Poetry Submissions-Part 4: The Craft of Writing Poems

June 7, 2010July 12, 2010 / Wynne Huddleston / 2 Comments

Wynne

It begins with an idea… a word sticks in your mind, becomes a metaphor; your muse whispers inspiration. You have to write it, but writing is a craft. How do you put down in words this idea in your mind? Does anyone want to read it? Will they understand what you mean? While we want to be original, we also want to be well versed in the craft of writing.

There is a wealth of information on the internet about writing. First, you must read and learn from other poets’ works– both classic and contemporary. Take classes, attend workshops at colleges or writers conferences, seek advice from published authors and check out the links provided below. Then proceed to writing your own poetry! And remember, poets are famous for breaking the rules.

READ

Author Links – Author bios and link

The Academy of American Poets – a list of the most popular contemporary poets

Poetry Daily – Great resource of poems from various journals

CRAFT

“Blurbs of Wisdom” Poetry Free For All index to everything you need to know about writing poems–meter, rhythm, figurative languages, modifiers, line and stanza breaks, images, symbolism, critiques, rewriting, etc… Don’t be scared off by the strange warning at the top of these pages; the information is great!

The Craft of Poetry (Great site)

ENGL 310: Modern Poetry -Yale course

Writing.com Avoiding cliches and abstractions

FORM

What are the forms of poetry? Form is the category or genre of a poem, such as sonnet, haiku, cinquain, sestina, villanelle and ballade.

Poetic Asides – a list of poetic forms

The Poet’s Garret – all about various forms

Minimalist poetry – overview

Prose vs. Poetry What is the difference?

POETIC TERMS

GLOSSARY OF POETIC TERMS – from Bob’s Byway

Poetry Terms

WORD CHOICE HELP

Synonyms

Homonyms

Enchanted Learning Homonyms

Thesaurus

Adverbs

Wordsmyth

The Elements of Style by William Strunk – Rules for word usage, composition, form, commonly misused and misspelled words.

Annenberg’s “Literary Visions” series of helpful videos for poetry, fiction, drama and literature

Poet’s Corner – Resource of poems and poets

Rhyme Zone find a rhyming word quickly

Poetry Rhyming Dictionary – find a rhyming word by # of syllables

Submission Deadlines! June-August

May 31, 2010June 7, 2010 / Wynne Huddleston / 2 Comments

This is a work in process, please keep checking back as I am constantly updating the list! YAY I just had a poem accepted in Enchanted Conversation, Vol. 1 Issue 3: The Little Mermaid http://www.enchantedconversation.org/

June 15

Abyss and Apex— Sci-fi Poetry submissions open in June

Lyrical Passion Poetry Haiku Pen Contest – seeking high quality haiku poetry

Creative Writers Circle Short Story Contest – write fiction story to their prompt

The Fredericksburg Poems – poems up to 30 lines about Fredericksburg, TX

The Kids Ark – Christian children’s magazine for ages 6-12 on the theme of Worry

Confrontation Magazine -Transformation theme

Off the Coast– water theme. Pays contributor copy, half-off additional copies.

Rosebud Magazine A prize of $1,000 and publication in is given biennially for a single poem. R. Virgil Ellis will judge. All entries are considered for publication. Submit 3-5 poems with a $10 entry fee.

June 30

Lyrical Passion Poetry 2010 Think Tanka Contest – seeking high quality tanka poetry

Patchwork Path: Mother’s Life – 250-2,000 word stories or essays about your mom

Cancer Anthology – stories, essays, or poems about your cancer experience

Word & Sound International 2010 – contest for stories, essays, and poems

Mass. State Poetry Society – Naomi Cherkofsky Memorial Contest – up to 40 lines

SouthWest Writers Quarterly Contest – fiction story written to their theme, 500 words

What’s in Your Ziploc? – 100 words or less about creative uses of Ziploc bags or containers

Senior Poets Laureate Poetry Competition – open to U.S. citizens over the age of 50 $3 per poem

Dream of Things: Saying Goodbye – creative nonfiction stories about saying goodbye

Kentucky State Poetry Society Annual Contest – 7 contests for nonmembers to enter

Life Press Christian Writers Contest – Christian fiction, nonfiction, and poetry

We Walk By Faith Anthology – nonfiction stories of living out of your passion

Missouri Writers Guild – fiction, nonfiction, and poetry categories

SPS Studios 16th Biannual Poetry Card Contest – greeting card competition

Heart Poetry Award – for insighful, immersing prose poems

Last Man Anthology Poetry and fiction deaing with catastrophies and “last.” The anthology will be released August 30, 2010, in celebration of Mary Shelley’s birthday.

