Dreaming in Iambic Pentameter

I’m here at Bread Loaf for a few more hours, and I just pitched my non-fiction memoir, Letters from the Body, to an Editor, who was very interested. Last night at dinner I also pitched it to a wonderful Agent, who invited me to send her the m/s to date (currently standing at about 30,000 words.)

So, I need some additional material. If you are a woman of child-bearing age who has had a bad experience with Yasmin (or indeed, any other hormonal contraceptive) I invite you to tell me your story. I am particularly interested in incidences of blood clot and of course, stroke, plus any withdrawal symptoms experienced from the drug. Please email me at evnsanna_at_comcast.net including your full name, age, location, a brief gynecological history, and the main facts of your experience.

Check back here for updates as the book progresses. More about Bread Loaf anon.

A few days ago I got an email from an artist to tell me that he had been inspired by my poem “Garden State Harvest” in the current Harvard Review. The resulting original artwork, “Sprawl,” is on display in the Flinn Gallery of the Greenwich, CT main library, and I should be receiving a framed copy. I am agog with curiosity!

You can read a gratifyingly positive review by Quincy Lehr of my 2006 chapbook, Swimming, on his literary blog, the Bellettrist.

And I’m off to Bread Loaf on Wednesday. Can’t wait!

So, today I went to Jefferson for my one year post op check up.

Typically, the stress involved in getting me there was about enough to give me a heart attack. I had to drop Lorna at Hainesport Recreation as early as possible (8.53 a.m.) then drop Becky at Gymnastics ridiculously early, armed with iPod and DS (9.10 for an 11 a.m. practice,) then drive into Philly, attempting to beat my GPS predicted journey time by about 5 minutes to make my 10 a.m. appointment.

Of course, roadworks on I-95 meant I arrived around 15 minutes late. Nevertheless, I sat in the waiting room for almost twenty minutes (rating 14×14 sonnets–better pickings in the final two batches for this issue) before I was called back for my bubble ultrasound.

The echo tech was a German guy called Heinz, with whom I immediately struck up a “Europeans vs Yanks” type rapport. A bubble ultrasound is an almost embarrassingly intimate affair, requiring the subject (me) to be naked from the waist up while the tech presses the ultrasound scope to various points around the ribcage (read: above and below the breasts.) Like most of the staff in the Cardiac Institute, Heinz was not used to having to do this with a woman who potentially still made his sonar blip, but he dealt with the situation with admirable aplomb. As for my part, it helped that he was, like most of the Jefferson Staff, pretty damn cute. I also learned a new word: I am, apparently, “echogenic.”

The good news is that the hole is completely closed. No bubbles are crossing the former PFO site whatsoever. Dr. Savage was very pleased, and wants me to try weaning myself off the beta-blockers, and phasing down to a Baby Aspirin (81 mg vs 325 mg–hopefully this will reduce the ridiculous bruising I have suffered over the last 18 months!)

Also in good news while I’m at it, Rattle took “Crash,” the poem about the motorbike which hit the back of the van in March. Yesterday, the careless driving trial against the motorcyclist, at which I am a witness for the prosecution, was postponed for the umpty-fifth time.

And I wrote a sonnet today! First poem since the day after my fortieth birthday, when I wrote “Midriff Crisis”, a triolet about the potential navel piercing a good girlfriend gave me as a gift. I got the piercing a week ago, and the poem was accepted for publication today.

Sometimes, life has a pleasing symmetry…

I turned 40 on July 23rd. Ho hum. Actually it really wasn’t that bad. The previous Saturday we had a party that I had designed to my own precise specifications–even down to the dual guitar Guitar Hero available in the family room. Lots of friends, lots of presents, lots of wine.

On the day itself we had a quieter celebration, especially since my husband was, of course, traveling. Still, two lots of flowers arrived and there was pizza, cheesecake and champagne.

Then the next morning I received the best present of all–a phone call from the Editor of ABZ Press to say that my thesis manuscript, My Body, Torn From Me, had been chosen as one of the ten finalists for their first book contest.

Of course, it probably won’t win, but at least it means that someone thinks the manuscript has potential.

The Raintown Review finally came out. I haven’t yet got my copy/ies–how many copies is an Associate Editor with 2 poems and an essay in the journal entitled to anyway?–but I know because various formal poetry heavyweights have commented either directly or indirectly. Everyone likes it so far, which is a damn good thing, because I worked bloody hard on it (as did Tom Kerrigan and John Oelfke, of course.)

Which brings me to other journals I work bloody hard on–the Barefoot Muse and 14×14, both of which, of course, are online only.

I’m only sporadically attacking my TBM inbox right now, because there are months until the reading period closes. 14×14 is another matter–that comes out bimonthly, which means that I and the other panelists must read and rate 50-100 sonnets every 2 months. This morning I rated Batch 2 for this period, which was coincidentally 14 sonnets.

They were all terrible. No, I lie. One of them wasn’t terrible–it just wasn’t very good. Now, okay, I’m picky about my sonnets. You can read all about my pickiness here, here and here.

