Form and Spacing in Poetry

When it comes to the format of a poem, different approaches have different benefits and risks.  One form might build energy by incorporating line breaks that slow the reader down and create the possibility for double-meanings. Another approach might sacrifice line breaks but build tension by forcing the reader to read more quickly, more frantically. Still another approach can isolate certain words and phrases for extra emphasis, irony, etc. What form you take is entirely up to you, of course, though experimenting with different forms can help you make an informed decision. To see what I mean, compare the original format of Stanley Kunitz's famous poem, "The Portrait," with some other versions I made.

The Portrait (original version)

by Stanley Kunitz 

My mother never forgave my father
for killing himself,
especially at such an awkward time
and in a public park,
that spring
when I was waiting to be born.
She locked his name
in her deepest cabinet
and would not let him out,
though I could hear him thumping.
When I came down from the attic
with the pastel portrait in my hand
of a long-lipped stranger
with a brave moustache
and deep brown level eyes,
she ripped it into shreds
without a single word
and slapped me hard.
In my sixty-fourth year
I can feel my cheek
still burning.

The Portrait (non-Kunitz version 2) 

My mother never forgave my father for killing himself,
especially at such an awkward time and in a public park,

that spring when I was waiting to be born.
She locked his name in her deepest cabinet

and would not let him out, though I could hear him

thumping. When I came down from the attic

with the pastel portrait in my hand of a long-lipped

stranger with a brave moustache and deep brown level eyes,

she ripped it into shreds without a single word
and slapped me hard. In my sixty-fourth year

I can feel my cheek still burning.

The Portrait (non-Kunitz version 3)

My mother never forgave

                                         my father

for killing himself,

                               especially

at such an awkward time

and in a public park, that spring when

                         

                    I was waiting

to be born. She locked his name in her

deepest cabinet and would not

                                                 let him out,

though I could

                        hear him

thumping.

When I came down from the attic

with the pastel portrait in my hand

of a long-lipped stranger

                                    with a brave

moustache and deep brown  

                                             level eyes, she ripped it

into shreds

without a single word

                                    and slapped me hard.

In my sixty-fourth year 

I can feel 

                my cheek

                                 still burning.

The Portrait (non-Kunitz version 4)

My mother never forgave my father for killing himself, especially at such an awkward time and in a public park, that spring when I was waiting to be born. She locked his name in her deepest cabinet and would not let him out, though I could hear him thumping. When I came down from the attic with the pastel portrait in my hand of a long-lipped stranger with a brave moustache and deep brown level eyes, she ripped it into shreds without a single word and slapped me hard. In my sixty-fourth year I can feel my cheek still burning.

More on Scansion

The critical analysis portion of the midterm went very well but the scansion… eh, not so much.  Obviously, this isn't an exact science but here’s another crash-course.

Ignorance

by Joel Brouwer

The authors you haven't read are cooking over campfires in your backyard. They've pitched tents and dug a well. You knew they'd eventually come to haunt you in their frock coats and togas, wagging ink-stained fingers: shame, shame. But they don't seem irked: they sing as they peel potatoes, they've set up a volleyball net. You say / thought you'd be angry, which cracks them up. Hell no, they roar. Have some lunch! Your mind floods with the morphine of relief. Someone ladles you a plate of soup. You can see your face in there. You can see right through it.

The authors you haven't read are cooking over campfires in your backyard. They've pitched tents and dug a well. You knew they'd eventually come to haunt you in their frock coats and togas, wagging ink-stained fingers: shame, shame. But they don't seem irked: they sing as they peel potatoes, they've set up a volleyball net. You say I thought you'd be angry, which cracks them up. Hell no, they roar. Have some lunch! Your mind floods with the morphine of relief. Someone ladles you a plate of soup. You can see your face in there. You can see right through it.

Bold—what you’d stress (eh, probably).   

Italics—might stress, depending on context/reading style.

Compound words (backyard, someone, campfire) might have both syllables slightly stressed, since each syllable would be a word on its own.  Contrast that with words like author, cooking, morphine, etc.

Where the energy comes from: OK, obviously as a prose-poem, it isn’t gaining energy from line breaks, but it does gain energy from the format, i.e. the prose-poem structure might force you to read this a little faster and view this from the lens of a “traditional” short story (though in terms of content, it definitely isn’t).  Otherwise, the piece gains energy from the weird/imaginative scene, plus the use of more stressed than unstressed syllables (which might be why it sounds surreal but slightly creepy).

Links to Daily Schedules

I know these can get buried after a couple months so here are the links to our daily schedules:

For my MWF section

For my TR section

And now, a word from Norman Minnick...

I selected ten questions from the bank of questions contributed by my students for the poet, Norman Minnick, which he was kind enough to answer.
 

1. What made you want to become a poet and is there a topic that you most prefer to write about?

It’s funny, when I was in my teens and twenties I wrote poems and songs and gave a couple poetry readings and performed in a band but never thought of myself as a poet. I wrote poems. How does that make me a poet? I wanted to be a novelist. I didn’t choose this.

2. Why did you decide to write some of your poems as just one long stanza, such as “The Problem of the Puer Aeternus” and “Stones”?

