another call: Pacific poems

Here’s another call for poems that seems to have some regional (and seasonal) relevance: Caitlin Press (in Halfmoon Bay, BC, Canada) “is currently accepting submissions for an anthology of poems that explores the Pacific Ocean as a wilderness, a haven, and a part of our natural world that needs protecting.”

The submission deadline is September 15, 2016 and the volume will be edited by Yvonne Blomer, Victoria’s poet laureate.

See the call for submissions and consider the possibilities when you visit the beach this summer.

Special call for poems

Glass: A Journal of Poetry is seeking poetry submissions for a special feature in response to the June 12 shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Because the shooting at Pulse targeted the LGBTQ community on Latin Night, Glass is seeking submissions only from LGBTQ poets and especially LGBTQ poets of color. Submissions close on July 15, 2016. (Cis-gendered straight poets with poems in response to the shooting are welcome to submit those poems for the regular journal when it reopens for submissions on July 16.)

See the call for poems on the Glass website.

the power of positive rejection

In her Literary Hub article, “Why You Should Aim for 100 Rejections a Year,” Kim Liao suggests that for those of us submitting work for publication, it might be time to reset our goals: instead of aiming for acceptances, aim for a specific number of rejections. Citing the wisdom of other writers as well as her own experience (Liao’s goal is 100 rejections a year), she says, “Since I’ve started aiming for rejections, not acceptances, I no longer dread submitting.”

If Kim Liao’s article inspires you to increase your submission rate, you might also want to have a look at the LitHub article by Erika Dreifus, “13 Questions to Ask Before Submitting to a Literary Journal.”
. . . . .
Thanks to Andrew Shattuck McBride for the suggestion!
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on poetry

“Poetry is a matter of life, not just a matter of language.”
Lucille Clifton
(b. June 27, 1936)
. . . . .
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Brother*

2016 Merit Award
By Samantha Gablehouse (12th grade)

Brother —
You’re a sailboat of anger
rushing down a river of rebellion
searching for the ocean of freedom,
but only finding a dam of regret.

Brother —
You’re a feisty little half-pint
with tiny sticky fingers
constantly getting into trouble,
grinning at your antics.

Brother —
You’re a mountain of courage
with a forest of confidence,
but you’ve lost the key to patience
that opens the door to forgiveness.

Brother —
You’re a fledgling of curiosity
yearning for a nest of comfort,
but stuck in a tree of loneliness
knowing someday you’ll learn to fly.

. . . . .
*Copyright 2016 by Samantha Gablehouse. Broadside illustrated by Mat Hudson.

Finding inspiration

When it comes to maps, Inspiration is more than a ghost town in Arizona. Maps offer mystery, language, design, history and direction. As described in Leo Kent’s article, “The poetry of maps,” cartography has long been a resource for poets.

For the cartophile, various authors analyze the connection between poetry and maps for the publication Cartographic Perspectives (search for poetry).

For more, read the poem “Old Territory. New Maps.” by Deborah A. Miranda or browse The Cartographer’s Tongue by Susan Rich.

If you’re looking for inspiring maps, the Washington State Archives and State Library offer their extensive holdings free online. Visit Legacy Washington to see a list of historical maps of various types from various time periods. (Note that a plug-in is required and may be installed from the site to view the maps in high resolution and to zoom, pan, adjust color, etc.)

Where will your poetry take you next?
. . . . .
Oregon Territory map

the awards biz

Ever wonder what it’s like to be on a book awards committee? We don’t have all the secrets, but there are some hints regarding the Pacific Northwest Book Awards scattered around the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) website.

According to the Awards Committee Guidelines, “The typical PNBA Awards Committee member spends about 20 hours each year on PNBA conferences and correspondence, and an enormous amount of time reviewing the 300+ books that might be nominated.” Committee members are employees of current PNBA member bookstores.

If you go to the Pacific Northwest Book Awards page and click on 2017 Nominees, you can see a list of titles that have been nominated and are being considered. But that’s not the complete list because nominations remain open until September 30, 2016. The committee typically picks six books in October and announces the awards in January.

Somebody’s reading a lot of books this summer.

bridge tales

Back in January, we posted the call for applications for a writer-in-residence at the Fremont Bridge. The writer selected for the position is Elissa Washuta. Learn more about the writer and the residency in this week’s “Q&A: Essayist Elissa Washuta on being the Fremont Bridge’s first writer-in-residence, another recent award and her upcoming book” from UWToday.

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cat call

Here’s a call for poems that’s sure to offend some people and sure to elicit fine words from stories untold:

Poet Dee Dee Chapman is (in her own words) “putting together an anthology on the theme of dead cats. Why dead cats, you say? Good question! (I love cats, for the record, and wish them to be fluffy, sassy and cuddly for as long as we both shall live.) This is an experiment, because I discovered the theme to be oddly prevalent at a poetry reading, and the more I talk to writers about it, the more pieces are out there that fit. I’m excited to discover what the topic/theme/image can mean, and where it will take us beyond the initial loss of a companion.”

After an initial round of submissions, promoted through Facebook and word of mouth, Chapman has extended the deadline and says, “My first round of submissions was wonderful, strange and promising. However, I’d like to publish a full-length anthology, so I’m keeping submissions open….Side note: I’m truly sorry to all the friends I know have lost their fluffy friends recently. Please don’t take my interest in this subject to mean I’m insensitive to the loss of kitty companions. Quite the opposite.

“Continued CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS to NINE LIVES LATER: A Dead Cat Anthology. This upcoming anthology seeks to examine the image of a dead cat. We are accepting poetry, nonfiction, prose, fiction, art, music. Previously published is acceptable. We are looking for work that takes the theme beyond the loss of companions (though great work that grieves them will be considered). ***NOTE: living cat stories will not be accepted; neither will other dead animal stories. This is a specific theme, please submit only pieces within that theme. Compensation is one copy of the anthology when it is printed in October, as well as invitation to read at the anthology’s release party.”

The submission deadline is Thursday, September 1, 2016. Submit work by email to deedeetheshark@gmail.com.

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Sugar Skull Cat

making lists

No longer is the best-of list restricted to the end of the year. Flavorwire, which keeps track of many newsworthy cultural goings-on, has started a monthly column on worthwhile new poetry collections and plays catch-up with “The Definitive List of Must-Read Poetry Books from 2016 (So Far).”

Get out your must-read list and have a look.