Davoser Café by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1928 / Public Domain
“But as Brillat-Savarin has correctly observed, coffee sets the blood in motion and stimulates the muscles; it accelerates the digestive processes, chases away sleep, and gives us the capacity to engage a little longer in the exercise of our intellects. It is on this last point, in particular, that I want to add my personal experience to Brillat-Savarin’s observations.” Honoré de Balzac, The Pleasures and Pain of Coffee [This links to the complete essay translated from the French.]
Opportunity Knocks replaces Sunday Announcements. I post it when there are enough leads. Many leads are only announced on The Poet by Day Facebook Page.
Links to articles, events and news of interest to poets and writers are regularly published on The Poet by Day FaceBook Page.
MARK YOU CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER 28, 2019 is 100,000 POETS FOR CHANGE, GLOBAL, 2019 and THE BeZINE 100,000 POETS FOR CHANGE VIRTUAL EVENT, hosted by Michael Dickel. Look for updates on this site, The BeZine, and at 100tpc.org
“THE BeZINE” CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS thebezine.com is open for the upcoming June edition to be published on June 15, deadline June 10. This is an entirely volunteer effort, a mission. We are unable to pay contributors but neither do we charge for submissions or subscriptions. The theme is sustainability. We publish poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, feature articles, art and photography, and music videos and will consider anything that lends itself to online posting. There are no demographic restrictions. We do not publish work that promotes hatred or advocates for violence. All such will be immediately rejected. We’d like to see work that doesn’t just point to problems but that suggests solutions. We are also interested in initiatives happening in your community – no matter where in the world – that might be easily picked up by other communities. Please forward your submissions to bardogroup@gmail.com No odd formatting. Submit work in the body of your email along with a BRIEF bio. Work submitted via Facebook or message will not be considered for publication. We encourage you to submit work in your first language, but it must be accompanied by translation into English. / Jamie Dedes
THE BANGALOR REVIEW is a monthly digital magazine promoting literature, arts, culture, criticism, and philosophy through the publication of literary fiction, creative non-fiction, reviews, criticism, poetry and art. “If you happen to be in love with life and think that your words can generate a vision, send us a shout – we’ll probably like your work.” Submission fee. Honorarium to one contributor each quarter. Details HERE.
THE FABULIST publishes fables, yearns, tales and fantastical very and art in both digital and print editions. Submissions close on Tuesday, June 10. Details HERE.
eFICTION INDIA publishes fiction, flash fiction, poetry, art, interviews and book reviews. It provides a few unique services: ad listings for writers, free ad listings for contributing writer, assistance with film distribution in accepted after review. No submissions fees except for the premium level (i.e., accelerated response) under Independent Film. Details HERE.
HIRAM POETRY REVIEW, Distinctive, witty, and heroic poetry since 1966 reads submission year-round. No submission fee. U.S. poets submit by snail-mail. International poets may submit by email. Details HERE.
NEW OHIO REVIEW will open for submission of poems, short stories and essays on September 15. Submission fee and discounted one-year subscription. Mark your calendar. Details HERE.
THE PASSED NOTE REVIEW is a digital publication offering fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and visual arts for young adults ages twelve through nineteen. This press also publishes shrt fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry for its blog. Details HERE.
POETS READING THE NEWS publishes unsolicited and original poetry and prose about current events from around the world and “encourages writers of all backgrounds to submit their writing, in particular writers of color, women writers, emergent writers, LGBTQI+ writers, and writers from regions near and far.” Submission fee. No payment. Details HERE.
POETS READING THE NEWS STONEWALL RIOTS POETRY CHALLENGE ends in a scant three days as of this posting. It’s an ekphrastic challenge. No fee. No payment. Details HERE.
SNAIL MAIL NATURE TRAIL, Youth Art and Poetry, Nature Journal from Tiny Seed Literary Press focuses on post card submissions from children and youth. Cute! If you have young children, please do check it out HERE.
TINY SEED LITERARY JOURNAL focuses on nature and publishes short fiction, poetry, art, and photography by established and emerging writers & artists. Submissions for the fall issue (September publication) open July 15. Submission fee. 10% goes to Nature Conservancy. No payment. Details HERE.
COMPETITIONS
University of Sydney, School of Literature, Art and Media:
THE HELEN ANNE BELL POETRY BEQUEST AWARD 2019 offers cash award and publication with Vagabond Press for a winning collection by an Australian Women over 18 years. No entry fee. Closes August 2, 2019. Details HERE.
THE DAVID HAROLD TRIBE FICTION PRIZE 2019 offers a generous cash award to a writer living in Australia. Publication. No entry fee. Closes on August 2, 2019. Details HERE.