Qarrtsiluni Theme: The crowd, the flock, the herd, the mob, the swarm, the tribe.

July 1

Thema -Themes and deadlines for submission: About two miles down the road (July 1, 2010); One thing done superbly (November 1, 2010)

When A Mind Breaks – poetry and prose anthology about the effects of mental illness

Extraordinary Answers to Prayer: Closer to God – nonfiction anthology

July 15

Umbrella— Bumbershoot: humor/parody/children

Flo rida State Poetry Association Annual Contest – 25 categories to enter

July 26

White County Creative Writers Contest – 16 categories to enter

July 30

WRITERS Journal Romance Writing Contest – up to 2,000 words

Windmill Women Writers June/July Contest – 1,000 word story with a hint of mystery

Aug. 31

Chicken Soup for the Grandmother’s Soul – celebrating grandmothers and grandchildren

http://www.whisperingangelbooks.com/submissions.html ongoing anthologies

The National Poetry Review Laureate Prize for Poetry -$900 for 1 new poem that will become an ever evolving canon delight wisdom beauty image sticksin your mind value of sound. Send 3 poems with $15 fee.

Poetry Submissions-Part 3: Getting Organized

May 15, 2010July 25, 2010 / Wynne Huddleston / Leave a comment

You have been writing poems for years–on scrap pieces of papers, in old half-used notebooks, on the back of cash register receipts, or even on bank deposit slips. Gather them and get ready to organize! Type them into a word document titled “My Poems” and follow the advice below.

1. List your titles alphabetically

It takes a lot of time to get organized! Be sure to make an alphabetical list of your works. I use a spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel. Make a separate list for each category if you write in more than one genre, such as essays or fiction. You can use the sheet tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet to do this, or just make a separate spreadsheet. In the column after each title, type where it is currently submitted and where it was rejected or accepted (if anywhere). This will prevent you from sending it to the same publication twice! When you resubmit you can move the “where” to the third column and put the current submission place in the second column. I like to use a green font for the title of the poem if it is currently under consideration somewhere, and change it to blue if it is rejected and has not been resubmitted, and fuchsia for accepted. This lets me scan through the titles quickly when I am looking for a poem to submit. Another option is to have a column for the category of the poem, such as “experimental form” or “religious.”

2. Word docs by subject for your poems

I make word docs by subject in which I have the entire poem, for example, “Love poems” or “Fantasy/Sci-fi/Horror Poems.” These are for finished and ready to submit poems. I have another document for poems I am working on titled “Poems in Progress.” Be sure you have typed it in Times New Roman 12 point, no bold print, title centered, as this is the most commonly accepted format. When you submit you can pull up your category and copy paste into your submission letter or email. Change the format/type font to whatever the guidelines detail for that particular publication. Easy.

3. Make a spreadsheet for submissions

I also have a spreadsheet for submissions. I write the name of the publication where I made a submission in the first column, then the title of poem in the next, the date sent, date due, when they will notify, when it would be published, pay, or free copies, if any, and the cost of submitting (stamps, envelopes, fees). That is a good way to see if you are making a profit (yes, I’m laughing). I also use colored fonts–black for those I know I want to submit, red for due very soon, green for currently under consideration, change to fuchsia if they are accepted. For sim-subs I highlight the titles in a pale aqua. I move the rejected entries to sheet #2 (bottom tab) and use a blue font. I don’t want to see those, it’s depressing. But I keep the accepted ones on the first sheet for encouragement!

