Monday, February 13, 2006

I've come to realize that my personal favorite pieces among my work are oddly the ones that I can't get published anywhere to save my life. Case in point, one particular poem is certainly one of the best poems in the fever almanac, is possibly one of the best I've written, and has been rejected from everywhere I've sent it over the last year and a half. Sure, some places take two out of three and send it back to me. Or reject it outright, one even after placing a call out for submissions that says they're desperate for good poems or the next issue won't happen. Not only that, but it's one of the last poems in the manuscript that remains unpublished anywhere. And it's the final poem in the book, so I'm putting alot of pressure on it. And yet, it's not getting any action at all. Meanwhile, other, certainly lesser poems have been published. Why not this one? I've tried to turn a critical eye toward it, and there's nothing wrong with it far as I can see. I've sent the poor thing out again, but if she comes back again, I just don't know...

3 comments:

Jeannine said...

There is low to no correlation between quality of a poem and its "publishability." Seriously, everyone says they're looking for "Great quality" poems but what they're really looking is whatever it is they personally are into - be it flarf poems about tying shoes or sestinas about love or whatever. Please remember that :) Don't punish your poem for not fitting in. Celebrate the rebel poem!

Nadyja Cree said...

I'd like to see the poem you speak of. I've stumbled across your blog sort of haphazardly, and I very much like your work I've read thus far. =)

kristy bowen said...

jeannine-

you're very right..I should know better, being an editor myself. lord knows I have highly peculiar reasons for liking or not liking poems.

nadya--

I actually posted a draft back in my xanga days here