Is there a topic I most like to write about...? No, except that I find myself writing about human beings, especially human beings in situations that when viewed from a certain angle are rather odd. Ted Hughes has a wonderful essay about writing about people in his book Poetry Is. In it he writes about the art of choosing the right details about a person that will capture his or her entire life. He says, "The whole art of writing is to make your reader's imagination go into action." This is more difficult than it sounds, but I feel like my reader's imagination can conjure up a larger "story" of the woman climbing into the Peterbilt or the girl with freckles carrying a flat of azaleas in "A Week without Poetry", for example. Mine does, at least.

When I write poems I pay very close attention to way line- and stanza-breaks work with the saying of the poem. (I have an essay about this that I wrote for the poetry month issue of Teachers & Writers Magazine that I’ll share with you later.) The one-stanza poems feel as if they do not need a pause, as if they are one thought.

3. What’s the inspiration behind your poem, “A Week Without Poetry?”

The irony is in the title. What most people would not consider poetry is all around us, in the trash heap, on the side of the street, the things people say at a Little League game, and so on. I sort of realized that after a frustrating week of not reading or writing poetry (I read at least a poem a day) that I had gathered these little nuggets that resembled poems (poem-blips!) just by looking around and listening. Maybe it’s not poetry, but it’s my world.

4. Are you the narrator in the “Angel Mounds State Historic Site” and “Oconaluftee Indian Village, A Cherokee Living History Museum” poems?

Yes. But I wouldn’t place too much trust in me as a narrator.

5. Were you able to visit Angel Mounds to research it?

Yes. It wasn’t research, though. I was just there.

6. Can you talk about the need to be willing to take risks in poetry, especially in a poem like “In the Parking Lot of the Dry Cleaners”?


If you aren’t taking risks in your poems then why are you writing? There are eight million poets writing today and only about five or six of them are really any good. Those are the ones who take risks. I probably don’t risk enough. (Thank you, especially, for this question. It really has me thinking.)

7. Did your family background influence your writing style? If so, how? 

Growing up, I was surrounded by books. Books on shelves! They were my father’s books. Not just any books––they were books of great literature: mostly novels and poetry. A little history, philosophy, drama, humor. They seemed somehow sacred to me. I would look at them a lot. See my dad reading them. As I got older I would sometimes take one down (carefully!) and open it. Ah, the smell! I marveled at their bindings. The design of the pages. The typefaces (not fonts!). I would read the colophons. The novels I didn’t read. I felt that I somehow had to EARN them. I did sneak in a few of the poems from time to time. Rilke. Yeats. Ted Hughes. Berryman. Robert Lowell. Kinnell. Bly. Judith Minty! I knew that there were vast worlds––universes––in those books. More wisdom. More mind-expanding erudition than any drug could provide. Even without reading them at an early age, they were physically and tangibly within my reach. And I eventually did. Am still reading them. No academic or institution could have led me into such rich terrain. No. I was surrounded by books. My father read them.

8. Do you prefer writing in the day or at night? 

I prefer writing whenever I can. If I am driving and a good line comes to me I need to write it down immediately. This is a dangerous practice and I don’t recommend it to anyone. Poems, or ideas for poems, do not come easily. I snatch them up greedily whenever they appear.

9. What’s your favorite poem in Folly? 

That’s like asking which of your children is your favorite. I enjoy the response I get when I read “In the Parking Lot of the Dry Cleaners” or “Never-Never Land” or “Etc. Etc.”

10. What was your inspiration for the poem, “The Young Girl”?

“The Young Girl”, along with other poems like “Never-Never Land”, “Toes”, “Country Mark,” “Auto Repair Shop”, etc. are simply anecdotal. They are accounts of what I have witnessed by being in a certain place at a certain time and paying attention to the intricacies of the moment. This is my favorite kind of poem––one that doesn’t try to theorize or pontificate.

Explication of "On Being Told I Don't Speak Like a Black Person" by Allison Joseph

Most of what happens in regards to good art--especially writing--happens on a subconscious level. Because of this, I often hesitate to go line-by-line through a poem and explain what I think is happening because it kind of kills the magic of the piece. On the other hand, it's a great way to learn the magician's tricks so we can utilize them ourselves.  So let's take a look at the following poem by my friend and former teacher, Allison Joseph: 

On Being Told I Don't Speak like a Black Person (p. 95)

Emphasize the “h,” you hignorant ass,
was what my mother was told
when colonial-minded teachers
slapped her open palm with a ruler
in that Jamaican school room.
trained in England, they tried
to force their pupils to speak
like Eliza Doolittle after
her transformation, fancying themselves
British as Henry Higgins,
despite dark, sun-ripened skin.
Mother never lost her accent,
though, the music of her voice
charming everyone, an infectious lilt
I can imitate, not duplicate.
No one in the States told her
to eliminate the accent,
my high school friends adoring
the way her voice would lift
when she called me to the phone--

A-ll-i-son, it’s friend Cathy.
Why don’t you sound like her?
they’d ask. I didn’t sound
like anyone or anything,
no grating New York nasality,
no fastidious British mannerisms
like the ones my father affected
when he wanted to sell someone
something. And I didn’t sound
like a Black American,
college acquaintances observed,
sure they knew what a black person
was supposed to sound like.
Was I supposed to sound lazy,
dropping syllables here and there
not finishing words but
slurring the final letter 

so that each sentence joined 

the next, sliding past the listener?
Were certain words off limits,
too erudite for someone whose skin

came with a natural tan?
I asked them what they meant

and they stuttered, blushed,
said you know, Black English,
applying a term from that

semester's text. Does everyone

in your family speak alike, 

I'd ask, and they'd say don't

take this the wrong way,

nothing personal.

