Out Today — Poem: Walk with Me
I have to confess something. It’s been years since I’ve submitted a piece to a literary journal. Wyoming has a new journal, so I submitted a poem yesterday for their first issue that comes out this fall. Duck Head Journal accepted the poem a few hours later, making it one of the fastest responses I’ve ever received.
The poem is “Walk with Me” and will be out in print this fall/winter. But, you can read it now at the Duck Head Journal website! Scroll down a little bit and you’ll find it under their poetry section.
Because it had been so long since I submitted to a literary journal, I had the added anxiety of trying to remember how to submit a piece for consideration. The process is different than submitting a poetry or novel manuscript to a publisher or literary agent. I also felt that drop in my stomach when the response to my submission appeared in my email. My mind is always convinced my work will get rejected. I’m working on getting rid of that negative narrative.
The journal posted an announcement and the opening lines of my poem on their Instagram account this morning.
I remembered another occasion where I received a quick response to a submission. Although, that one didn’t go as well. The journal had unusual submission guidelines. It took me hours to adhere to all their requirements before submitting my piece. They took less time to reject me than it took me to meet their submission guidelines.
Rejections like that used to gut me. It’d take me a week before I felt like I could breathe normally again. It’s still not fun to get rejected, but I have a lot more wins built up now to know that one no isn’t the final word. Being an author means you can’t let rejection permanently derail you. You have to let your passion carry you through until you get enough yeses that you believe you can do it.
So, today I celebrate this yes. This acceptance of this piece is wonderful! And seeing how far I’ve come over the years is another victory I rarely take time to acknowledge. The longer I do this thing I love, the more I realize it’s about the journey. I need to celebrate these small things as they’re adding to the foundation of what I’m building: a career as an author.
Congratulations on such a fast acceptance! That is awesome!
Thank you! 💕
You’re very welcome!💖
Excellent poem. It has echoes for me of the book “The phone booth at the edge of the world” by Laura Messina. An old abandoned phone booth overlooking the 2011 Tsunami disaster in Japan serves as a place for people to pilgrimage and talk to their missing relatives. The book is written almost like a prose poem.
Thank you, Gary. I looked up that book and read the description. It sounds interesting.