Poetry Bulletin: November 2022
12 deadlines + residencies + ideas for social media uncertainty
Hey there, and welcome to the November issue of the Poetry Bulletin. There’s a new format for this one, as I’ve moved the bulletin to Substack. This makes it possible to have a public archive of past issues, hopefully making it easier for folks stumble onto (or return to) the tools shared here.
Moving to Substack also gives us some new options for connecting with each other, which might be helpful given recent social media shifts (more on that below). The bulletin reaches about 1,400 poets now, so I’m noodling on ways to make this a space to connect and give each other a boost. If you have ideas, leave a comment or drop me a note!
Sincerely,
Emily
p.s. I don’t usually share my own work here, but I did want to celebrate with people who understand: the cover for my debut book, Divination with a Human Heart Attached, was recently revealed—big thanks to Alban Fischer on the design! Pre-orders are open now, and I’d be honored if you felt like checking it out.
Field notes on social media uncertainty
Many writers are starting a Substack or imagining other forms of connection given the changes at Twitter. I’ve been on Twitter for 15 years, from the near-start. There have been lots of ups and downs over that time, but the alarm now feels the most real and warranted. Here are some things I've been reflecting with—sharing in case they spark something for you:
Just because they say it’s The Algorithm and you should cater to it and you need a platform and and and doesn’t mean it’s actually working.
What happens when creators with their own reach boost/enable/celebrate other artists, writers, musicians? This exploration was interesting… it made me think of what Roxane Gay is doing with/for emerging writers through
What if instead of social networks we thought in terms of ad hoc reading groups? What if we connected via what’s in our personal library, rather than the last take we had?
Related to that: what if digital gardening is where we head in post-social media world? In spirit, digital gardening feels to me like a return to the online zines and Geocities adventures of old. (Oh how I miss the quirky, hand-coded e-zines.)
Ness Labs is good for a fall down the rabbit hole—lots of posts on how we learn in public and share online. This one on 50 lessons learned from writing 50 newsletters felt especially relevant now.
All that said, I’m especially worried about what happens for us in the neurodivergent, chronically ill, and/or disabled communities. Twitter has been a lifeline, especially during the pandemic. I’m listening to folks like Imani Barbarin to think more and process some feelings on that.
Making the Manuscript
Your turn to share a resource, tool, or favorite prompt: What’s a weird or surprising thing you’ve tried, read, or learned that helped you revise your poems?
All possibilities welcomed, and no need to polish your thoughts into a craft essay (but feel free to link to them). Leave a comment so we can trade ideas… or at least celebrate all the experiments we try on the way to making a book of poems.
Creative Support: Fellowships, Residencies & More
Ongoing — Workers at HarperCollins are on strike. Take note of the company’s imprints, hold off on posting book reviews, and check out other ways to support the Harper Union.
Nov 20 — Tin House is open for applications to their 2023 summer residencies, including one focused on debut writers and one for parents.
Dec 31 — The Undocupoets Fellowship will award three $500 fellowships to poets currently or formerly undocumented in the U.S.
Jan 11 — The Good Hart Artist Residency is open to writers and artists for residencies in 2023 and 2024. And they’re offering childcare grants! This is in a gorgeous part of Michigan, along Lake Michigan… as a Michigan writer, I can vouch for the creative magic that is our big blue inland sea.
Arts Midwest is seeking (paid!) panelists to help them review grant applications. Upcoming programs include the NEA Big Read and Shakespeare in American Communities.
One to watch: Poets & Writers has started a publicity incubator for debut authors. They’ll open applications to a cohort of poets in early 2023.
Upcoming Manuscript Deadlines
This is one of the quietest times of the year for manuscript reading periods. If you’re submitting now, you may want to check out the full (2022) list of publishing opportunities to plan ahead for January reading periods. (With a caveat that dates may shift—at the start of each year, I do a complete review and update of the list.)
Nov 30 — Gold Wake Press Open Reading Period
Nov 30 — White Pine Press Poetry Prize — FYI: Postal mail submissions only. This is a postmarked by deadline.
Nov 30 — Green Linden Press Wishing Jewel Prize — for a manuscript that “challenges expectations of what a book of poems can be”
Nov 30 — Lamar University Open Reading Period
Opening soon: Black Ocean is accepting manuscripts from debut poets between December 9 and December 23.
There are about 12 ongoing opportunities on the big list of publishers (as in, presses reading throughout the year).
The poetry bulletin is made by Emily Stoddard. If you have ideas for the bulletin, updates to a publisher’s listing, or want to share a resource, say hello by replying to this note.
Surprising thing? Though some of my craft pieces have been recently published (i.e., "Poets: Fast Track Your Next Book" in Authors Publish, Nov. 5, 2022), my 600-word article on attracting pre-orders via using a book sales funnel has not found a home. Editors who rejected it said few writers have heard of these arcane terms -- such as a book sales funnel, a lead generation funnel, an "open rate," etc. -- but that is why I wrote this piece in the first place. Duh. My useful article is still homeless. Tsk-tsk.
And good luck on your new book, Emily.
Surprising thing? After nearly a year in circulation, I realize I was more confident initially that my manuscript was ready than I am now. It's undergone several revisions and re-orderings and I feel it's much stronger than it was (hundreds of dollars later in sub fees.) BUT have taken a step back from sending it all over. I've paid two editors to review it (before initially sending) and may now have a third one look at it before sending out again. I don't look at this like "editor shopping" but rather for gaining different perspectives on a project that means a lot to me so the fees are worth it. I guess the surprise would be how many iterations and changes I would make to the work after initially sending. Patience is not my virtue, but I'm learning that sometimes especially for a project like a book, time can be your friend. I still have hope, (and a few more publications added to the acknowledgements page, which is the upside of all those rejections and not giving up.)