Seven Snazzy Online Journals

While print journals struggle to stay afloat, online journals proliferate. That gives us poets lots of choices, but also means we need to make responsible choices. Online journals are not all created equal and, quite frankly, some of them are dreadful. There’s no sense in submitting your lovely poems to a journal you wouldn’t be proud to have them in.

Print journal editors always advise us to see and read the journal before submitting. The same advice holds true for online journals. Really, there’s no excuse for not carefully checking out an online journal before submitting to it. You can do it quickly and for free.

In 2013 I posted a list of the attributes I looked for in an online journal. What I said there still applies. I also posted a list of seven online journals that were then new and which I admired.

Now in 2015 I continue to prefer a real website to a blog, though blog sites have greater flexibility these days. If using a blog site, the editor should get a real domain name so that the url doesn’t include “blogspot” or “wordpress.” I also don’t want to see a lot of sidebar material that’s typical of a blog. That can and should be removed.

I really don't want to see a black background with a light font. That design is initially striking, but is difficult to read.

I like the Guidelines to be up to date. It’s frustrating to check out a journal, see that they are open now for submissions, put together a submission, then go to the Submittable page and discover that submissions are, in fact, closed.

I particularly dislike the occasional requirement that each poem be submitted individually. What a nuisance.

Likewise, I don’t care to have to remove my name and address. If the editors want to read blind, they can just cover up the id information. Mostly, though, I think that editors should be able to read objectively with or without names.

I really appreciate Share Buttons. I made a big point of that in my previous post. Still, two years later, I’m surprised to see that many online journals aren’t using Share Buttons. They’re free! And they can dramatically increase the journal’s reach and readership. With the click of a button, poets and readers can send a link to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and elsewhere. I can’t imagine any sensible reason why a journal wouldn’t add them to each page of the journal.

Lastly, I like journals that maintain a presence on Facebook and Twitter. This should be regarded as free advertising space. Social media allows the editor to promote the journal, the poets, and the poems.


I’ve recently perused some newish online journals—or new to me—and am going to share seven of the ones that I find appealing, both for their aesthetics and their poetry.


Compose: A Journal of Simply Good Writing
Fiction, poetry, non-fiction, art
beautifully designed Table of Contents page
Share buttons
2x

Construction Lit Magazine
Poetry, fiction, interviews, social/political commentary, essays on architecture
beautifully designed journal
submission is via email
Share buttons
4x

Cumberland River Review
artwork and poetry, fiction, essays
reads Sept thru April
No Share buttons
4x

The Ilanot Review
would like to see a better url (without “wordpress” in it)
but they do remove the usual blog sidebars
issues are themed
Share buttons
2x

Menacing Hedge
poetry, fiction, interviews, reviews
No Share buttons
4x

Radar Poetry
poetry paired with artwork
interviews
audios
blind submissions
No Share buttons
4x

Utter Magazine
poetry, fiction, non-fiction, interviews
No share buttons
1-2x

My Poetic Sweet Tooth

I recently learned that on October 9, John Hewitt, at The Writer’s Resource Center, made me Today’s Recommended Poet: "Diane Lockward is a poet, teacher and an active blogger. Her poetry is feminine and feminist. She is smart and funny. Her poetry probes the politics of family, motherhood, and food with affection and a bit of exasperation."

Temptation by Water 2010

What Feeds Us 2006

Eve’s Red Dress 2003

"You might want to read her blog entries about voice vs. tone here and here. She also has a poetry tutorial: The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop"

Thanks, John, for that sweet recommendation!


Then on October 25, I had two poems, "Service for the Murdered Boy" and "A Murmuration of Starlings," featured in the Saturday Poetry Series at As It Ought to Be. These two poems are anything but sweet—they are quite grim, but relevant to current events. Thanks to editor Sivan Butler-Rotholz for choosing my poems.


Several years ago I began to submit poems to online journals as I came to believe that all poets should have at least some online presence. I began to understand the several advantages of an online publication, e.g., the possibility of a wider audience than a print journal has, the possibility of the work reaching readers in other countries, the long-term presence of the work in the online journal's archives.

As social media became more and more in use among authors, it became apparent that it could be used to multiply the online journal's reach as readers hit the Like button and the Share button for Facebook and/or added a link to Twitter. Still, many of us held onto our affection for the printed word, the pleasure of getting into a comfortable chair and spending a few hours reading poetry on the page.

Now we can have our cake and eat it too! A number of online journals have gathered the work first published online and put it into a print edition. Some of these print anthologies gather all of the work of several years; others do a best-of anthology.

The most recent of these anthologies arrived in my mailbox this week. Katherine Riegel, editor of Sweet: A Literary Confection, has just edited the journal's first anthology: All of Us: Sweet: The First Five Years.

Click for Amazon

Here's the back cover's list of contributors.

Some other online journals have also published print anthologies:

Pirene's Fountain—First Water: Best of Pirene's Fountain The best of the first five years, edited by Ami Kaye.