Now I realize there’s nothing
more personal than speech,
that I don’t have to defend
how I speak, how any person,
black, white, chooses to speak.
Let us speak. Let us talk
with the sounds of our mothers
and fathers still reverberating
in our minds, wherever our mothers
or fathers come from:
Arkansas, Belize, Alabama,
Brazil, Aruba, Arizona.
Let us simply speak
to one another,
listen and prize the inflections,
differences, never assuming
how any person will sound
until his mouth opens, until her

mouth opens, greetings welcome
in any language. 

OK, first, the obvious things: it's a poem addressing race, sure, but it's also addressing tension with family and friends, as well as the struggle to define--and defend--one's identity.  That's pretty weighty subject matter.  However, Joseph starts with a genius move: that is, she tells a joke.  Emphasize the “h,” you hignorant ass is kind of funny; it's also a bit different from the tone of the title.  So right off the bat, Joseph takes a risk with a high pay off: the title draws us in, the first line grabs our attention, and if we snicker, we quickly realize what she's talking about and probably feel guilty, thus we pay closer attention.

Also, take a look at how the line breaks flush out the double meaning of "ruler" in these lines:

when colonial-minded teachers
slapped her open palm with a ruler
in that Jamaican school room.

A few more great tricks.  Take a look at:

 Was I supposed to sound lazy,
dropping syllables here and there
not finishing words but
slurring the final letter
so that each sentence joined
the next, sliding past the listener?

See the comma after there?  No?  Well, that's because there isn't one.  Technically, though, there should be.  So leaving it off (whether Allison did this consciously or subconsciously) could fulfill a couple functions.  First, it adds a little tension by leaving off a bit of punctuation, thus speeding up those lines. Second, leaving off that comma could be seen as "lazy," thus it's mirroring--thus, defying--the insult of the previous line.  

Another thing.  After that, we have:

Were certain words off limits,
too erudite for someone whose skin

came with a natural tan?

See how erudite seems to be an example of a word that is "off limits," yet the poet's use of it resonates with subtle defiance?

Next, take a look at these lines:

no fastidious British mannerisms
like the ones my father affected
when he wanted to sell someone
something. And I didn’t sound
like a Black American,

Note that mid-clause break in line 3, which interrupts the flow of the sentence (another risk) but invokes the image of slavery, and all the horror and anxiety that comes with that word, while simultaneously putting a twist on it; the line refers to the poet's father.  Now, take a look at the next line; see how it ends on sound, not didn't? Obviously, the latter would have further emphasized the poet's distance from her father; however, perhaps subconsciously, Joseph decided not to do that (maybe for fear that it would over-emphasize that familial distance?).

One more line break to point out:

I'd ask, and they'd say don't

Technically, this line occurs when the friends are telling Joseph not to take offense at their fairly offensive questions; by breaking on don't, though, Joseph flushes out the ignorance/insecurity in their attitude, creating the image of their group immediately responding to her reasonable response by ordering her to keep quiet.

In her poetry, Allison Joseph demonstrates both fierceness and humor.  Her work (like Allison herself) resonates with intelligence, guts, and friendliness.  I encourage everyone to check out more of her work!

Observation Exercise

I’ve noticed so far that people are doing quite well in terms of adding emotional and sometimes philosophical pull to their poems, as well as being personally invested in their writing, but we’re still a little lacking on the main ingredient: imagery.  So with that in mind, we’ll try a little exercise.

1)   Go to where people are (probably the Atrium).

2)   Spy on them without being too obviously creepy.

3)   Take note of their physical appearance, body language, etc.

4)   Jot down any quotes you overhear.

5)   You can observe as many people as you want, mix details, etc., to produce the one or two characters you want to write about.

6)   Then, write a narrative poem giving as much physical description (and as little exposition) as possible.

7)   The final requirement: if your overheard quote sounds silly, or is not grammatical, or seems to portray your character as shallow, you have to try and have them perform an action in the poem (even a small one) that redeems them.  If the quote makes them appear kind or intellectual, try to have body language hint at the opposite.

TR Daily Schedule

COURSE SCHEDULE

I officially took on this course at the last minute (Tuesday, Jan. 7, to be exact) so I modified my MWF schedule as best I could, given the snow days.  As anyone who has been in creative writing workshops will tell you, things very rarely go exactly as scheduled. So view this schedule as a rough guide; I’ll always announce any changes plenty of time in advance.

Week 1:
Thursday, Jan. 9: Introductions. Discuss basic terminology and some warm up poems. Assignment: start working on your first poem and read Always Danger by David Hernandez.

Friday, Jan. 10:  Late Registration and Change-of-Course end.

Week 2:

Tuesday, Jan. 14: Finish discussing the Warm-Up Poems. Time permitting, discuss some of the schools of poetry. Copies of Poem #1 due in class; bring enough for everyone. On your own, read through students’ poems and write some constructive suggestions on the poems.

