Monday, September 29, 2014

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Language You Refuse to Learn Launch

Despite the best efforts of bronchitis, I was able to travel to non-profit Bright Hill Press & Literary Center (www.brighthillpress.org) for the official book launch of my chapbook Language You Refuse to Learn last week.

Bright Hill, which is situated on the outskirts of the Catskills, reminds me of Doctor Who's TARDIS. From the outside you see a lovely country house but inside is a lovely gallery space with a library of used books for sale and, beyond that, a new addition which houses private book collections donated to Bright Hill as well as a children's space.

Bertha Rogers, the driving force behind Bright Hill, was a welcoming host, most gracious in extending an invitation to my friend Lorrie and me to stay in the literary center's guest space where we could have spent days perusing all that the library has to offer.

I am extremely grateful to my friends Lorrie, Kathy, Donna, and David Michael who made the trip from Rochester to Treadwell for the book launch and reading.

Future readings will be Thursday, October 2 at the DeWitt Community Library (7:00 pm) and Thursday, October 9 in the Golisano Gateway at St. John Fisher College, Pittsford, NY (7:30 pm). Many thanks to M.J. Iuppa for arranging this reading.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Interesting Poetry Stats

Here's a link to Jonathan Hobrasch's article on elite poetry prizes and those who have won them the most. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-hobratsch/on-poetry-awards-figures-_b_5668826.html?utm_hp_ref=books&ir=Books

Be sure to read the questions at the end of the article. Please post your comments!

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

What! Fall reading? It's still July!

Friday opens the 2014 Fall reading season, the most opportune time for poets to have their work considered for publication by the largest number of journals seeking unsolicited submissions. The floodgates at Submittable, Submission Manager, Tell It Slant as well as the inboxes on editors' desks and emails open beginning August 1 through September 15.

What you can expect to see this fall: Sadly, there will be an increase in the number of publications requiring reading fees in order to consider your work. No, these are not contest fees. Despite what some journals like to call their fees, they are money required for a journal's staff to read the work you submit to them, hence "reading fees." Reading fees that journals charge range from $1 per submission (usually 3-5 poems) to $10 per submission. The former and latter are very rare; reading fees in the 2013-2014 reading period averaged $3 per submission.

There will still be plenty of publications reading for free. Personally, as a poet, I am more inclined to support a journal without reading fees. But we need to be open to paying a journal for the privilege of reading our work. It stings. Poets rarely get paid when their work is accepted for publication. However, many journals are staffed by volunteers who believe in the value of literary pursuit and find fulfillment in publishing our work. I can much more easily accept not being paid for my work when I know the editors choosing to publish it have no monetary gain to do so.

What else? Expect an increase in online submissions with a corresponding decrease in postal submissions. This is not a new trend. Online submissions will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.

Finally, is the migration of more publications to the internet from print. Cost is the greatest driver behind this movement. Migrating away from print is not a bad thing. Consider how many potential readers your work may reach on the internet when published by a quality online journal as opposed to the number of potential readers finding your work in print.

What does this mean for Poetic Effect? Fall reading will be as busy as ever. Calendar slots will fill quickly. If you are interested in having submissions of your work prepared during fall reading, email me Claudia@poeticeffect.com to reserve your place in the queue. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

What does that rejection letter mean?

You dread receiving that #10 envelope addressed to you with the label you stuck on it and sent with your poems to "Journal X." Or, it's that email you see in your inbox and cringe as you open it. The form rejection letter.

Here's a link to an article decoding 4 rejection letter types you may see. http://lizkay.net/2014/05/03/advice-for-poets-what-it-means-when-a-journal-says-no-or-anything-other-than-yes/.

By the way, I prefer the term "response" over the negative term "rejection."

Have you received an unusual response? Post a comment if you'd like to share.