A Must-Read Interview

Fellow poet and Bennington alum, Celeste Guzman-Mendoza, is interviewed about her recently published poetry book, Beneath the Halo (Wings Press, 2013) at Letras Latinas http://latinopoetryreview.blogspot.com/2013/11/interview-questions-for-celeste-g.html.

Celeste addresses the importance of language as well as the impact of violence and faith in our lives.

Publication and Reading

The fall calendar has been rapidly filling with poetry readings, classes, and publications.

Here in Rochester, the second Fringe Festival begins this weekend. A group of poets, led by Wanda Schubmehl, will be reading the work generated from her latest project--a poetry chain gang. Participating poets responded to one poem from another participating poet. The poem generated was then be passed along to another poet. None of us (yes, I am a participant!) saw any other poem than the one given to each of us until the project was completed. The reading will be this Saturday, September 21 at Writers & Books, 740 University Ave., Rochester, NY. We'll start at 4:00 pm, so arrive early for the best seat! This is a free reading. As a result of Wanda's efforts, FootHills Publishing will also produce a chapbook with all of our poems.

Please head over to Conte Online where my poem "14th. St., Buffalo, NY" appears. I am grateful to the editors for including my work and for asking me to record the poem being read in my voice, something I have not previously done. Let me know what you think. http://www.conteonline.net/issue0901/

News This Week

There are several poetry readings this week featuring local poets. Tonight, Karla Linn Merrifield and Catherine Faurot (a fellow Bennington alum) will be reading at Writers & Books for the Genesee Reading Series, 7:30 pm.

Thursday, Just Poets will hold a reading from their annual anthology, Le Mot Juste, at the Pittsford Library (second floor) at 7:00 pm. An open mic will follow.

Saturday, Patricia Roth Schwartz will be reading at Books, Etc. in Macedon at 2:00 pm. Pat has asked a few of her friends (I am among them) to read a couple of poems as well.

I'd also like to point you to a list of the top 25 writers of faith compiled by the editors of Image. Here's a link http://imagejournal.org/page/blog/the-iimagei-top-25-contemporary-writers-of-faith-list. Post a comment if you agree/disagree with their selections.

The Merits of Online Literary Journals

As the fall 2013 reading period opens, I want to address the issue of online literary journals and the merits of having work published by them.

The most obvious benefit is the size of the potential audience. While print publications are, for the most part, quite limited in their press runs, online publications have the possibility of readership limited only by the scope of the Web. This potentiality is heavily augmented by the reach of social media: Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, blogs, RSS feeds, etc., where the Word of the Web spreads more quickly than the word of mouth ever could.

Another important consideration is the development of relationships with other poets, publishers, and editors outside of your immediate environs that can lead to further publication opportunities, invitations to read, and invitations to attend and/or lead workshops.

Then there is the Google factor. When a reader comes upon your work online, that reader is able to search the Internet for more of your work, an expanded bio, and your general reputation within the larger community of poetry.

Will your work be perceived as lesser in status by appearing online versus in print? The answer to that question differs with each reader. We all have that one friend or family member who refuses to enter the digital age but is that one person your target audience? Who is in your target audience? Could those individuals who might appreciate your work the most be the same people who spend their days connected to their technology simply because of its portability?

A friend says to you, "Hey, I just read the most awesome conceptual poem." You ask, "So, can you lend me the mag?" She says, "No. But I can show it to you on my smart phone." That poem is available for the reading anywhere there's wireless, immediately.

An often-heard argument against online lit mags is their quality compared to print. I find this argument to be less valid as time progresses and as the quality of successful lit mags increases with each publication cycle. What matters and is key, is the reputation of the publication, whether in print or online.

Arguably, print publication is still far more desired for the purposes of academia, but even there the gap is closing.

Granted, online publication is never going to be the same as holding that perfect-bound journal in your hands. It is, however, the path of our words, at least until an electro-magnetic pulse shuts down everyone's electricity.

I would be interested to read your feedback.

Literary Journal Reading Fees

Last week, I did something I hoped I would never do. I paid a reading fee to a literary journal for the submission of my work.

I have made my feelings about reading fees clear in the past and they have not changed. Why would I break with my own protocol? I had prepared the submission file and begun the process with the journal's online submission software and got to the point where payment appeared. I'll admit to being torn. My initial reaction was to close the window and move on. But, I had questions. Would the non-contest reading fee this journal charges in any way make a difference in how my submission fared? Could I expect a more timely response?

I wanted answers that would only satisfy me from personal experience. So, I paid the $3.00, knowing it probably would not make a difference in how my submission would be handled and I took comfort that I was at least monetarily supporting the journal.