Thursday, Jan. 16: Begin workshopping Poem #1.

Week 3:

Tuesday, Jan. 21: Continue workshopping Poem #1.

Thursday, Jan. 23: Finish Poem #1. Distribute copies of Poem #2. Also, on your own, prepare your written response to Always Danger.

Week 4:

Tuesday, Jan. 28: Journal #1 (over Always Danger) due in class. Discuss the book. Begin workshopping Poem #2. 

Thursday, Jan. 30:  Continue workshopping Poem #2.  On your own, start working on Poem #3. This time, I want you to write an “imitation poem” in which you try to imitate the style or subject matter of one of the assigned poets or poems we’ve discussed so far.
 

Week 5:

Tuesday, Feb. 4:  Finish workshopping Poem #2. Distribute copies of Poem #3 (the imitation poem). 

Thursday, Feb. 6: Begin workshopping Poem #3.  Discuss Imitation of Life. Journal #2 (over Joseph) due.

Saturday, Feb. 8: Instead of meeting in the classroom, on your own, please watch this reading by Stephen Dobyns. 

Week 6:

Tuesday, Feb. 11: On your own, start reading Folly by Norman Minnick.Continue workshopping Poem #3.

Thursday, Feb. 13: Finish workshopping Poem #3, if necessary.  Discuss Folly by Norman Minnick. Journal #3 (over Minnick) due in class. Also include THREE QUESTIONS FOR THE POET!!!

Week 7:
Tuesday, Feb. 18: In class, perform an imitation of Albert Goldbarth’s poem, “Library” (available at http://poems.com/special_features/library.htm) . Feel free to tinker with that and submit it as your fourth poem. Otherwise, you can turn in something different. Time permitting, we'll also discuss "Marginalia" by Billy Collins (http://www.billy-collins.com/2005/06/marginalia.html).

Thursday, Feb. 20: Distribute copies of Poem #4. This time, we'll try small group workshops so just bring a copy for me and about 5 copies for your group members.

Week 8:

Tuesday, Feb. 25: In-class scansion lecture (or review, if we decide to cover this earlier). Discuss the midterm assignment. For this, I want you take TWO of the poems you have already turned in for the semester (preferably the original drafts, not revisions) and scan them, like what I did in the scansion activity. Then, write a journal (two pages minimum) analyzing YOUR style, strengths and weaknesses, any patterns you notice in terms of your word/syllable usage, your aesthetic, etc.

Thursday, Feb. 27: No class!  I’ll be out of town for a reading/presentation at the AWP Conference. On your own, start work on Poem #5 (another imitation OR your choice of the Poetry Prompts). Please put the name of the poem you're imitating on the copy, as well.  On your own, start reading No Object by Natalie Shapero and prepare your written response.

Week 9:

Tuesday, March 4: Watch “Howl” in class.

Thursday, March 6: Finish watching "Howl" in class.  Discuss.  Midterm exam due in class (this should consist of the journal AND the actual scanned poems).

Spring Break: No class Monday, March 10, through Friday, March 14

Week 10:

Tuesday, March 18: Discuss No Object. Journal #4 (over Shapero) due in class. Course withdrawal period ends.

Wednesday, March 19: Natalie Shapero will be visiting my MWF class at 2 PM, if you're interested in attending (RB 361).

Thursday, March 20: Distribute copies of Poem #5 (either an imitation or your choice). We'll do another round of small group workshops to get us caught up so you only have to bring about 6 copies.

Friday, March 21: Norman Minnick will be visiting/reading in RB 361 at 2 if you're interested in attending.

Week 11:

Tuesday, March 25: Distribute copies of Poem #6 (another imitation OR your choice of the Poetry Prompts). Read and discuss some examples of Prose-Poems (available on the blog). On your own, make sure you’ve read Strike Sparks by Sharon Olds and prepared your journal response.  Time permitting, start workshop.

Thursday, March 27: Discuss Strike Sparks by Sharon Olds. Journal #5 (over Olds) due in class. Continue workshopping Poem #6. On your own, work on Poem #7 (a Prose-Poem).

Week 12:

Tuesday, April 1: Continue workshopping Poem #6. 

Thursday, April 3: Finish workshopping Poem #6, if necessary.  Distribute copies of Poem #7.  To make time for conferences, we'll do this one in SMALL GROUPS so you only need 6 or 7 copies. Also, if you haven't already decided what you're going to cover in your class presentation, DO SO NOW!  As I said, presentations can be over pretty much any contemporary, published poet (focusing specifically on one to three poems) but I don't want multiple presentations over the same thing so we will also SIGN UP FOR PRESENTATIONS.

Week 13:

Tuesday, April 8: Small group workshop of Poem #7.  Sign up for conferences.  Conferences will be in my office (RB 246).  Please bring two of your poems.  They can be either new poems or revisions but they must be things you've written this semester.  On your own, work on Poem #8 (something of your choice).  You also have the option of showing me Poem #8 in conference so if there's a topic or style you'd like to try but not share with the class, now's the time!

Thursday, April 10: CONFERENCES INSTEAD OF CLASS.  

Week 14:
Tuesday, April 15: CONFERENCES INSTEAD OF CLASS.  