Valparaiso Poetry Review—Poetry from Paradise Valley. Selected work from the first ten years, edited by Edward Byrne. (currently unavailable)

Thrush Poetry Journal—Thrush Poetry Journal: An Anthology of the First Two Years. Includes all the work, edited by Helen Vittoria.


The Barefoot Muse—The Best of The Barefoot Muse. The journal has ceased publication but the best work of its five years of publication is preserved in this print anthology, edited by Anna M. Evans.


I like this trend and hope it continues.

The Cockamamie Life of a Poet

We poets often say that we work in isolation. We say that because it’s true. It can be a lonely occupation, especially for those of us without a nearby poetry community or family and friends who share our love of poetry. We often go for long stretches of time without any poetry conversation. Throw a bunch of poets together at a festival or a conference and notice how they practically fall on each other. They are so hungry for poetry talk.

I’ve thought for a number of years that blogs have been great for closing up the distance and creating a new community of poets who share the same interest in writing poems and the same frustrations. Online journals in their own way also help to bring poets together in a way that print journals do not. I’m not sure why that is or even if it’s really true, but it feels true to me. Then social media has become a wonderful way for poets to gather even though separated by many miles. Yes, it can be a great time waster, but it can also be a way of sharing trials and triumphs. I’d never think of knocking on my neighbor’s door and saying, “Hey, guess what! I just had a poem accepted by such and such a journal and I’ve been dying to get into that journal.” But I am happy to routinely post such news on Facebook and to read of such news from my Facebook “friends”—many of whom I’ve never met. We give each other Likes and congratulatory comments. Maybe it’s weird, but I like that.

All of that is leading up to sharing my recent poetry news here with you, my poetry neighbors.

For print publications I have a new poem, “Signs,” in the inaugural issue of Tahoma Literary Review. Poetry editor Kelly Davio has done a great job with this journal. She and her co-editor have even managed to create a business model that allows them to pay their contributors. The journal appears in print, but you can also download it as a pdf. Several months ago Kelly invited me to write a guest post for the website. I chose to write about how I’d gone about writing “Signs.” That piece, “Imitation and Invention,” has now been posted. Those of you who subscribe to my newsletter will recognize the Carl Dennis poem that I refer to as it was the model poem for the June issue's poetry prompt. I practice what I preach.

I also have two poems, “A Polemic for Pink” and “Pity the Fortune Cookie Writer His Muse,” in the current issue of Connotation Press: An Online Artifact. Poetry Editor Julie Brooks Barbour has put together an issue I’m so proud to be part of. I also like how she and editor Kaite Hillenbrand use social media to spread the word.

I also had two recent online features. My one and only concrete poem, “Organic Fruit,” in the shape of an avocado, was re-featured at Your Daily Poem as part of the journal’s five-year anniversary celebration. Publisher Jayne Jaudon Ferrer single-handedly manages to post a poem every single day of the year.

The other feature is at The Good Men Project. Poetry editor, Charlie Bondhus, selected my poem, “The Missing Bike,” for this feature. Each poem that appears in the poetry column is paired with an appropriate piece of art. The readership for this online journal/magazine appears to be enormous. Some of the articles get thousands of readers. Last time I checked my poem had received 258 Facebook shares from the page. What a great way to increase the readership. This is why I think all online journals should include share buttons.

Poetry Magazine is another online journal doing an anniversary celebration. I was a featured poet there about a dozen years ago so was recently invited to submit a poem for the anniversary anthology. I sent my poem “Hunger in the Garden,” a poem written in American sentences. The credit line is for some reason missing, but the poem was first published by Valparaiso Poetry Review and appears in my book, Temptation by Water.

Click Cover for Amazon

Last week I was delighted to learn that poet and blogger Margo Roby had posted one of her weekly poetry prompts and had used as her inspiration one of the Bonus Prompts from my book, The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop. Margo could easily have just taken credit for the idea, but she generously gave me credit even though she’d added a good deal to the prompt and really made it hers. Check it out and write a new poem.

The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop is making its way around the globe. Its latest stop was South Africa. Witness this short but sweet review in the Cape Times.

Finally, I learned that the editors of the Mojave River Review have nominated “Coloring,” one of the four poems I had in their inaugural issue, for a Best of the Net prize. This competition was started in 2006 by Sundress Publications with the goal of bringing more attention to and respect for online publications. Great idea! Each year’s winners appear in an online anthology. Many thanks to the editors of both the journal and Sundress. Then came more good news: the editor of Rose Red Review has nominated my poem “The Color of Magic” for a Best of the Net Award. 

Of course, then came Friday with a triple header of rejections. But that was followed this week by three acceptances, all from journals I really want to be in. Such is life. And so it goes.

Promising New Online Journals

bird online

It seems like just about every time I turn on my computer I receive a notice about another new online journal. Needless to say, since anyone can start an online journal—and often without expense—there's a good deal of disparity in the quality of these journals. Some are quite dreadful; others are very good. So it's important to check out the masthead to note the credentials of the editors and staff. Check out the Archives if there are past issues. Note the poets and poems that have appeared in past issues. Note the format of the journal. Is this one where you'd be proud to have your work displayed?