Just to reiterate my feelings about non-contest reading fees, I compare the trend to airline baggage fees. Once one airline started charging, others soon followed until just about every airline in existence now charges baggage fees. It is taking a bit longer to catch on in the publishing industry, but charging reading fees for non-contest submissions is undeniably a growing trend.

In theory, these reading fees should not be objectionable. Publishing poetry and other literary creative writing is not a money maker. Most journals exist from the desire of people who love quality literature and want to share that literature with the world. Noble. Admirable. We should be grateful for these people and the publications they produce, whether online or in print. I am grateful. Truly.

However, as a poet, I can tell you from personal experience that, for the most part, poetry does not pay monetarily. There is a bit of the sting of the pay-for-publication stigma, whether or not that sentiment is justified. Many wonderful poets can't afford reading fees; they have a difficult time just paying their bills. What are the implications of excluding these poets? Will there be a difference in the quality of the poetry published due to a smaller submission pool?

As fall reading begins and new guidelines are being rolled out, I am monitoring the trend.

If you are an editor of a literary journal, please share your thoughts on this subject.

Web Site of Potential Interest to Writers

Leslie Hanson emailed me recently about her blog article on thesis and dissertation resources for writers. Topics covered include writing and research as well as writing centers. While her blog is mostly for graduate students, it might be worth your time to browse.  http://onlinephdprogram.org/thesis-dissertation/

Blogs You Should Be Reading

There are two excellent blogs I would like to recommend to my writing friends and followers. The first is by St. John Fisher College's Writer-in-Residence, M. J. Iuppa. Her blog, (A)stray: One Poet's Conversation, is especially essential during this National Poetry Month. She is posting daily writing prompts and her prompts are well-known to kickstart the creative muse in us all http://mjiuppa.blogspot.com/ 

The second is by Tom Holmes, editor of Redactions: Poetry and Poetics and a long-time resident of the Rochester area now working on his Ph. D. in Mississippi. The Line Break features a good article on promoting your published collection of poems 
http://thelinebreak.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/promoting-your-recently-or-soon-to-be-released-collection-of-poems/. He has also posted several of his book reviews worth reading.

Check them out. Follow them. Enhance your own writing experience. 

Reflection on AWP 2013

Never having been to Boston, I hoped there would not be a repeat of the nor'easter that hit there in February. Thankfully, I chose Jet Blue over Airtran and was able to get into Boston before weather hit. Being a native of western New York, I quickly forget how non-WNYers do not have the expertise to cope with what I've come to call "cosmic snot," also known as mixed precipitation tending toward the slushy side. Fortunately, Boston provides sufficient covered walkways to keep pedestrian travel outdoors to a minimum, at least where the hotels and convention center are situated.

Now for the highlights. In addition to the expected what's-trending-in-publishing panels, I attended panels on applying for Fullbright fellowships and NEA grants, panels on current Polish poetry in translation, the necessity for Christian literary publishers, and a reading by contributors to an anthology encouraging young Latina women to go to college (one of the contributors is my fellow Bennington alum and friend, Celeste Guzman Mendoza). All were very informative, thought provoking, and even inspiring.

I was delighted to meet and converse with poet James Ragan at the Seamus Heaney-Derek Wolcott reading/conversation. As drawn to central Europe as I am, Ragan's experiences teaching in Poland and the Czech Republic were fascinating to hear, especially since I have high interest in returning to Poland.

The conference and bookfair is so much better now that the annual event is held in a convention center. There was much more time to browse and chat at the bookfair between panels rather than racing from one conference hotel to another.

Books I had to purchase: Glory Bound (WordFarm, 2012) by Jessie Van Eerden. I attended a reading sponsored by Ruminate journal and WordFram Press where Van Eerden read. Her prose is poetic; the fact that the book is published by a Christian imprint made the purchase all the more appealing. Better Food for a Better World (Slant Books, 2013) by Erin McGraw. Slant is a new press, a counterpart to Image journal. Anyone who knows me knows that I could not resist a novel with ice cream on the cover! I purchased only one book of poetry, The World Shouldering I by James Ragan. How can anyone converse with a fine poet and not get a signed book?

There were plenty of other titles of interest, many of them available for my (yes, I have one) Kindle Fire. I still enjoy the experience of reading a paper-made book. I have also come to appreciate the freedom (mostly from pain) of not carrying hundreds of pages of paper while traveling.

I think I'll pass on Seattle next year, though. I've got other plans. More about that another time.

Reading with Harold Dill

Harold Dill and I will be reading from our work Sunday, October 26 at Books, Etc. in Macedon, NY. Harold (a.k.a. H.B. Dill) and I are two of the founding members of Rochester's largest poetry organization, Just Poets. If you have not heard his work, I encourage you to make the drive out to Macedon. He has a distinctive poetic voice and does not read publicly often. I will also be reading work that will be new to many of you.