Thursday, April 17: Turn in Poem #8.  This poem is required for the class but optional in terms of workshop; if you don't want to workshop it, just give me a copy. Workshop for Poem #8 for anybody who's interested.

Week 15:

Tuesday, April 22: Class presentations.

Thursday, April 24: Class presentations.

Final Exam: Your portfolio is due IN MY OFFICE on Tuesday, April 29, at 9:45 AM.

Your portfolio should contain all 8 poems, revised.  At least three of those should be MAJOR revisions (labeled as such)!  I also need the originals (labeled as "original," or just include a marked up copy).  For minor revisions, obviously, label them "minor revision."  Put all this in a folder, a binder, a paper bag, or an unlocked treasure chest.  Whatever.  If you have any questions over what I consider a "major" revision, let me know!



CONFERENCES

Thursday, April 10:
10:45 - 11:00 Walter E.
11:00 - 11:15 Anna Bowman
11:15 - 11:30 Jessica Dunson
11:30 - 11:45 Alex Smith
11:45 - noon
12:15 - 12:30 Katie Morario
12:30 - 12:45
12:45 - 1:00


Friday, April 11:
11:00 - 11:15 Andrew Kelly
11:15 - 11:30   Devon McCoy
11:30 - 11:45  Chelsea Kleeberg
11:45 - noon
12:00 - 12:15 Mason Long
12:15 - 12:30


Monday, April 14:
11:00 - 11:15
11:15 - 11:30
11:30 - 11:45
11:45 - noon
12:00 - 12:15 Jamie Blake
12:15 - 12:30



Tuesday, April 15:
11:00 - 11:15 Kaiti Crittenden
11:15 - 11:30 Aly Bartholomew
11:30 - 11:45 Marc Bartel
11:45 - noon Nicole Thomas
12:15 - 12:30 Bri Pierce
12:30 - 12:45
12:45 - 1:00


Wednesday, April 16:
11:00 - 11:15
11:15 - 11:30
11:30 - 11:45
11:45 - noon
noon - 12:15  Samuel Itkin


CLASS PRESENTATIONS 

*Remember, these are short (about 5-7 minutes) so we'll try and do about 9 per class.  Sign up AND give the name of the poet on which you'll be presenting.

Tuesday, April 22: 
1) Kirstin Jorgenson - Walter Enzmann
2) Katie Morario - Thomas Sayers Ellis
3) Anna Bowman - Philip Levine
4) Aly Bartholomew - Billy Collins
5)Kaiti Crittenden - Lauren Zuniga
6)
7)Brooke Wyant- Wallace Stevens
8) Marc Bartel- Pat Mora
9)Jamie Blake - Natasha Trethewey


Thursday, April 24: 
1) Sam Itkin -- Alec Hershman
2) Jessica Dunson-- Ntosake Shange
3) Robert Creeley--Mason Long
4) Alex Smith - Khary Jackson
5) Chelsea Kleeberg -- Ada Limon
6) Devon McCoy--Poe
7) Nicole Thomas - Kathleen Rooney
8) Andrew Kelly- Ray Carver
9)

Crash Course on Publishing

When I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa, and before I began coursework on my Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Southern Illinois University, I already had a huge interest in writing and publishing—but I had no idea how the publishing business worked, especially in terms of sending my poems to magazines for publication. The result was that I made many embarrassing mistakes, which probably burned some bridges with more than a few well-meaning but understandably irritated editors. Hopefully, this packet of information—in conjunction, of course, with dedication to the craft itself—will help you avoid some of my mistakes, and put you on the fast-track (or, at least, a slightly faster track) to getting your work published.

CHOOSING WHICH JOURNALS TO SUBMIT TO
 

There are a few things to understand when it comes to journals. First, there are lots of them. Hundreds, in fact, and more are springing up all the time. Some are associated with universities; some are independent. Some are strictly printed journals, while others are “ezines”, or electronic magazines, and are published entirely on the internet. Some journals are more well-regarded than others, while some that are not quite so academically popular might actually contain work that is more to your liking. Choosing a journal that you like—and thus, should submit to—is a very subjective process.

It’s very easy to get impatient and want to just blindly send your work out ASAP—after all, you spent so much time writing and polishing it—but the basic rule of thumb with journals is that before you ever submit your work, take some time to actually read the journal and see what sort of stuff the editors are interested in. Is it narrative, lyrical, experimental, etc? Do they seem to publish work that is aesthetically similar to your own, or stuff that is very different? Remember: if you don’t particularly care for the work in a specific journal, odds are those particular editors won’t care for your work, either. This isn’t personal; we just all happen to be in a very subjective business, so it behooves you to find your niche before you start exposing your work to the world.

Bookstores tend to carry only a few literary journals (that is, journals that publish literary poetry and/or fiction and creative nonfiction), but your local library may have more. Also, most journals have websites with their specific submission guidelines; some even have sample poems for your review. Don’t be in a hurry; take some time to read through these journals, and even make a list of the ones you enjoy. If they seem to publish stories or poems similar to your own, you should submit there. Another thing I highly recommend is to find books by actual writers whose work you like and look over their acknowledgements page; where are they publishing? If journals liked the works of writers you like, they might like yours, too.

HOW DO I ACTUALLY SUBMIT MY STUFF?

