Rejection: Michener

First official rejection via the website:

Your application has been given careful consideration by the committee on Graduate Studies. On the basis of their recommendation, your application has been denied. If you have questions, please write directly to the Committee in your major department.

Last night it was still under review, this morning, rejected.

Carrying on...

Submission: Rougarou

I just submitted 4 pieces here. They rejected my stuff last year but I'm sending new stuff that I like better this time so I hope that makes a difference. I read the poetry submissions that made it last year and....whoa! Imagery and lyricism is key here. Beautiful stuff.

I think I'm ready to do some more revising now. When I read and see that someone got the perfect combination of imagery and lyricism in a piece, it just makes me want to go back and make my poems flow better. Submitting makes me really look at what I'm sending out. I get so self-conscious that I let go of the idea that my pieces are "done". I think that's good. So this is my last submission for awhile.

We shall see!

Submission: Diverse Voices Quarterly

This is a new online journal that comes out this Spring/Summer. We shall see...

Submission: Assisi

Looks like St. Francis College in Brooklyn is putting out this new journal. Their first issue will come out in Spring 2009. I have no idea what they are looking for (as if I ever do anyway) but I submitted.

We shall see!

Submission: Cave Canem Retreat

I submitted here last year and was not selected. It's a week long retreat geared toward black poets. I sent some new stuff this time. I hadn't written my sonnet crown yet so I sent that this time. I looked at what I sent last year and it's a little embarrassing. Eh, we shall see.... It's a long shot, like everything else. I'd love to go though.

REJECTION: Rattle

This was a quick rejection! I submitted on Jan. 14. But like this post said, I wasn't expecting to be accepted lol. Here's my rejection letter:

Thank you for letting us consider some of your work, but unfortunately we’ve decided not to publish any of these pieces. I want to assure you that your work has been taken under careful consideration—at least two editors read each submission, and I’m always one of them.



With so many poems coming in—thousands each month—the decisions are hard, and often subjective. There’s only room for about 100 poems in each issue, meaning we’re only able to accept less than 1% of the material we receive. However, we enjoy reading poems as much as you enjoy writing them, and we don’t solicit work, so your submissions truly are our lifeblood; we hope you’ll keep sending new work as it’s ready.



Best Wishes,

So...thanks for letting us read some, we don't want any. Something about the way that was worded makes me laugh. And it isn't comforting that multiple editors passed on it! lol Actually, I prefer wordy rejections like this over the one liners I've gotten in the past. I think I'll submit here in the future. That's an experience I haven't had yet and hope to have...sending work to a place that previously rejected me and getting accepted. Then I'll feel like I've grown or something or they changed all the editors lol. Either way...Rattle will hear from me again probably at the end of this year.

And subjective is one of my least favorite words now. This confirms it lol.

Carrying on....

Acceptance: Southern Illinois- Carbondale

So I got an email this morning from SIUC...I'm in for Poetry! This one was kind of personal for me because I published my first poem after attending a publishing workshop by two of their faculty. So they've already done a lot for me as far as I'm concerned. Funny that Crab Orchard Review didn't take the poems in my portfolio though LOL

I recognize that I have been very fortunate to receive these notifications early and to have them be good news. I can't wait until schools really start notifying because there are a lot of people in limbo! There's still anxiety that comes along with knowing something though. Now I'm researching the schools again and re-thinking my personal ranking of the programs.

UGH...UNCG sent a poet a letter!

I did not apply to UNCG, but I've got a notification buddy who did and so I'm doing my obligatory somebody else got notified post in her honor.

Obviously this poet who was notified already is awesome. My buddy has got some good schools on her list and it's way early in the notification season. She's alright. What will be, will be, regardless.

:)

Acceptance: I'm in at Indiana!

So the universe responded to my whining about Indiana and I got a call today. I'm in for the joint mfa/ma in African American and African Diaspora Studies. Very excited and shocked.