In the Spirit of Poetry Has Value

Inspired by Erika Dreifus and her guest blogs at Jessica Piazza’s Poetry Has Value, I decided to track my literary submissions—or offerings, if you prefer—on a monthly basis. Sure, I’d been tracking them in Excel, but I wasn’t really look at what goes out and what comes in. The monthly view allows that. And let’s face it, during the semester, I don’t send anything out really.

Here are my January statistics:

Poetry: Sent to 13 journals (a poetry prize, PMS, Split Rock Review, Souvenir, Potomac Review, Epoch, Cider Press Review, Copper Nickel, West Branch, Naugatuck River Review, Salamander, Cold Mountain Review, Blue Lyra Review), no acceptances, one rejection (West Branch)

Short fiction: Sent to three journals (Tishman Review, Masters Review, Literary Mama), no acceptances, no rejections

Creative nonfiction: Sent to one journal (Hippocampus), one acceptance (Minerva Rising), no rejections

And my February statistics:

Poetry: Sent to four journals (Jewish Women’s Literary Annual, Thrust, Adroit, BOAAT), one acceptance from Blue Lyra Review, and four rejections from Souvenir, Thrust, Adroit, and Split Rock Review)

Short fiction: Sent to two journals (Apogee and Jewish Women’s Literary Annual), no acceptances (yet), two rejections from Tishman Review and Masters Review 

Creative nonfiction: Sent to one journal (Minerva Rising), no acceptances, no rejections

I know that receiving rejections means I’m getting my work out there. Publication can only happen if the work gets out. So, onward in March. I now have a poetry critique partner. We’ve decided to exchange two poems every two weeks. I’ll be attending the four-week Mature Poets Workshop hosted and led by the indomitable duo of Maria Mazziotti Gillan and Laura Boss. The poem recently accepted, “Bei Mir Bistu Shayn,” I wrote with Laura at a December retreat.

Question for you

Join me in baring your writer’s offerings. I’m opening up The Whole Megillah to guest bloggers. You can blog about sending out your work in any genre—poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, picture books, novels, whatever. Just comment to this post and we’ll work up a plan.