Once you’ve located your target journals, it’s time to begin submitting your work. However, it’s not just as simple as folding your poems or stories into an envelope and mailing them to the editors. Most journals have very specific guidelines about how much you can submit at a time, what dates of the year you may submit, and sometimes even the length of the poems or stories they accept and who, specifically, they should be addressed to. As a general rule, though, no magazine wants to receive more than one prose work or a certain number of poems at a time; also, don’t send another batch of poems or another story until the editors have responded to the first batch.

Journals are also usually very specific about whether or not they accept simultaneous submissions. A simultaneous submission is when you send the same poem or story for consideration to more than one journal at the same time. Nowadays, in recognition of how competitive the publishing field is, and how long it can take even the most dedicated editors to sift through stacks and stacks of submissions and reply to your specific work, many journals now accept simultaneous submissions. However, some don’t. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to send your work to many journals simultaneously (which may make publication a lot faster), or send them only to one journal at a time, and wait for their reply before sending them out again.

Once you’ve figured out how many poems or how long a story a given journal will accept, as well as whether or not they accept simultaneous submissions, you now have to write your cover letter, format your poems or story, and send them off. It should be noted that some journals (especially “ezines”, and a growing number of quality print journals like Hayden’s Ferry, Mid-American Review, Ploughshares, etc.) will allow you to send your submission via the internet. Others want it typed, printed, and sent via regular mail. In the case of the latter, you should always enclose a SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope) with your submission. In most cases, if you send your work to a printed journal without a SASE, your submission will be discarded unread, since the editors will have no way to inform you of their decision, as they simply receive too many submissions to pay for replies themselves.

I have enclosed a sample of the format I use for cover letters, but in general, you want to keep this short and sweet. The general rule of cover letters: do no harm. Be brief and formal; avoid flowery descriptions or explanations of your own work, since it’s better to let the work speak for itself. Also, if possible, take the time to find out who the editor of the journal actually is, and address your submission accordingly (instead of the generic “Dear Poetry Editor” or “Dear Fiction Editor”). This is a good way to show respect for the editor(s) and journal you’re asking to publish your work.

Like your cover letter, unless the journal’s guidelines say otherwise, your submission should be in a standard, readable font with normal margins and your name, postal address, phone number, and email address in the upper right corner of each page. If you’re sending poetry, only send one poem per page, single-sided. This applies to electronic submissions, too. One of the quickest ways to get your manuscript rejected is to annoy editors by crowding two or three poems onto one page.

Also, let’s say you’re sending a poem that is more than one page long. At the bottom of each page that continues over, tab over a few spaces and write whether or not there is a stanza break (see example at the end of this packet). Remember to have your identifying information on every subsequent page of the poem, and also type at the top of the page the poem’s title and what page this is of the poem (for example, “The Greatest Poem Ever Written”, page 2 of 3). This is a good idea in case the pages of your submission get accidentally shuffled out of order.

KEEPING RECORDS 

You will quickly discover that once you build up a large body of poems or stories that you’re sending out, it gets very difficult to remember what you sent where, and when. You do not want to send the same piece to the same journal twice, unless the editor specifically invites you to do so. If you revise a piece, still do not send it back to a journal that rejected it unless it’s requested (another of those “don’t annoy the editor!” rules). Many journals keep records of who submitted what, and if they see the same piece cross their desks a second time, they might conclude that it was an error on your part and not read the revision anyway (remember, some editors receive literally thousands of submissions every year).

To help you avoid mistakes, it’s a good idea to maintain careful records with a spreadsheet that lists the names of your poems or stories, and where (and, if you like, when) you submitted them. Also, this is a good thing to do in case the allotted time goes by (most journals’ websites list how long it normally takes them to reply to submissions) and you still haven’t received an acceptance or rejection. In these cases, write a brief, formal letter (or email) to the journal in question, politely asking about the status of your work.

OK, THEY ACCEPTED MY WORK… NOW WHAT?

You come home, go through a stack of returned SASEs or emails, and find—instead of that disappointingly small rejection slip—an actual acceptance from an editor. Congrats! This is a great feeling. But there’s a little bit of work that goes with it, too. 

First, if you submitted your work simultaneously, and one journal accepts it, you must immediately write (or email) all the other journals to which you submitted that poem or story and politely withdraw it from consideration. (This is yet another reason why it’s important to keep careful records.)

Important: Nowadays, more and more journals are taking electronic submissions (especially through submittable.com) so check the journal’s guidelines and see what they want you to do; they might want you to email them and withdraw one poem, or they might want you to withdraw your entire submission online, then resubmit the poems that are still available. (If you’re submitting fiction, odds are you’re only submitting one piece, so it’s a little bit easier.)

Some journals will want you to submit an electronic copy of your work (i.e. email it to them). Another thing that serious, publishing writers have to understand is Rights. Most journals—especially print journals—will only accept work that is previously unpublished. In other words, they want “First Rights” to publish the work.

When you look through the guidelines of printed journals, you will notice that virtually all of them will not accept previously published work. Many “ezines” won’t, either. However, some “ezines” will. This is called “Reprint Rights”. As a general rule, if your work has been previously published, say so in your cover letter—although you don’t need to state that if your work is unpublished (editors will assume that).