TIFERET JOURNAL, Fostering Peace Through Literature & Art has extended the closing date on this year’s contest to June 14. $1,500 will be awarded in prizes: $500 for the best poetry submission; $500 for the best short story (fiction); and, $500 for the best essay or interview (non-fiction. Entry fee. Details HERE.
Recent in digital publications:
* Four poems , I Am Not a Silent Poet * Remembering Mom, HerStry
* Three poems, Levure littéraire Upcoming in digital publications:
“Over His Morning Coffee,” Front Porch Review
A homebound writer, poet, and former columnist and associate editor of a regional employment newspaper, my work has been featured widely in print and digital publications including: Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature, Connotation Press,The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, I Am Not a Silent Poet, The Compass Rose and California Woman. I run The Poet by Day, an info hub for poets and writers and am the founding/managing editor of The BeZine.
“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton
Thank you for sharing your love of words. Comments will appear after moderation.
All is abolished but the mute Alone.
The mind from thought released, the heart from grief,
Grow inexistent now beyond belief;
There is no I, no Nature, known-unknown.
The city, a shadow picture without tone,
Floats, quivers unreal; forms without relief
Flow, a cinema’s vacant shapes; like a reef
Foundering in shoreless gulfs the world is done.
Only the illimitable Permanent
Is here. A Peace stupendous, featureless, still.
Replaces all, – what once was I, in It
A silent unnamed emptiness content
Either to fade in the Unknowable
Or thrill with the luminous seas of the Infinite
– Sri Aurobindo
Heads-up: All but one of these have a June deadline.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
DIGGING PRESS, LLC is open for submission of fiction, poetry, or hybrid manuscripts between 16-36 pages. Submission fee. Cash award. Small print run. Deadline: June 15, Details HERE.
COMPETITIONS
THE BLACK RIVER CHAPBOOK FALL COMPETITION (fiction and poetry) is open for entries from September 1 – October 31. Entry fee. Details HERE.
EX OPHIDIA PRESSPoetry Book Prize opens for submissions July 1, 2019 – August 31, 2019. Entry fee. Cash award and author copies. Details HERE. (Thanks to Michael Dickel for sharing this one with us.)
HUDSON VALLEY WRITERS CENTER Annual Slapering Hol Press Chapbook Competition is open through June 15. Reading fee. Cash award and publication. 10 author’s copies. Details HERE.
JUXTAPROSE LITERARY MAGAZINE Poetry Chapbook Prize is open through June 25. Entry fee. Cash award, publication, and author copies. Details HERE.
PUB HOUSE BOOKS 2019 CHAPBOOK SERIES CONTEST is open through June 30. Reading fee, publication, and author copies. Details HERE.
A homebound writer, poet, and former columnist and associate editor of a regional employment newspaper, my work has been featured widely in print and digital publications including: Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature, Connotation Press,The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, I Am Not a Silent Poet, The Compass Rose and California Woman. I run The Poet by Day, an info hub for poets and writers and am the founding/managing editor of The BeZine.
“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton
Thank you for sharing your love of words. Comments will appear after moderation.
“Writing women back into history: For too long women have been left out of the history books. Their stories muddled or left untold. It’s time to change that. HerStry invites all women, from every walk of life, to tell their stories. We all have something worth saying.” Julia Nusbaum
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“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone’s soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.” Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
A number of years ago, Julia Nusbaum founded a brave and safe space for women to share their stories. It’s called HerStry. I’ve been watching it evolve. Julia’s values and intentions are born of experience in social services and of a keen awareness of the healing power of words and stories. Thanks to her, the stories shared by women from all walks of life correct the historic record, let others know they’re not alone in their experiences and perceptions, and provide inspiration for joy and healing, for overcoming trauma and depression.
Christmas, late ’80s, San Francisco, California
About a week or so ago, I dusted off Remembering Mom, a 2012 piece I wrote at the request of an editor at Connotation Press. It was well received, but at the time I had mixed feelings about delivering it for publication. If my mother was alive, she wouldn’t be happy with me. At this point, I had no reservations about asking Julia to consider it for publication on her site. The emerging tone of public discussion on privacy issues, race and gender issues, and women’s rights over their own bodies demands that we are open about our experiences and observations, both as a reminder and as a warning. We’re being thrown back into the second wave of feminism. I am old enough to remember when we first began sharing our stories, blue-penciling history, and fighting anti-woman, anti-race animus with Gloria Steinem and Alice Walker at the helm.
Remembering Mom is on HerStry. You can read it there. The subtext of my mother’s story is a culture that saw women as third class citizens and perennial children, consigned them to poverty with pay rates 40% lower than men working the same jobs, provided no privacy protection for medical records, and sanctioned an employment norm that allowed people to be fired or not hired due to illnesses like cancer.
JAMIE:What are the influences that brought you to founding a safe space for women to tell their stories and why is it important for women to share them?
JULIA: I can’t talk about the beginning of HerStry without talking about my time as a graduate student at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. It shaped so much of what HerStry was and is.
