writers and it's a magnificent book. My story "A Redhead and a Green Car" is in Room 11 - I guess it's a lucky number! It's a piece of retro noir, San Francisco 1950 - I love to do these hardboiled cigarette-smoking guys! https://www.amazon.com/MOTEL-anthology-Barbara-Byar-ebook/dp/B0CXHSC8T3/ - authors are doing a reading today to launch the book.
15 things out this month, year to date 62 out, 31 declines. About 4 declines this month. My historical ratio is about `1 acceptance to 12 declines, so I am fully expecting a tardy avalanche of accepted stuff to come crashing through the walls any time now. On the work front, I've revised and much improved two graphic books from last year and are sending those out anew; have started a new graphic novel that is uncharacteristically fun as hell to write; secured a movie-review gig with our local community radio station (where I have a book reading show) for a boatload of new movies at the Wisconsin Film Festival, and have a new drawing exhibition on display at our Art and Literature Lab, so things are hopping!
I had two long stories come out within a week of each other. They're part of a series I seem to be writing about a guy named Chuck narrated by women at various times of his life. I haven't decided yet whether I'll allow him his own story.
"Sorry" in Five South
https://fivesouth.net/sorry-by-sarah-freligh/
"As Beauty Does" in swamp pink
https://swamp-pink.cofc.edu/featured/as-beauty-does/
I had two short stories come out this month.
"The Deal" is a reprint, originally published in April 2022 in October Hill Magazine, this time in Issue 2 of The Argyle Literary Magazine, a really nice newer site if you haven't seen it. Before the first acceptance, the story got 25 rejections, starting in 2014. I tweaked it along the way of course, but the basic story never changed. So, yeah, as usual, go figure. Or go read...
https://www.theargylelitmag.com/fiction/the-deal
And yesterday, "The Reincarnation of Herb McWeed" came out on Fiction on the Web. A humorous tale. This one took on the load of 10 rejections, first sent out in 2021. Again, the story didn't change much. Is it all in the targeting? Who knows. Fiction on the Web is a real warhorse, around since 1996, and takes a couple of stories a week. Here is "Herb":
https://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2024/03/the-reincarnation-of-herb-mcweed-by-jon.html
Nice to see Summer of Sharks online, Becky! Yes, we’re still here!
I had two pieces a flash and a poem published the first week of March I’m happy with both. Everyone was a pleasure to work with.
Catching the Next Train to Nowhere - Lothlorien Poetry Journal https://lothlorienpoetryjournal.blogspot.com/2024/03/catching-next-train-to-nowhere-flash.html
Doo-Wop - Masque and Spectacle
https://masqueandspectaclejournal.wordpress.com/2024/03/01/doo-wop-dave-nash/
The last week featured some tough rejection for me. Hopefully April starts like March instead of how it finished.
After taking several years off of the submission merry-go-round, I hopped back on recently and placed one I am really proud of, but thought may not see the light of day, at the perfect mag for it:
https://aothenmagazine.com/#issue6
Find “rain dance” as the penultimate piece there. The editor was responsive and the magazine is lovely. Highly suggested if you also have work centered on the classics.
Last note: I got another acceptance just yesterday from The Pierian, which I believe I found here. Thanks! Another placement I love; will link when it’s out.
I have gotten a couple of publications after a dry spell:
A poem called The Other Cousin coming in Purple Ink Press’s anthology
A poem called Massacre of the Unseen in Mosspuppy Magazine
And my very first ever haiku publication in Cicada Creative Magazine!
