Poetry Manuscripts and Contests

Over the summer, I worked on a new poetry manuscript. It’s a collection of sonnets that document in very nature-focused surrealism the first twelve months after I left my ex-husband. It’s a book that examines the journey of healing, growth, self-reflection, and the realization that the marriage I thought I had was something I had created in my own mind to make surviving it easier.

I have been submitting individual poems from this manuscript for a few months now and have had no luck in getting them published. And while I recognize that publishing is a numbers game as well as a timing game, it has been discouraging to receive so many rejection letters on poems that I genuinely believe are some of the best poems I have ever written. But, I’ve been pushing myself to keep submitting, to keep looking for the right publication to submit them to because the right homes for these poems exist. I just have to find them.

This morning I received an email from a publisher that I submitted a few of my sonnets to. They’re hosting a writing contest and, while I just received the lines of feedback I asked for, I was also told that they are still considering these poems for publication as well as for the content itself. They gave me incredibly encouraging feedback on my poems and made me feel much more motivated to keep pursuing publication of these sonnets. Even if they still need some work, even if I have another several months of editing that I have to do, knowing that someone sees their value is incredibly motivating.

I needed that this morning. I really did. My goal is to have this collection of sonnets either published next year, or at least accepted for publication next year. Poetry is the thing that feed my soul. It gives me life. It makes me feel the most like myself. As much as I love my fiction projects (and holy hell, do I love these fiction projects), poetry is the thing that pulls breath into my body. It truly is the way I process my life and the experiences that I have had. And I want my poetry to continue to be released into the world. I want people to read these poems, to see the magic that poetry weaves on the page.

Today, I am committed to this process again. Even if it continues to be discouraging, I will not allow myself to quit or walk away from these goals. I will get this and every other poetry manuscript that I work on traditionally published. I speak that truth and I receive it back to myself.