It seems to me that one of several factors is responsible for the terribleness of the sonnets I spent several hours reading this morning. There is no doubt in my mind that there are some fine poets writing excellent contemporary sonnets right now–I hope I’m one of them. But do I send my best sonnets to online journals? Well, apart from the fact that I’m too intimately involved with the two best (I’m modest, too) online formal poetry journals to send them work, no, of course I don’t. I save my best sonnets to enter the Howard Nemerov sonnet contest (And yes, Mr. Crawford, I mean to win it one year!) Any sonnets I write which are unsuitable for the Nemerov are destined for the inboxes of print journals–not necessarily Measure, which is so intimately associated with the Nemerov that if a sonnet doesn’t rate the final list there it’s hardly worth sending it to them.

I currently have sonnets sitting out at The Lyric, Rattle, Poetry (Ha! Nothing like a bit of pointless optimism!) Hudson Review, Hopkins Review and the Alabama Literary Review. Of course my current philosophy is geared toward getting into reputable print journals rather than online journals (apart from my favorite Apple Valley Review, and Leah really prefers free verse) so I tend not to submit sonnets to ‘zines at all unless solicited.

But I have noticed, and here I am going to be very careful not to mention any names, that some poets (who should probably know better) occasionally send me at the Barefoot Muse work that I can easily tell is not their best work. I don’t blame them for this–it’s a version of the prioritizing by hierarchy I do myself. But I won’t accept poems just because I’ve seen the poets’ names in the kind of journals I like to appear in myself. I send them polite personal rejections and ask them to send me something else. If they want to be in the Barefoot Muse, sub standard work is not going to cut it. Fortunately tastes differ, and as everyone knows I welcome edgy work which might be too raw for mainstream print, so I get plenty of excellent material to choose from for each issue.

The great thing about 14×14 is that all submissions are read blind, so if well-known poets are sending us their poorer sonnets, there is no way that work is going to squeak through simply because we know their names.

Now of course it is also possible that this month’s sonnets are so bad because all the good poets are on vacation, email submission is just so darn easy, and sonnets so hard to write well.

Either way, I’m imploring you, if you’re reading this and you have good sonnets lying around–perhaps ones that are a little R-rated for the Evansville brigade–send them to 14×14 soon! I’d like to give something more than a 5 in the next batch.

A couple of acceptances to report. “Emily Bronte Begins Wuthering Heights” finally found a home in The Delaware Valley Poets Anthology, which will be good for my local profile.

Also, remember this post? The Richard Wright sonnet came back, so I messed with it and emailed it to Jay Rubin at Alehouse. Well, the good Mr. Rubin got back to me in two hours to tell me that he “loved” the sonnet! We had a little exchange about whether the n word should be printed in full in the epigraph, (It’s a direct quote from Wright himself) and decided yes. It’s not meant to be a comfortable poem.

But it IS the first poem I have written on race relations to be accepted for publication, and that in itself is something worth celebrating.

Today Envision Gymnastics held a yard sale as a fundraiser for the new exercise floor. In my capacity as Parents’ Association President naturally I was there from the first setting out of the tables at 7, to the dismantling at 2. We raised $1200, which is excellent. However, I am now tired past all reason, sunburned and not filled with love toward the primitive and grasping form of life known as the veteran yard saler. This is why:

“No, I’m not selling the clothes rack. I need it for the clothes, and anyway, it isn’t for sale.”

“The girls’ denim skirts are $1 each. Oh, you want to pay 50c? They’re in really good condition. Oh, you’ll give me $2 for 3?”

“You want the entire tray of cookies? That’s 36 packs at 50c per pack. How about $12? Oh, you’ll give me $10?”

“It’s sterling silver. That’s why it’s $4. Oh, you want me to take $1 off because it needs cleaning?”

“No, the jewelry isn’t all 50c. Some prices are marked on. See, right there below the original price tag which says $59? That’s where the $2 price is marked.”

“By all means, come back at 2 and if it’s still here you can have it for 50c.” (She didn’t and it wasn’t…)

“Yes, I really am selling this pair of pants, new with the price tag saying $16 still on, for $3. No, I won’t take $1. Those ones over there, which have been worn and don’t have their tags, are $1.”

Sigh. Ah well, it was in a good cause.

Issue #7, Summer 2008 is Online!

The seventh issue of my e-zine devoted to formal & metrical verse is online as of June 1st. I reviewed over 900 poems for this issue, and chose just 31 poems from 27 poets including our featured poet, the late Ray Pospisil, repeat contributors Quincy Lehr, Rick Mullin, Cathy Chandler, Kathryn Jacobs, Maryann Corbett, Penny Harter, David Landrum and Chris O’Carroll.
Please stop by and Visit the Barefoot Muse

Call For Submissions, Issue #8

Editorial deadline for the Winter 2008 issue will be November 15th. Please send 3-6 poems in the body of an email to submissions@barefootmuse.com. Your email title should be SUB:Barefoot Muse. You may also mail your poems to PO Box 115, Hainesport, NJ 08036. Poems in formal structures most welcome. Fewer than 40 lines preferred. Previously published poems will be considered although unpublished work is preferred. Simultaneous submissions are accepted with notification. I will not open attachments except by prior arrangement. Please note: do NOT send me free verse. The Barefoot Muse will only publish poems which use forms or meter (rhyme is optional).