PRINT JOURNALS VERSUS “EZINES”

You should never send an unpublished poem (i.e. offer “First Rights”) to a journal unless you would be happy having your work appear there. As we already discussed, some journals are more highly regarded than others. “Ezines” in particular, which are a relatively new phenomenon, aren’t always well respected by the literary community. However, this trend is rapidly changing. Given the ever-rising popularity of the internet, “ezines” can still be a good publishing outlet because they can give your work a great deal of exposure. Also, some are willing to accept previously published material anyway, whereas the majority of print journals are not. Personally, I like to publish my work in both printed journals and “ezines” whenever possible, but it is tough sometimes to decide where I should submit my work first. To simplify this: remember this golden rule: don’t waste time sending out something that isn’t ready to be published, and only submit your work to a magazine you like.

REJECTION SLIPS—DON’T GIVE UP!!

Even Pulitzer Prize-winning authors can still receive rejection slips and form letter emails. Nobody likes them, but everybody gets them. That’s just the way it is. Remember that this is a very subjective, incredibly competitive business. Just because the editors of one journal didn’t care for this or that particular piece doesn’t mean that it won’t be greeted with enthusiasm by the next journal, or the journal after that. For example, I’ve placed poems in journals and won contests with poems that were previously rejected by other journals. Receiving a rejection slip does not necessarily mean that the editors didn’t enjoy your work. Sometimes, they’re just backlogged, or what you submitted might be too similar to something they’ve already published. Remind yourself that this isn’t personal. Like anything worthwhile, publishing is difficult. It requires persistence. More than anything else, you have to believe in your own work!

POETRY CONTEST SCAMS—BEWARE!

Due to the relatively small market for poetry—even smaller than that of literary fiction—there are, unfortunately, some nefarious agencies out there who are very willing to take advantage of poets who are new to the publishing world by trying to flatter them out of their money. The most notorious is Poetry.com (aka Poets.com, The International Library of Poetry, the National Library of Poetry, The International Society of Poets, the International Poetry Hall of Fame, etc., also affiliated with www.picture.com which tries to do the same thing to amateur photographers).

These agencies accept virtually everything they receive, so long as it doesn’t contain profanity or derogatory remarks about the agency itself. Usually, they don’t even read the submissions they receive; they are simply scanned for profanity and derogatory remarks, then sent on for “publication” in overpriced, cheaply-made anthologies that are cranked out by the dozen. The typical method of operation of these organizations is to offer lots of flattery and automatically assure contributors that they are “finalists” or “semi-finalists”, regardless of the quality of their submitted work. In fact, people have gotten published in their anthologies who literally submitted brownie recipes!

If you’ve been taken in by such a contest, don’t be hard on yourself. When I was new to the publishing world, I was taken in, too. So are many others. We all want people to accept the writing we’ve worked so hard on, to accept us, and these groups are very convincing with their flattery—which is how they’ve managed to stay in business. As a general rule, remind yourself that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Also, if a contest alleges that it throws out monetary prizes left and right, be very wary. Whenever you hear about a new contest, do an internet search on its name, along with key words like “scam”, and see what you find.

SELF-PUBLISHING

I tend to get on a soapbox when it comes to the potential evils of self-publishing so in the interest of keeping my blood sugar from sky-rocketing, I’d encourage you to check out my screed at: http://troublewithhammers.blogspot.com/2012/02/writing-on-wall-perils-of-self.html.

REPRINTING THINGS IN BOOKS

OK, let’s say that down the road, you’ve built up a body of poems or stories and you want to try and publish them as a chapbook and/or a full-length book. There are some important things you have to know. This gets back to “First Rights” but as a general rule, poems or stories published in journals can be republished in chapbooks, and whatever’s in chapbooks can be republished in full-length books, but only in that order! For instance, you can’t publish (or self-publish) a book or chapbook, then later, send those poems or stories out to journals (unless the journals are willing to consider previously published material, and most aren’t). You can also publish things in a book that weren’t published individually in journals; in fact, most poetry books and short story collections contain at least 50% previously unpublished material.

WAIT… WHAT THE HELL IS A CHAPBOOK?

Chapbooks are basically shorter versions of books. They’re usually around 20 to 30 pages, are cheaper to produce, and therefore don’t cost as much as traditional books (meaning they can be sold for less, usually as a means of promotion). Many writers (especially poets) will try to put together a chapbook as a way of getting their work out there. A word of caution, though…

FIRST BOOK CONTESTS

Especially for poets, since we’re talking about a pretty small audience and very little money to be made, many opt for going the contest route so they can get a little extra exposure. It’s crucial to consider the contest guidelines, though. Let’s say you want to enter a First Book contest, but you’ve already published a chapbook. You check the guidelines and see that writers who have published chapbooks but not full books are eligible. OK, no problem. But let’s say you’re trying to enter a contest that won’t consider entries from authors who have already published a book or a chapbook… and you just self-published your own chapbook or put it online. Well, that means you’re not eligible… and it’s another reason to avoid the very real, very understandable temptation to let your impatience get the best of you. That the powerful play goes on, wrote Walt Whitman, and you might contribute a verse. Sure, you’re in a hurry, but spend as much time as you can on the actual crafting of your writing, and spend at least a decent amount of time weighing your different options for publication.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Publishing your writing in well-respected venues is difficult, but there’s a wealth of legitimate, online resources to help you along the way as a publishing writer.Three  of the very best, most informational resources are Poets and Writers (www.pw.org), New Pages (http://newpages.com) and AWP (the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, www.awpwriter.org). I highly recommend checking these out—not just for information on journals and legitimate contests, but also for other tips and resources that can help you on your way.