And a couple of cat poems upcoming in Twoheaded Press Zine’s upcoming zine “Daily Horrors”
Normally, I don’t rush to submit to new litmags, but I was immediately intrigued by the aesthetic at Gooseberry Pie (“Tart, Messy, and Satisfying”) and its unique requirement (six sentences). EiC Jeff Harvey responded quickly and was a pleasure to work with.
https://gooseberry-pie.com/what-your-guest-tells-herself-while-gushing-about-your-home/
March has been "anthology month" for me. Improbable Press has released "Anna Karenina Isn't Dead", an anthology re-writing female literary characters . My Pandora re-imagining "The Price for Fire" is hanging out with some fabulous stories. It was a year from acceptance to publication. The proof process went smoothly & it was very nice to be paid a decent amount. I received my glossy contributor quite quickly! It's available via Barnes & Noble in hardback & via Improbable Press in digital / paperback (sharing link in case anyone's interested):
https://improbablepress.com/products/anna-karenina-isnt-dead
And "The Ekphrastic Review" has just sent through our digital copies of their first print anthology "The Memory Palace". I was thrilled to have my prose poem from Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" selected in a blind reading process. Lorette, TER's founder co-edited the anthology with Clare MacQueen of MacQueen's Quinterly. I can't wait to read this one! (The links don't quite appear to be up yet on TER's website).
Congrats everyone for your acceptances!
UPDATE: Link to "The Memory Palace", which is free to download as a PDF. (Scroll down a bit!) - https://www.ekphrastic.net/ebooks.html
My ekphrastic poem "Wonderstuck" appears in volume 40 of Pink Panther Magazine https://pinkpanthermagazine.com/, which is a quite attractive print and online publication. I met editor Jennifer DeBellis at a 2023 workshop at the Theodore Roethke House in Saginaw, MI. The Pulitzer-prize-winning poet grew up in Saginaw, and his home has been converted to a museum and writer space. The Friends of Theodore Roethke organization offers many in-person, hybrid, and Zoom-only events that range from scholarship to generative poetry and spoken word workshops. DeBellis specializes in cathartic poetry, and while I didn't write "Wonderstuck" as a result of her workshop, getting introduced to DeBellis's concept of "force of nature" poetry may impact future work. Learning about Pink Panther Magazine was certainly useful. The response time from submission was within a week, and the placement of my poem next to a visual that works as well as the painting that originally inspired it is wonderful.
First of all, thanks, Becky, for your heartfelt share about getting those rejections. Reading your comments helps me to see the reality of the situation, which is, I am a good writer and will find a home for my work if I keep knocking on doors. Secondly, not a publication, but I was longlisted for SmokeLong's Micro March Marathon 400-word contest. I didn't get on the the shortlist, but I'll take the nod.
Harness Magazine.. took about 3 days to be approved. But this is the 11th time they've published one of my pieces. I just love what Genesis the owner has done with it. My first time about 4 years ago, it was owned by a women who had about 2000 subscribers. This young girl took it to over 38000 since she bought it! No submission fees ever, fast response I just love them. They published two of mine in the last month!
https://www.harnessmagazine.com/table-for-one/
https://www.harnessmagazine.com/to-yoli-with-love/
I honestly cannot remember if I posted this previously so apologies if I have— it’s an interview from February I did when the author’s EXCELLENT debut novel came out here’s the link https://www.massreview.org/node/11735 but the story to publication is a sort of circuitous interesting one and perhaps helpful:
I pitched an interview w an interesting (LGBTQ) bent of another book to a BIG DEAL pub who liked my pitch but said the book had been out too long (6 months)
So they (the BIG DEAL pub) offered me a different review if I had someone with a book coming out THIS spring — I asked a friend of mine who happens to be a BIG DEAL author for suggestions of folks with big deal books coming out whom I could structure an interview around — they looped in their publisher (Tin House) who suggested the author of the pub in this above interview—
I read the galley, LOVED IT, conducted the interview, but the BIG DEAL pub needed a later release date book— so I had a completed interview to “sell” and still an author with an upcoming book to do another interview with for the BIG DEAL pub (not a bad problem to have) — I returned to my BIG DEAL author friend who suggested himself and his spring release book for the interview (so my BIG DEAL author interview will get published in BIG DEAL pub in May)
I hit up a few pubs for the existing above interview and a TERRIFIC pub I love accepted it — GREAT! As for the original book that had been out 6 months, I hit up another pub without strict publishing deadlines (Streetlight)where I have a relationship and they published it —
So I got the original interview published, an acceptance of the above interview to be published, and an upcoming interview coming out in May…
Then, in an unrelated event, a long (too long for most pubs) essay of mine I had wanted to find a great home for got into the hands of the EIC of the TERRIFIC pub who really “got it” and committed to publishing it this spring (yay)… only issue was they bumped the above interview as their policy prohibits two works by one writer (me) within the same calendar year. In a desperation move I contacted the AMAZING Mass Review, told them the entire truth of the above story, and they were willing to publish this author on their website, coordinating with his book publication.
