Two days left to submit to Gender Issue

Hi folks,

Happy summer, and hope you're all finding time to write!

Just FYI: June 30th is the last day you can submit work for the issue devoted to the exploration of gender-related themes. To view the guidelines and to submit (if you haven't already) go here:http://www.poemeleon.org/submission-guidelines2/.

If you happen to miss that deadline, or don't have anything that fits the issue, there's always the Mystery Box; the current contest runs through September 30th. To view the box (and recent entries) go here:http://www.poemeleon.org/mystery-box-contest/.

All best,
Cati Porter

All Notifications Sent: Take Two

Phew! ALL notifications have been sent.

Thanks for your patience.

Apologies....

Unfortunately, I have just found another thirty submissions that I have not sent notifications for. They are not unread, just unresponded-to.

Please forgive the late reponse, and if you haven't heard from me, that's probably why (they are all, however, rejections, but please don't be discouraged... I'm officially looking for prose poems for the next issue, so try again).

All notifications sent for form issue

Well, at long last I have finally completed all the acceptances -- and rejections -- for the issue dedicated to form.

The rejections are always the toughest.

We received far more than we could use, though I have to admit most of it was good stuff. I spent considerable time going back and forth with some of them. There were tons of sonnets. Ultimately I had to pass on good work simply because I am striving to present a variety.

Included in the mix are sestinas, villanelles, pantoums, sonnets (of course), as well as some collaborative work, invented forms, poems patterned after other poems... you get the picture. It's not all formal verse. My goal was to present as many of the ways that form can be, is, used, to frame a poem's contents, amplify it.

Hopefully you all will like -- or at least appreciate -- what I've tried to do with the issue.

Submissions period over

The deadline for submitting work for the issue dedicated to form has passed. I am now deep into the process of reading of all the submissions and putting the issue together. I should begin sending out notices within the next couple of weeks.

The newsblog is now up and running at top speed, which means whenever I get news of books, events, awards, etc. (no calls for submissions -- sorry; you'll need to go to CRWOPPS for that) I will add it to the newsblog, where you can a.) subscribe to the feed via the link at the bottom, b.) subscribe to it in e-newsletter form, or c.) just visit the site and read it from time to time to see what Poemeleon contributors are up to. HINT: you can check the headlines at the bottom of this page for a glimpse of what's been recently added.

I also have some exciting news: the journal is growing, and I've taken on two new editorial staff members. Stay tuned for more about that in a future post!

All Acceptances/Rejections Sent

Well, I've now officially sent out all the rejections and acceptances.

Sending out rejections is the part I like least. In fact, I dread it, because I know what it's like to be on the receiving end. I held on to a lot of poems for a long time because it took some serious deliberation for me to come to a decision, and even then there were some I was sorry to let go. I received far more poems responding to paintings than anything else, but all in all, those I accepted represent a variety of works of art, including dance, music, sculpture, and assemblage, alongside a range of paintings by well-known as well as little-known artists. One of the most exciting things for me, in putting together this issue, has been my own education: I've learned something about art from each and every submission.

The next issue that I have planned will focus on formal verse, so get ready to send me your best sestinas, villanelles, pantoums, etcetera... whatever you've got, send it in -- but not yet! I need to give my head a rest, and get to work putting the issue into final form!

Four More Days!

Only four more days until the submission deadline, so if you're still planning to submit, please do so. I will say that I have most of this issue filled now, but the beauty of the internet is I can always make room for really great work!

Reminder -- Submissions Deadline: Sept. 30

This is just to remind everyone that the deadline is coming up. I'm really pleased with the submissions that have come in so far. I have not sent out any notices yet but will begin doing so in October -- I'm sticking with my plan to hold off on final decisions until all the subs have come in.

I'm still looking for poetry book reviews, preferably ekphrastic poetry or in some way reflective of art. Send it on!

Also, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, etcetera, you may now send email to either editor(at)poemeleon(dot)org OR poemeleon(at)aol.com.

Thanks!

Reading Update, Submissions, and Other Related Stuff

Here is the final lineup for the reading if you haven't already seen it:

Maureen Alsop
Larry Bauer
Lavina Blossom
Chella Courington
Catherine Daly
Charlotte Davidson
Lucia Galloway
Judy Kronenfeld
Ruth Nolan
Kathy O'Fallon
Ren Powell

You might have noticed that several people on this list do not appear in the inaugural issue. I invited them to be a part of this reading, and each of them will be reading a selection from the journal.

In concert with this, I am putting together a limited edition commemorative chapbook that will be on sale during the event.

Click Here to download the flyer, and feel free to distribute it liberally :)

As for submission, I've already received many many good ones for the ekphrastic issue, which will be released in December. The deadline is September 30. I don't anticipate making any final decisions until all the subs have come in. If you just can't wait, query me; I will do my best to get back to you quickly.

Hope you are all having a good summer, and see you at the reading!