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For the last year of my masters program I chose to spend a year working in a nonprofit rather than writing a thesis because my ultimate goal was to work in nonprofit rather than go on in academia.
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I ended up working for Thistle Farms, a Nashville-based social enterprise that works with women who have survived trafficking, addiction, and life in the street. As cliché as it is, that year changed my life.
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For one, Thistle Farms is an extraordinary place that operates under the assumption that love heals. Everything in that place is done with purpose and intention and love, including sharing stories and holding sacred space for every woman’s story and unique experience.
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While I was there I started a writing group. I was young and naive and thought we’d just do some fun short-story writing and be done, but it turned into a space where women wrote their true, raw, tender stories. And I wrote with them. I wrote about my life experiences. I discovered things about myself, and I realized that women don’t really get spaces to just talk about ourselves and share our experiences. I wanted to create some kind of brave space like that where we could open up. I started HerStry.
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I convinced a bunch of my friends to write for the first couple of weeks so I had content. Then I just started advertising. I created a Facebook page and Instagram and just built it through word of mouth. It was hard, but I wanted to do it so badly. So many women thanked me after they wrote for HerStry that I knew I was doing the right thing. I knew it could be something.
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That was long winded, but HerStry was created with so much love and born out of a place that wants to shake up the norms. I want women to talk about themselves, to take up space online and in the world, to own their stories and be proud of who they are and where they have come from and where they are going.
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JAMIE: I believe HerStry is about three years old now. Have there been any unexpected lessons along the way?
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JULIA: I’ve learned that I can’t please everyone. I’ll always do something someone doesn’t like. Whether it’s adding submission fees, not accepting a story (I’d love to accept every story we get but it would be so much), or being an unashamed feminist and voicing my views and opinions on things.
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JAMIE: In addition to hosting women’s storytelling, you have recently expanded your offerings to include workshops, journaling guidelines and other services. So what’s the plan? How can you help women who have a story to tell but don’t yet have the skills to tell it?
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JULIA: So from the beginning I wanted HerStry to exist on and off the screen. But it takes money and work to make that happen, so it’s just been in the last few months that we started offering workshops. They have been a great success. We have two more on tap for late summer and early fall. I’m also planning our first writers’ group, which will be a five week online critique group. If the first one goes well, we will offer it at different levels. I think everyone deserves a chance to tell their story and if we can help them get there that’s what I want.
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I’m also in the process of planning our first writers retreat, hopefully coming summer 2020. Stay tuned. It’s going to be in the Midwest and full of Midwest summer goodness plus lots of healing and self care time … and writing time, of course!
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JAMIE: What is forthcoming from you as a writer?
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JULIA: I’m actually working on a novel. Well, my second novel. The first will never see the light of day and that’s okay. Everyone needs one novel that was trash. That’s how you learn.
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I went out to the Northern California Writers Retreat this spring and worked on it with a bunch of amazing writers. If you ever have the chance to do that retreat I highly suggest it. It changed my writing life.
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JAMIE: The readers and writers connected to The Poet by Day and The BeZine are multitalented. Our writing community includes poets who also write fiction, creative nonfiction and drama. Some are performance artists, visual artists, actors and musicians. We even have a number of cartoonists. However, here our primary – not exclusive – focus is poetry. We can’t help but ask if HerStry will eventually expand to include women’s poetry?
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JULIA: We actually used to have a poetry section. If you look in our archives you can read the old ones. When we started getting a lot of submissions and started gaining popularity, we decided to only focus on personal essays.
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Our Facebook Group, Babes Who Write, as well as any of our critique groups are open to writers of all genres, but the literary website and our forthcoming anthology, Beginnings, are dedicated specifically to nonfiction prose.
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JAMIE: What is HerStry’s submissions process?
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JULIA: Click the Submit a story button on our website. It will give you all the details about how to submit. You can also find us on Submittable!
Julia Nusbaum is the creator of HerStry. She currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she works in nonprofit. When she’s not working she loves reading, sitting in sunny spots, and eating all the food and drinking all the tea.
A homebound writer, poet, and former columnist and associate editor of a regional employment newspaper, my work has been featured widely in print and digital publications including: Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature, Connotation Press,The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, I Am Not a Silent Poet, The Compass Rose and California Woman. I run The Poet by Day, an info hub for poets and writers and am the founding/managing editor of The BeZine.
