–originally published as “THE GENEROUS ACT OF PUBLISHING DRAFTS: Letting Poems Exist as Iterations” in Cleaver Magazine Most of the poems in my debut book, Certain Shelter, appeared first in journals—and in almost every case, the book version of a poem differs from the original. Often the edits are […]
It’s very hard to write about something you don’t fully understand. I did not know the term agoraphobia until years after my first episode at eleven years old. I found it inside of an old psychology textbook. Specifically, agoraphobia with panic disorder. Panic attacks often come with the […]
I often recall Mrs. Grumalski, my 7th grade home ec teacher, when I contemplate the necessity of writing and all art. Mrs. G was a holy roller of the rolling pin, a prophet of the gospel of homemade bread. Her devout fervor for home economics was leavened by a […]
If you’re getting ready to send out a poetry manuscript, this post gives you a solid place to start. I walk through how to research presses, what to pay attention to beyond the guidelines, and the kinds of questions that help you understand whether a publisher is truly […]
In March 2025, I read the poem “To Sew a Freedom Suit” by Danielle Legros Georges in The New Yorker. Georges had passed away the previous month. At the time, I’d been in the US for 3 years after relocating from Malta (Europe). I’d viewed the US as […]
In 2025, I returned to submissions after several years away, during which I published a book and had a daughter. I’d drop my daughter off at daycare, go to a cafe about a block away, and amp myself up with caffeine while I tried to bang out five […]
I recently joined Onyemechi “Mechi” Aisosa Nwakonam on the Buildwriting Podcast for a conversation focused on how poets can get their work published in literary magazines. We covered practical strategies for finding the right journals, preparing submissions, understanding editorial expectations, and building a sustainable writing practice that supports […]
O my people—they loved words. Misunderstood bible verses, nursery rhymes, and misquoted lines of Shakespeare. There’s nothing like the early seventeenth century rhythms of King James’ English. It’s why so many folks hold on the KJV, when better translations abound: why should we work to understand something in […]
Poets planning their 2026 submission year are going to love this guest feature from Poetry Bulletin. Emily Stoddard has assembled one of the most comprehensive, thoughtfully organized roundups of poetry book publishing opportunities available anywhere: more than 175 deadlines, spanning contests, open reading periods, first-book prizes, regional presses, […]
Landscape with Womb and Paradox, Erica Goss’s second full-length poetry collection, was published by Broadstone Press in January 2026. My debut, full-length collection of poems, Night Court, took three years and thirty submissions before it found a home at Glass Lyre Press, winning the 2016 Lyrebird prize, with […]