The Barefoot Muse will also consider photographs submitted as jpeg files, essays on meter and its use in poetics, and reviews of metrical works/poets. Submit as above, or query to editor@barefootmuse.com. No more than 2000 words. Please submit no more than once in each reading period unless invited to do so.

Editor’s Update

These are the latest places you can find my work:
E-ZINES – Currently online at 14 By 14, Literary Mama, Apple Valley Review, Lucid Rhythms and Umbrella. An interview is forthcoming in the June issue of Wordgathering.
PRINT – Mad Poets Review, US1 Worksheets, Measure. Forthcoming in Salamander, the Atlanta Review, Raintown Review and The Harvard Review.

Some poems and my upcoming readings are available on my personal website . I am now also the Associate Editor of the Raintown Review.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Summer!

Editor – Anna Evans

We endeavor to keep our mailings to an absolute minimum, covering only our readings and very exciting news. We’ll try not to spam you, or send you word of our every movement. If you’d like to be removed from this mailing list, please reply to this email with the word “Remove” in the subject line. We apologize for any inconvenience.

I wanted to bring readers’ attention to one of the comments that was made on my earlier post “An Understandable Dearth: Unpublishable & White.” A reader noted that the next issue of Alehouse is focusing on African-American poets.

Now, I’m not one to sell you a pig in a poke, so I did some investigating on your behalf. It is true that Duotrope no longer lists Alehouse as one of its markets, giving as its reason that unsolicited submissions are only welcome via a fee-based contest. However, I contacted Editor Jay Rubin and he responded promptly and politely, explaining that this choice was mainly because the journal was not equipped to handle the volume of unsolicited submissions they would otherwise receive. (As Barefoot Muse editor I can wholeheartedly understand this, and I’m sure print journals receive even more!)

Clearly Mr. Rubin does respond to queries regarding submissions outside of the fee-based contest, and in his response to me he encouraged me to send him 3-5 poems dealing with the theme of African-American poets and their poetry. I have two that might be suitable–a sonnet about Richard Wright, and a poem responding to a Gwendolyn Brooks poem. Both are currently being considered by other journals, but if and when they come home to me I plan to send them to Alehouse, and I would encourage others to follow the same route.

Meanwhile Rattle also has an issue on the horizon which will contain a tribute to African-American poets. Note: this one will presumably NOT be accepting poems by white poets on the subject of African-American poetry. Comfort yourself with the thought that another upcoming issue will be a tribute to formalists!

I also wanted to get in a plug for a wonderful new(ish) second hand book store that I visited on Friday, Second Time Books. For my local readers, you can find it in Rancocas Woods on the corner of the little square plaza by the small parking lot. Unlike many secondhand book stores it is bright, clean, and well organized. They’ve also agreed to save the hide of the QND Poets by hosting our reading on June 13th, when regular venue The Daily Grind turned out to be unavailable.

So, if you live in the area, I’ll see you there. 7 p.m. Come early to browse the shelves!

Today I enjoyed my favorite part of running an online literary journal–the part where I sit down surrounded by copies of all the poems I have either accepted or am holding for second review, and I piece together the actual content of the next issue. I’m often asked what I look for when I’m doing this. In other words, why do poems get rejected at second review stage?

First and foremost, poets should understand that if I am holding their poem for second review it is good enough to be in the journal. I received over 900 poems for this issue, of which I accepted 8 outright and held a further 29 for second review. (I accept poems outright if I simply love them, and feel they would fit in any issue of the journal.) Two of those held were withdrawn, which is, of course, a risk of this strategy.

The main reason poems get rejected at second review is (and I know I’m repeating myself) that I get too many sonnets. Of those remaining 27 poems for review, 12 were sonnets. Of the 9 poems I rejected, 6 were sonnets. I love sonnets! But I don’t want TBM turning into a sonnet journal. There’s 14 By 14 for that. The next issue of TBM has several nonce and blank verse pieces, a rondeau, a sestina, a triolet, a pantoum, a villanelle, a ghazal, and several of the popular light verse forms.

Also, if I’ve held two poems from one poet, I rarely publish both of them, unless they are short light verse pieces. (There are exceptions to this, naturally.) 2 of the 9 rejected poems would have been the second poem by an accepted author.

The final rejected poem was simply a case where I had two very similar pieces on very similar subjects. Then it does come down to my own subjective opinion on which is better (which is not to say that the other one wasn’t good.) Nepotists take note: I ended up rejecting the poem by the contributor I know personally. Them’s the breaks.

I do not, as I have been accused of in the past, take any account of gender in making these decisions. I actually count up my probable gender ratio AFTER I have made my decisions and sent off my emails, once I have placed the poems onto the main contents page of the journal. In the upcoming issue, however, I’m pleased to say I’ve got a better balance than before. Out of the 26 poets, 14 are male and 11 female.

But the most vitally important thing is to feel that I have created the best issue I could from the poems I received, so that readers can either dip in and read poems individually on the basis of title or author, or sit down and read the whole thing from virtual cover to cover.

That’s what an Editor does.