“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton
Thank you for sharing your love of words. Comments will appear after moderation.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: SEPTEMBER 28, 2019 is 100,000 POETS FOR CHANGE, GLOBAL, 2019 and THE BeZINE 100,000 POETS FOR CHANGE VIRTUAL EVENT, hosted by Michael Dickel. Look for updates on this site, The BeZine, and at 100tpc.org
“THE BeZINE” CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS thebezine.com is open for the upcoming June edition to be published on June 15, deadline June 10. This is an entirely volunteer effort, a mission. We are unable to pay contributors but neither do we charge for submissions or subscriptions. The theme is sustainability. We publish poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, feature articles, art and photography, and music videos and will consider anything that lends itself to online posting. There are no demographic restrictions. We do not publish work that promotes hatred or advocates for violence. All such will be immediately rejected. We’d like to see work that doesn’t just point to problems but that suggests solutions. We are also interested in initiatives happening in your community – no matter where in the world – that might be easily picked up by other communities. Please forward your submissions to bardogroup@gmail.com No odd formatting. Submit work in the body of your email along with a BRIEF bio. Work submitted via Facebook or message will not be considered for publication. We encourage you to submit work in your first language, but it must be accompanied by translation into English. / Jamie Dedes
CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS
ALIEN BUDDHA PRESS is now accepting submissions and will consider fiction, poetry, art books, children’s books, erotic books and manifestos 50-500 pages sized in a Word document. Send to abuddhapress@yahoo.com
THE AMERICAN POETRY REVIEW publishes contemporary poetry and literary prose. Submission fee. Details HERE.
CAJUN MUTT PRESS “is a home for gonzo poets and writers.” Submissions for featured writer spots and book manuscripts can be sent to cajunmuttpress@gmail.com along with an author photo and third-person bio.
EYE TO THE TELESCOPE, Issue 33, invites speculative poetry submissions themed “Infections” for its July 15, 2019 publication. Deadline: June 15. Payment. Details HERE.
FRONT PORCH REVIEW publishes fiction, poetry, essays and visual arts in quarterly digital publications. No fee. No payment. Details HERE.
ORIGAMI POEMS PROJECT publishes micro chapbooks; that is, the poems are arranged on a single sheet that can be folded into a small six page booklet, which readers can print out. Submissions will close for the summer, July and August. Details HERE.
OYSTER RIVER PAGES is open for submissions only on June 1 for its third annual issue. Publication includes creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual arts. (Read the submission page and then their submittable page for an explanation about the date.) Details HERE.
HerSTRY publishes women’s true stories based on monthly themes as well as personal essays, interviews with women who “are toting rad things” in their world. Nominations for interviews are invited. Workshops are offered. Submission fee. No payment. Details HERE.
POETRY BREAKFAST accepts submissions of previously self-published poetry. No submission fee. Details HERE.
COMPETITIONS
AMERICAN POETRY REVIEW / HONICKMAN FIRST BOOK PRIZE is open for entries through October 31, 2019. Entry fee. Cash award. Details HERE.
NORTH STREET BOOK PRIZE for self-published books is open for entries through June 30: mainstream/literary fiction, genre fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, poetry, Children’s Picture Book, Graphic Narrative, $60 submission fee. Cash award. Details HERE.
A homebound writer, poet, and former columnist and associate editor of a regional employment newspaper, my work has been featured widely in print and digital publications including: Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature, Connotation Press,The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, I Am Not a Silent Poet, The Compass Rose and California Woman. I run The Poet by Day, an info hub for poets and writers and am the founding/managing editor of The BeZine.
“Every pair of eyes facing you has probably experienced something you could not endure.” Lucille Clifton
Thank you for sharing your love of words. Comments will appear after moderation.
“THE BeZINE” CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS thebezine.com is open for the upcoming June edition to be published on June 15, deadline June 10. This is an entirely volunteer effort, a mission. We are unable to pay contributors but neither do we charge for submissions or subscriptions. The theme is sustainability. We publish poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, feature articles, art and photography, and music videos and will consider anything that lends itself to online posting. There are no demographic restrictions. We do not publish work that promotes hatred or advocates for violence. All such will be immediately rejected. We’d like to see work that doesn’t just point to problems but that suggests solutions. We are also interested in initiatives happening in your community – no matter where in the world – that might be easily picked up by other communities. Please forward your submissions to bardogroup@gmail.com No odd formatting. Submit work in the body of your email along with a BRIEF bio. Work submitted via Facebook or message will not be considered for publication. We encourage you to submit work in your first language, but it must be accompanied by translation into English. / Jamie Dedes
A homebound writer, poet, and former columnist and associate editor of a regional employment newspaper, my work has been featured widely in print and digital publications including: Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature, Connotation Press, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, I Am Not a Silent Poet, The Compass Rose and California Woman. I run The Poet by Day, an info hub for poets and writers and am the founding/managing editor of The BeZine.
JULIA: I’ve learned that I can’t please everyone. I’ll always do something someone doesn’t like. Whether it’s adding submission fees, not accepting a story (I’d love to accept every story we get but it would be so much), or being an unashamed feminist and voicing my views and opinions on things.
Jamie Dedes' THE POET BY DAY Webzine 