I guess the moral is, follow every thread and try to do the right thing by authors with upcoming work in terms of reviews/interviews (if you’re so inclined — I LOVE writing / editing reviews and interviews— I know it’s not for everyone…) I have 4 things being published this year JUST from my initial interview pitch…
Sorry for going on so long, hope this proves helpful to someone. And if you have a book coming out, maybe hit me up for an interview ;) …
I had two poems appear in Synkroniciti's Family issue released on March 1st. This is a beautifully designed litmag, the editor is an absolute delight to work with, and she posted an insightful and very well-written review of my work, but the issues are behind a paywall. I have mixed feelings about this. It's a way to fund the litmag, but it limits who might see and read it.
I have a poem in the Spring issue of Black Coffee Review: https://www.blackcoffeereview.com/spring-2024/being-the-eldest-by-roger-campdirty-laundry-by-cynthia-bernard. The editor was friendly but slow to respond to email.
Witcraft recently opened to poetry submissions, and one of mine was the first poem he published, on March 10th. It's in the archives on witcraft.org. A great editor here, Doug Jacquier (who is part of this group), and one who responds very quickly to submissions.
I have a pair of linked sonnets that came out on Innisfree Poetry Journal on March 1st: https://www.innisfreepoetry.org/innisfree-38/cynthia-bernard/. These are "true" to my childhood experiences in their tone, but not in all of the specific details.
A poem of mine was published in Carmina Magazine on March 1st: http://carminamagazine.com/road-trip.html. The editor here is friendly but there was a long time (7 months) between acceptance and appearance.
Sage-ing: The Journal of Creative Aging has an issue they intend to publish online tomorrow. The editor here is thoughtful and helpful, but the tech person who did the layout made a lot of errors. Fortunately they sent out proofs, though it took several rounds of email to get the corrections made. I will have 4 poems in the issue, plus a full page with my photo, bio, and my comments about how writing poetry deepens my self-knowledge and understanding of others and of life.
I have one poem in this month's Verse-Virtual: https://www.verse-virtual.org/2024/March/bernard-cynthia-2024-march.html. In the past I've had multiple pieces there each time (submissions are limited to once every three months), but I prefer for this piece to stand alone. As always, I recommend this journal-plus-community as a great place to read excellent writing and connect with other writers. I've made several delightful friendships with folks I "met" there.
I recently began sending out flash fiction and flash CNF pieces. Several rejections, so far, and a couple of places where pieces have been "In Process" for several weeks, and so, I tell myself, not rejected immediately. :-)
It's been a rough month for me, with several health challenges including rampant insomnia leaving me beyond exhausted. Thanks for this opportunity, Becky, to revisit and share the good news, and also to read about what's been happening for others.
After an arid 2023, when I had a number of near misses but no acceptances, a couple of my stories recently broke through. One, "Charon.com," appeared in The Berlin Literary Review and the other, "Bystanders," was published in Twelve Winters. The latter, which I consider my best piece, had been rejected over 60 times. It garnered its share of encouraging rejections (I love that term) which sustained my faith in the story. “Charon.com” ONLY had 20 rejections. Occasionally, I think a piece has a really good shot with a particular magazine and getting the ax hurts; however, most of the time they roll off my back. Sometimes the accumulation of rejections gets me down, especially those that don’t even mention the name of my story. But those nice, personalized ones can be sustaining, letting me know I’m not crazy for doing this.