In terms of finding guidelines and info on journals, another great resource is www.duotrope.com, which allows you to search for journals that specifically want poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, simultaneous submissions, etc. However, there's a subscription fee.

An excellent list of print journals that accept online submissions (plus a few decent ezines) can be found at: http://dianelockward.blogspot.com/2009/02/journals-that-accept-e-mail-online.html

Good luck!

SAMPLE COVER LETTER

Your Name, Address, and Email

Journal's Name and Address

Date

Dear [Name or "Editors"],
 

Please consider the enclosed, simultaneously submitted poems for Best Journal Ever: “Once Again, I Fail to Learn Quantum Physics”, “Dear Leviticus”, “The Secret Lives of Rocket Scientists”, “The Best Advice”, “Surgeon General’s Warning”, and “On the Bright Side.”

I have enclosed a SASE for your reply but I do not need my manuscript returned [obviously, you wouldn’t use the previous sentence in an electronic submission]. Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Michael Meyerhofer

AUTHOR’S BIO [This can also be given in First Person as a 2^nd paragraph in your cover letter, or left out entirely]

Michael Meyerhofer’s third book, Damnatio Memoriae, won the Brick Road Poetry Book Contest. His previous books are Blue Collar Eulogies (Steel Toe Books) and Leaving Iowa (winner of the Liam Rector First Book Award). He has also won the James Wright Poetry Award, the Laureate Prize, the Annie Finch Prize for Poetry, the Marjorie J. Wilson Best Poem Contest, and five chapbook prizes. His work has appeared in Ploughshares, North American Review, Arts & Letters, River Styx, Cream City Review, and other journals, and can be read online at www.troublewithhammers.com. He is the Poetry Editor of Atticus Review.

SAMPLE EMAIL WITHDRAWING YOUR WORK

Dear [Name or "Editors"],

Please withdraw my poem, “Dear Leviticus,” from consideration at this time, as it was just accepted elsewhere. I appreciate your time and attention and apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Michael Meyerhofer

BELOW IS A SAMPLE FORMAT FOR A ONE-PAGE POEM

Michael Meyerhofer

My Contact Info

ODE TO DOGS

I am tired of hearing about dogs
used as metaphors for the uncivilized.
Imagine a world in which humans

possessed at least twenty times
as many olfactory receptors,
able to distinguish the tang of cancer

rising musk-like from the bedsheets
next to a smoldering ash tray,
able to detect that one drop of blood

in every five quarts of water,
to know what you did last night
no matter how many times

you soap-scrubbed the evidence.
It does not take savagery
but more love than we can muster

to lick the hand you've sniffed,
to love despite the perfume of sins
we wear each day like a halo.

BELOW IS A SAMPLE FORMAT FOR A TWO-PAGE POEM

Michael Meyerhofer

My Contact Info

THE CLAY-SHAPER’S HUSBAND

Here I am, confronting this bowl

kept under guard and pressurized glass

in the archway of the St. Louis Art Museum,

and somehow it feels good

to note that it’s not all that impressive.

Clean, sure, and smooth, but plain.

Like this was just the demonstration piece

by the teacher of a pottery class

who has fired his kiln so many times

he could—and does—do it while drunk.

Then I see the note on the plaque

that says this was made by a woman,

which apparently they can tell

by the curves petrified within the swirl-print.

That, I decide, must explain the absence

of a hunt-carving. Say, a bison

turned sideways in an empty field

while some scrawny fool hefts a spear

that looks, coincidentally, about as thick

as his own and the bison’s legs.

But this one lacks adornment,

which is a nice way of saying it’s boring

to someone raised on video games,

who nods off in movie theaters

whenever spaceships stop exploding.

Now should be the story’s turn

where I visualize the ancient woman

who shaped this and try

to pull off some simple, heroic ending

that shows her bronze wrists

                               (stanza break)

[OK, since this is online, pretend you were just looking at a page and it ended right below (stanza break)]

Michael Meyerhofer

My Contact Info

(Clay-Shaper’s Husband, page 2 of 2)

deep in Nile mud, hair up, her infant crying

because that’s what infants do

—especially in 2000 B.C.

without canned applesauce and Pedialyte.

I am leaving the museum now.

Giving up, I think not of my clay-shaper

but the men next to her. How one, at least,

must have thought it a miracle

when her small hands rounded the earth

and left it that way. How could he know better?

Perhaps this was the same man

whose eyes drew lines between the stars

while the others laughed at him.

No one saw the hunter, the bull, the ladle

no matter how he pointed.

But she saw, I bet. That’s why

she gave him that bulb of pottery

the size of a baby cabbage.

Here, she said. Love what you can touch.

And he did, washing her small hands like jewels.

That's it. Naturally, all of this could be appended with "In My Opinion" or "In My Experience." Anyway, I hope that was helpful. Best of luck!