Books, Etc. is a used book store and coffee shop located in the center of Macedon, east of Rochester. Click on the link for more information Books, Etc.

Hope to see you there!

What Editors Don't Want to Read in Your Poems

Although this was written by the poetry editor of the Indiana Review, I have no doubt that others would agree. In fact, I agree and have had to turn away clients because of some of the reasons listed in the linked post. Please take a moment to read this good advice. http://indianareview.org/2012/09/26/five-marks-of-oft-rejected-poems/

More Winners Announced

The winner of the 2012 American Poetry Journal Book Prize is Richard Garcia for his manuscript, The Other Odyssey. The expected release will be Summer/Fall 2013 by Dream Horse Press.

The winner of the Spring, 2012 Black River Chapbook Competition is Shane McCrae for his manuscript Nonfiction.

Black Lawrence Press will also publish No Girls No Telephones by Rebecca Hazelton and Brittany Cavallaro as well as This is not a sky by Jessica Piazza.

Publishing News

Two announcements about forthcoming books:

The American Poetry Journal has accepted the runner-up in the 2012 American Poetry Journal Book Prize, Fire Road by Barbara Siegel Carlson.  Look for it next summer/fall by Dream Horse Press.

Seth Abramson's manuscript Thievery has been selected by Dara Wier for the University of Akron 2012 Poetry Prize.

Prize Winners for Two Book Contests Announced

The winner of the Motherwell Prize awarded by Fence Books is Inter Arma by Laura Shufran. Her debut collection will be published in spring 2013. Visit Fence Books at www.fenceportal.org.

The winner of the ninth annual Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize is Dear Hero by Jason McCall. For a list of runners-up, visit http://www.marshhawkpress.org/.

Foothills Publishing Founder's Home Burns

Last weekend, the home of small press Foothills Publishing founder Michael Czarnecki burned to the ground while he was traveling with his family.

A poetry reading fundraiser will be held at Writers and Books on Sunday, July 22, starting a 2PM and going until around 5PM. If you would like to read as part of this fundraiser, please reply to Wanda Schubmehl ASAP at marleneschubmehl@yahoo.com, and choose which hour is preferred - between 2-3, 3-4, or 4-5. We are suggesting a $10 donation from each reader and a small snack/drink to share (nothing which much be kept really hot or really cold.)
If you cannot attend the fundraiser, here are donation options as per Michael:

Mail to : Michael Czarnecki, PO Box 68, Kanona, NY 14856 or Paypal. Go to Send Money and then put in email address: poetguy@foothillspublishing.com  Amount, click on Personal tab and then make sure Gift is checked.

If you'd like to get a sense of what Michael is all about, here's a link to a great article:
http://willnixon.com/czarnecki or visit the Foothills  web site at www.foothillspublishing.com.

Snowbound Chapbook Winner Announced

Contest judge Christopher Buckley has chosen Deborah Flanigan's manuscript Or, Gone as the 2012 Snowbound Chapbook Contest winner for publication by Tupelo Press. Eighteen finalist and one runner-up, Linda Tomol Pennisi of Syracuse, New York, were also named. Congratulations!

Omnidawn Announces Book Contest Winner

From Omnidawn Publishing: Loom by Sarah Gridley has been chosen by Carl Phillips for the 2011 Open Poetry Book Award. Five finalists were listed alphabetically:
All the Good in the World Starts Now by Anne Cecelia Holmes
A Geography of Syntax by Jill Darling
Midwinter by Matt Reeck
Roadsides by Nik De Dominic
Thought That Nature by Trey Moody

Congratulations to all.

Streetcar Poetry in Poland

The following post is from fellow poet Edyta Poskrobko whom I met in Poland in 2010. Edyta references ticket inspectors. I only encountered one in my 5 weeks in Poland. They simply check to be certain everyone on the streetcar or bus has paid the fare. Most people purchase passes in advance.

Now in Edyta's words through Radomir as translator:

I had an exhibition with my artists from the Goldenline, in April in the Museum of Technology and Communication in Szczecin. Three antique streetcars were at my disposal. In one of them a film was projected. A combination of music, pictures and words. In the other one, with beautiful wooden seats, I made a poetry installation. The topic was imposed upon us, and it was to be about communication. I came up with an idea of presenting poems-letters. I hung some of them on ropes, and the rest I scattered throughout the whole streetcar in colourful envelopes. The letters were addressed accordingly to the content of the poem inside. Sometimes in a funny way, sometimes seriously, e.g. Citizen Man, Pavement Street, Town. The letters went afterwards to Sieraków, to the gallery „W remoncie” where they were hung on wooden poles.