Oh boy! I love lit brag. :D
My memoir piece was published earlier this month on Grande Dame Literary, an online lit mag dedicated to women writers.
https://www.grandedameliterary.com/post/eight-belles
I discovered them a couple of years ago and they stuck out to me because their niche at the time was older women writers.
They first published my work in 2022, which was a first for me. Yay! Thrilled to have them support me again. They showcase excellent writers and I like what they do.
I work with their main editor to get the piece ready for their site and she is great to collaborate with. Her input is often wise and she will listen when you do not agree with a suggestion.
:)
Congratulations, Becky!!
I started the month with a rejection for a prose poem, but was happy to receive feedback from the editor. It came close, but it reminded him of a song that he couldn't get out of his head. I reworked it a bit for clarity but kept what could be a reference to that song. I am ready to submit it again.
I ended the month with an acceptance from Full House Literary (https://www.fullhouseliterary.com/). I am very excited my poem, Self-Portrait as Make-Believe, found a home with them. One feature I love about their platform is that they publish your piece and include a recording of you reading it. A reader can choose to read and listen online, listen to the whole issue, or download it to a PDF. Very nice!!
Congrats on your publication!!
I had one of those rejections too. My betas seemed to love the story, thought it was a good fit for a contest. The pub specifically stated they don't send rejections for contests...but they sent one to ME. LOL <insert crying emoji here>
I had subTerrain on my radar for ages, but ultimately self-rejected a piece years ago. I kept the envelope I intended to mail that story in, stamped and everything, and finally decided to give them a go in October. "Fifty Eyes: Murmur and Sunburst" is my first surrealist story. I'm really proud of it and this magazine is so cool, y'all.
https://subterrain.ca/issue/100/95-on-newsstands-now
Only one for March, after three for January and none for February: in Big Wing Review (3/24)
“An Ugly Little House” (Print only, purchase the whole rag at https://bigwingreview.myshopify.com/products/big-wing-review-issue-2).
Got two pieces pending, "Sometimes the Bear" and "One Shoe On," but those will be for another month.
I recently did a workshop with Nicole Breit, who spoke about the more unusual forms she used for a number of essays that did well. I'm playing with new forms now, and it's wonderfully stimulating whether or not it results in higher chances of publication. Please let us know when the Vassar piece goes on line...and good luck with the SAT reading comp test piece—what memories just those words bring back!!! : )
I have a story, The Sixth Bullet, coming out in a League of Utah Writers anthology, "Ghost Town." One publication I shopped it to earlier sent me a polite rejection saying how much they liked my writing (having published an earlier story) but said they'd seen too many stories featuring "bullets." Say what? Who knew?
I generally treat rejections as merely "information." Sort of like an alert my gas tank is approaching Empty. There's always another gas station.
My poem "Ancestors" was published on Sheila-Na-Gig https://sheilanagigblog.com/poetry-archives/volumes-8-1-8-4-fall-2023-summer-2024/the-poets-volume-8-3-spring-2024/robbi-nester-ancestors/, and yesterday my feature on The Storyteller literary blog appearedhttps://stortellerpoetryreview.blogspot.com/2024/03/storyteller-of-week_29.html. I am waiting for poems forthcoming in The Whaleroad Review, The Schyukill River Review, New York Quarterly, SWWIM, and Spillway to appear.
Congrats, Becky, and to everyone! I had a half dozen or so rejections this month, but two poems published in Streetlight Magazine, an online lit mag I learned about very recently. Thanks, Becky, for providing this space for us. https://streetlightmag.com/2024/03/22/we-were-bag-people-and-lament-for-my-late-cousin-while-feeding-the-dog-by-marianne-worthington/
It hasn't come out yet, but I got an acceptance that means the world to me, my first personal essay, about a topic extremely close to my heart. Huge! I had sent it out to about a dozen places or so. Most I hadn't heard back from but this is really my dream publication, a perfect home for my piece. I still can't believe it!