4. Word docs in folders for submissions

When you make a submission, even if it is sent by email, you should have the cover letter and the poems in a word document. Upon submitting, put the doc in a folder titled “submitted.” If it is rejected, move it to a “rejected” folder, likewise, if it is accepted, move it to an “accepted” folder. Yay! I also have a folder for contracts. You need to keep up with those! Contracts will state when you are allowed to resubmit your work to another publication that accepts previously published work. They usually request that you wait one year after publication, and to credit them for being the first to publish your work. So, when you resubmit you would add “previously published in _________.” There are other ways you can organize and keep up with your submissions. This has worked well for me, however, and doesn’t cost anything!

5. Safeguard your documents!

Since computers are known to crash, you should periodically put these documents on a flash drive. Another good way to be sure you never lose your work is to email the documents to yourself. Gmail is great for doing this.

Please feel free to add your own way of organizing your poetry/stories and how you keep up with submissions! Thanks!

Poetry Submissions-Part 2: Where (Markets)

May 6, 2010August 11, 2014 / Wynne Huddleston / 4 Comments

Bird (robin) hidden in the branches

Poetry Submissions Part 2 helps to answer the question of where, what market, to submit your poetry/prose/essay/story/chapbook/art work. With so many journals, magazines and anthologies, the market that is the perfect place for your particular work seems to hide like a bird in the branches. There are some resources that can save you a lot of time in your search for markets. A good printed resource is the Writer’s Market—a huge annual book that gives thousands of current listings for magazines, journals, book publishers and agents. You may choose to make a regular submission or to enter a contest. Most journals do not require a fee for regular submissions, although a few newer ones may ask for a reading fee. Most contests require a fee; this helps the nonprofit publications stay in business. They usually will give you a free subscription to their journal, however, or a copy of the winning chapbook in exchange for the entry fee. Be wary of scams, however—stay away from contests that have many winners and require you to buy a copy of the book. I personally do not submit to anthologies or print journals that don’t pay with at least one copy, but I have submitted to a few online journals for no pay. This is a good way to get your name and poetry “out there.” The choice is yours.

Here is a site that ranks publications in terms of how tough to get into (1-9), press run, number of submissions received, number published, honors received and who they publish. The numbers are quite depressing! I’m not sure when this site was last updated. Also check out John Fox’s ranking site.

My favorite online market listing is Duotrope’s Digest at http://duotrope.com/. There is a small fee, but it is a GREAT site. They have a very handy deadline list; there are so many markets available that it is hard to decide which ones to choose. The deadline listing can help you choose and force you to get it in on time. You can also choose your appropriate market in fiction or poetry by using their search engine. Select your choice of pay scale, themes, genre, print or electronic journals, simultaneous submissions allowed or not, and if they take electronic or postal submissions for your search. You can also sign up to have them keep track of your submissions. You can report whether your submission was accepted or rejected, how long it took them to acknowledge your submission and how long it took to get an acceptance or rejection. This helps keep the stats current and more reliable. There are lists for the top 25 “Slothful, Swift, Challenging, [and] Approachable” markets in terms of those stats. Remember, though, their stats are based only on those of the writers who report; many people do not take the time.

Another good site is the call for submissions at New Pages http://www.newpages.com/literary/submissions.htm and their contest listing by month http://www.newpages.com/literary/contests.htm

Poets & Writers also have some very useful tools for writers–lists of literary magazines, grants and awards, a deadline calendar and more. http://www.pw.org/toolsforwriters

For journals/magazines that have appeared in the yearly Best American Poetry book, see http://www.everywritersresource.com/bestamericanpoetry.html

http://litlist.net/

For Christian markets you can buy the Christian Market Writers Guide http://www.stuartmarket.com/BookPublishers.html There are some free listings on the site, also and on the one below.

http://www.inscribe.org/07-Links-contestsbyGenre.htm

Sci-fi, fantasy, speculative:

http://www.sfpoetry.com/links.html

Publications that Accept Previously Published Poems & Formal Poetry

May 1, 2010January 1, 2017 / Wynne Huddleston / 21 Comments

To my fellow poets:

I was happy to find the following publications that will consider them for publication. If you know of any more, please add to the list by posting them in a reply. Also, if I have an error, let me know. Thanks!

Here is a list of publications that accept Formal, or rhyming, poetry.

To my fellow poets:

JOURNALS THAT ACCEPT REPRINTS: