In early fall 2020, one of my poems was selected for publication in a larger collection of poems about climate change. I was excited to have a poem published, honored that it was for a cause that I felt deeply passionate about, and eager to publish again. I am always eager to publish again - the amount of happiness I feel when I see an acceptance email is greater than the amount of water in all the oceans and seas. It was the first acceptance of the year.
By the end of 2020, I had three different works selected for publication - one more than I had for 2019. Today I get to humble brag that I met that number for 2021. I'm confident that I'll pass it and reach my publication goals for the year.
I'm still going to get 100s of rejections.
But I know that someone out in the crazy universe is reading my work and that is amazing...and a little intimidating.
Lots of people want to be writers. There's a certain mystique that comes from being a writer. They're occasionally featured as the protagonists in films and given a bit of a glamourous lifestyle. None of it is true. Writers barely make any money unless they're part of the big leagues. And most of our time is spent staring at blank computer screens/pieces of paper/notebook pages waiting for the "magic" to happen.
But those of us who battle through our writer's blocks, finish the first draft, polish it until it shines like fresh cut gem, and face a slew of rejection emails revel when we're told that our work pleased the editor so much that they want to publish it. Writing is hard. Publishing is hard. Self marketing is the worst.
The collection of poems I was accepted for publication in is available on the Poets' Choice website (it's the Global Warming Collection). The company is based in India and accepts poets from around the world. Global Warming includes poets from predominantly English speaking countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK. And also from countries like The Philippines, China, and India (there they are located).
I wish I could give this collection of poems a glowing endorsement. It's clear that a lot of love and passion when into the poems on the many contributing writers' behalf. Unfortunately, the editing isn't really there. I noticed that there was a typo in my poem that wasn't caught before publication and, since reading the whole book, it was clear that editing and formatting isn't the best. There are some times where I can't tell if the format or typo is supposed to be the way it is or if it's just another issue that wasn't corrected.
Those issues aside, the poems are pretty good. There's a huge variety going from really short to several pages long and everything from form poetry to free verse. I'm enjoying reading them, but the poetry isn't my favorite part of this collection.
See each poet was given the opportunity to say something about themselves on the page before their poem or poems. I'm loving taking the time to read about the different poets. Some wrote a couple of words about their other publications, passion for environmentalism or climate change, or their hope that the readers like the poem(s). Then there are the poets who tell their whole life stories and in great detail explain how writing changed their lives, why they are so passionate about climate change, and the careers they've had. Nothing longer than a single page, but sometimes longer than the actual poem. On the rare occasion it's a blank page with only the poet's name in bold.
I am loving that I have this option. It's like peeling back the curtain to see all the people who want to express themselves like I do - through poetry. I'll likely never meet any of the other poets, but I feel connected to them through their biographies and their poems. I'm reading their words and they're likely reading mine.
Over the past two weeks, I've had three acceptances for publication. One of which is a chapbook of gothic/horror poetry. I'm not sure when everything will be released, but I'll be letting people know one way or another.
My life has been a bit chaotic which makes it difficult for me to be creative. I'm still writing when I can, but I easily get distracted by the stress that real life has thrown my way. Hopefully things settle down soon and I'm able to easily write my next horror story or gothic poem.
If you guys are interested in anything I've written, you can find the two anthologies and link to Poets' Choice below:
- Hell's Mall: Sinister Shops, Cursed Objects and Maddening Crowds
- Hell's Highway: Terrifying Tales of Tormented Travels
- Poets' Choice: Climate Change Poetry Collection
- Tales of Reverie by Paragon Press
If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.
Until next week.