I just want to say thank you to everyone who has listed places they've been accepted to. You've given me a bunch of new lit mags to explore and bookmark for submissions!
I had a story published this month in swamp pink: https://swamp-pink.cofc.edu/featured/the-other-son/
I sent it out under a different title to several places last year. Rejected all around. Then I revised and resent several months later and it got accepted pretty quickly!
Last week an agent emailed me to say she’d read & liked it and asked to look at my novel-in-progress!! It’s basically my dream scenario. And a good affirmation that agents are out there reading these publications too.
Becky, "Summer of the Sharks" was brilliant and moving. Sorry about the rejections, but their loss! :)
It's not a literary accomplishment but my first grandchild, Zahava, was born February 11. I am always in awe of young parents who write around their children's schedules. And she's definitely disrupted mine, but more than worth it.
I've had a few successes thus far this year. My essay, "No Regrets", was accepted by the Bucket. It references Abigail Thomas and I understand she has had an essay published in this journal, so that's cool!
This essay: https://www.flipsnack.com/5AF6ABFF8D6/moss-piglet-february-2024-h3f49juo7k/full-view.html (Coffee for Two) came out in the February issue of Moss Piglet. It's a fun little magazine to write for -- not extremely competitive.
Two more essays were accepted "Searching for Cranberries in February" by Remington Review and "My Father--a song" in Syncopation, Paris issue. I think each will be published in the late spring.
"keep recognizing the rewards writing already brings to your life" -- Truly inspiring words, Becky. I'm glad you came to that response. Congratulations on "The Summer of the Sharks." I had one poem published this month, "In the twilight deep," in NonBinary Review (https://www.zoeticpress.com/nonbinary-review). This poem is in a special issue on Old Friends. My daughter had me watch a David Attenborough special on creatures that live in the deepest part of the ocean, and that scene suggested the setting of my poem exploring the loss of a best friend -- lives drifting apart. The editors asked for changes -- cuts mostly, but as you know, that involves reworking. I was relieved when they said they loved the revision. I had another poem accepted for "Of Our Own Accord," a women's poetry anthology. My poem was an old one, resurrected for this submission, "Woman at the Edge."
I've been getting many kind comments about my last post. I hope I wasn't misunderstood: I have 63 things OUT, not accepted! And 31 DECLINES this year, and NOTHING accepted. That I suppose is a kind of honorable defeat---like how a washed up boxer used to make money by being beat up royally by up and comers to build up their record of wins. They lost and bled good and were called "tomato cans."
Hi, all. March was a lean month for acceptances, although there are a couple in the publishing pipeline.
My revolutionary take on air travel has been published by the The Hooghly Review https://www.thehooghlyreview.com/weekly-features/bearair-by-doug-jacquier
I'm brand new at this, so my "brag" for March is: 4 rejections and 8 outstanding submissions. Don't worry, I'm fine, I'm still in the naive optimist phase.
I do have a question for you all: what is your experience with the paid feedback options some lit mags offer? The fees seem reasonable given the value of an editor's time, but does this sort of feedback really help?
Rejection ---> Declination---> A stickie on the wall calendar in my home office: NOT THIS TIME; NOT THIS SPACE, BUT THERE IS A POEM IN THIS PLACE.
This month's publications were -
Florida State Poets Association (FSPA)
Of Poets & Poetry (OPAP)
March/April 2024
A Lagniappe
Each day a gift…. p.76
+ Photo: Off the Wall – Brandon, FL (May 21, 2023)
Persimmon Tree
Forum: Visions for the American Future
Spring 2024
Lady Liberty…
https://persimmontree.org/spring-2024/visions-for-america/
I get Calls via email from literary magazines that have published my work in the past, organizations such as Authors Publish, and from fellow poets.
No brags here, but seeing people mention how many times they’ve gotten rejections before publishing a piece is giving me life.