For the third streetcar I came up with a poetic spectacle. The idea was that I entered the vehicle as a ticket inspector and gave poems-fines to the people watching the spectacle. The fines varied: from quasi-real – for not having a ticket, to peculiar – e.g. for having too many wishes – this one went to the director of the museum where the event was held, and he liked it very much. During the performance I shifted to the role of a postman, as if acknowledging that being a ticket inspector is an unpleasant job, and started giving poems-letters. As usual, Radomir composed and performed himself the music for the spectacle.

Edyta & Radomir







Guest Blog on Poetry Contests

From time to time, guest bloggers will be posting on topics related to poetry and publication. When guests do post, please remember that their words and opinions are their own and may or may not be shared by me. Guest bloggers are not given preferential treatment by Poetic Effect.

Today's guest blogger is Donna M. Marbach, publisher at Palettes & Quills.

Poetry Contests, Our Community Projects

Poets & Writers magazine in its May/June 2012 issue published an article, that all serious poets should read, “The Risks and Rewards of Writing Contests” the article, by Michael Bourne, makes an interesting point. The contests are a kind of community project. Poets’ reading fees help support the whole concept of poetry by allowing publishers to continue publishing it. Readers, in turn, are exposed to poetry they otherwise would never see. “A community project” is certainly how Palettes & Quills (http://www.palettesnquills.com/) sees its own biennial chapbook contest.

Bourne’s extensive article examines what happens with the money from contest fees, suggests how one can determine ethical contests, and poses pros and cons to help readers decide whether entering contests is “worth it.” Though you, as poet, are really the only one who can answer the worth of contests, Bourne notes, “Unless your work is showing up in prestigious literary magazines or you have a connection to the editors at a press that publishes poetry, writing contests probably offer the best way to ensure that your work will at least get a fair reading.”

If contests truly are the best way to have your work read, how can you maximize your chance of winning one?

First and foremost, it is critical that you obtain and read the rules or guidelines for submitting and don’t assume that your poems constitute an exception to the rule. Contest administrators have rules for a reason and (whether you think they are reasonable or not), if you want to have any chance at winning, pay attention to them. If the rules are unclear or you believe you have a justifiable “exception” to something, write the administrator beforehand and get a clarification.

Secondly, know something about the final judge. It is useful to know the background, work and philosophy of whoever has been named the final judge. If you are not familiar with him/her, do some research. While it is not necessary or even desirable that your work be the same or similar to that of the judge, it is useful to know whether or not he/she might like or dislike your style of poetry.

Another tip you may wish to consider is to submit your manuscript as early as you can in the reading process. Avoid a last minute submission if at all possible. So many manuscripts come in right before a deadline that first readers can be overcome by the volume of manuscripts they have to read. You risk having your work being given a less than a positive rating simply because it is the 10th or 12th manuscript the reader has reviewed that day.

Also when entering a contest, in addition to considering the prize itself, take some time to consider who and how much competition you’re going to have. For example, if you enter Prairie Schooner Book Prize for $25, you could win $2,500 and publication (no specific number of books) but you would also be competing with 628 other poets. If you enter Palettes & Quills for $20, your prize is $200 plus 50 books, and you will only be competing against 140 or so other poets. Quite honestly, beginning and emerging poets have much better chances at winning some of the smaller and lesser known contests, thus making them a better bet for getting their work out and about.

Finally, submit a quality manuscript. Not only should your manuscript be clean, legible, and without spelling, typographical or grammatical errors, it should be a single work of some quality. Just as a poem should be more than a jumble of words, a good manuscript should be more than a bunch of poems. There are many ways to order a manuscript – too many to discuss in this essay. Nonetheless, no matter how you do it, you should arrange your poems according to some underlying theory that makes them a cohesive book.

In the end, contests are certainly one way to participate in the sharing of poetry. They provide poets with an opportunity to expose their work and to grow as poets. They allow publishers, especially small, independent publishers an opportunity to publish and disseminate good poetry to more people. And they allow readers, editors, and judges to assist in bringing good poetry into a spotlight that might not exist without them. Contests are indeed “a community project,” one in which we all can compete yet support each other at the same time.

Dorset Prize Winner Announced

Jeffrey Harrison's manuscript What Comes Next has been selected by Tom Sleigh as the Dorset Prize winner for Tupelo Press's annual contest. For additional information on the Dorset Prize, Tupelo Press, or Jeffrey Harrison visit http://www.tupelopress.org/.

Editing a Poetry Manuscript

Here's an editor's perspective on editing a poetry manuscript courtesy of Coffee House Press: http://www.coffeehousepress.org/blog-posts/the-little-known-secrets-of-poetry-how-does-one-edit-a-poetry-book/.