Literary Offerings into the World | March 2018 Report

Poetry: 8 submissions (American Poetry Review, Redivider, Bodega, Bateau, Comstock Review, Agni, Salt Hill Journal, Lunch Ticket). 0 acceptances. 1 rejection (Rappahannock Review). 

I gave two poetry readings from Chicken Fat this month: Somerset Poetry Group at the Bridgewater Library and I read at my hometown library, Kearny Public Library. Sold some books and was asked to come back to Congregation B’nai Israel to give another program and the Kearny Library asked me to lead a summer workshop.

Creative Nonfiction: 9 submissions (Kelsey Review, Writers on Edge, Brevity, Longridge Review, Persimmon Tree, Capra Review, 1966, Storyscape, Brevity Blog). 2 acceptances from Brevity Blog (for “Finding Inspiration in Free Events at the Public Library“) and Jewish Literary Journal (“Finding Emma Lazarus“). 3 rejections from Persimmon Tree [of a December 2017 submission], The Sun, and Yemassee.

I stayed up all night on March 30 to write a new essay in abecedarian form. My inspiration? Dinty Moore’s “Son of Mr. Green Jeans.”

Although the Donald Murray Prize rejected an essay in February, the hosts asked me if they could consider my essay until September. Sure.

Fiction: A hometown diner conversation with my honorary sisters after my poetry reading led me to revise a short story from at least four years ago and send it out. So, 5 submissions (Elsewhere, Ginosko Literary Journal, Flint Hills Review, Passages North, Chattahoochee Review), 0 acceptances, 0 rejections.

Other March 2018 activities: The Whole Megillah hosted the March Jewish Book Carnival. I completed a work-for-hire book assignment for a book packager about Jewish immigrants and the outline for another book about Russian immigrants. I delivered a guest lecture about dance marathons to a graduate class in The Great Depression at William Paterson University. I completed a poetry course in Rilke at 24 Pearl Street and completed the Advanced Personal Essay and Memoir class at Creative Nonfiction.

Coming up in April!

I am giving a talk at the Cranbury, NJ Hadassah about Jewish genealogy on 4/24, postponed from March because of weather. I begin my PhD studies in Holocaust & Genocide at Gratz College. I’ll be completing the book about Russian Immigrants and three debate books for an educational publisher. I also have work for two issues of Cobblestone magazine. I want to send out more poetry and essays.

April also launches Cycle 10 of The Whole Megillah‘s Online Fiction Class and Cycle 1 of The Whole Megillah‘s Online Memoir Class. Seats still available in Memoir.