I've gathered a list of seven fairly new or brand new online journals that seem to be doing a great job. In order to get on my list, the journal had to meet certain criteria:

• reveals identity of the editors 

• is visually attractive and easy to read—no black background with white or colored fonts

• does not use a pdf format

• does not post poems side by side

• does not use a single page scroll-down format

• posts poems by a single poet on a single page or one poem per page

• has easy and clear navigation through the journal

• uses social media to promote the journal—ideally should provide Facebook and Twitter links for poems        

Titles are linked to the website. Number of issues per year is indicated after the title. Reading period appears on second line.

Dialogist: Quarterly Poetry & Art—4x
all year

Driftless Review—2x
all year

Four Way Review—2x
November 1 – March 1 for  spring issue; April 1 – October 1 for fall issue

Posit—3-4x
all year

Tinderbox Poetry Journal—4x
all year

Tupelo Quarterly—4x
all year but they close submissions once they fill the upcoming issue or reach 300 submissions. Check their Submittable page to confirm that submissions are open.

Waxwing Magazine—3x
all year

Who Is That Masked Poet?

Every time I check out a journal's guidelines and find a request to remove all identifying information from my submission, I feel mildly annoyed. It's not a huge big deal, but I find it sort of a pain to have to highlight and delete my name and address from each poem as I combine the poems into one file. This request is usually accompanied by a directive not to include a cover letter or credits.

Mostly what annoys me is the claim of objectivity and the desire to just take the best work while not being seduced by names or credits. Shouldn't an editor be able to rise above partiality and the allure of names? Shouldn't the editor be able to simply weigh and evaluate and respond to the work, even if the poet's name is there? I mean, really, isn't that what editors are supposed to do, that is, make objective judgments?

I just checked out the site of a new online journal. (Notice that I've removed its name so as to appear impartial!) This journal specifies that all names must be removed, etc., etc. However, the first issue of the journal consists entirely of pieces that were solicited by the editors. I guess that means they invited poets whose names and work they knew, right? Hm. Isn't there a contradiction going on here?

I know it's a rather standard procedure for new journals, print and online, to solicit work for the first issue. The goal is to set a high standard for subsequent issues. That makes sense to me and is unobjectionable. But to say thereafter that we don't care who you are sort of strikes me as hypocritical.

Perhaps I'm putting too fine a point on this, but I generally keep going when I'm asked to remove identifying information. It just seems silly to me. On the other hand, I think it's a good policy for a contest or a fellowship.

The other day I checked out a set of guidelines from a journal that had just put out a call for submissions. Unlike almost every other journal that uses online submissions, this one requires that the submitter submit each poem as a separate file. The editors say that's how they read the poems so that's the way they want to receive them. What a nuisance! I don't understand how or why receiving five poems in one file would preclude reading the poems individually, one at a time. I've even seen guidelines where the editor specified a font style and size. I've seen guidelines that specify which side of the page should contain the poet's name.

I read and heed guidelines, but when they're idiosyncratic,  I usually begin to think that the journal is just not the right fit for my poems.

New Online Journals

Online poetry journals are proliferating. Seems like I'm routinely receiving notification of yet another one. A few of these notices are about former print journals that have converted to online, but most are about brand new journals. Not all online journals are created equal. Because anybody can start one and often for free, there is a broad disparity in quality. Submitter beware. Always thoroughly check out the journal before you submit. If you wouldn't be proud to have your work appear in the journal, don't submit.

A few caveats:
1. Avoid journals that are really blogs masquerading as journals. These reveal a lack of commitment and generally have limited archive space. If a journal doesn't archive issues, steer clear.
2. Especially avoid a journal that posts all poems on the same page and requires the visitor to scroll down. Most readers won't bother.
3. Avoid journals with dreadful color combinations and weird fonts. You want your work to be nicely displayed.
4. Avoid journals with overly complicated navigation. Readers don't want to have to jump through hoops to find your poems.
5. Gravitate toward journals that make their presence known by using Share Buttons and having Facebook and Twitter accounts. It amazes me that some online journals still haven't added these features. They're free and can dramatically extend the journal's reach. When I find a poem I really like, I like to hit the Share Button at the bottom of the page. A link to the poem then posts on my Facebook page and is available to all my friends.

Here's a list of some fairly new online journals that are worth taking a look at:

Birdfeast Magazine—2x
poetry only
reads all year
Linked Table of Contents allows for easy movement from one poem to the next
No Share Buttons

Flycatcher—1x
poetry, essays, reviews
submissions will reopen April 1
Facebook Share on home and TofC, but not on the poem pages

Four Way Review—4x
reads all year
poetry and fiction
no Share buttons
good navigation buttons
great audio with each poem

Heron Tree—1 poem per week
online but plans to print a bound issue yearly
poetry only
poems are posted weekly, on Sunday evening
link to the weekly poem opens a pdf page which I find a bit unwieldy
no Share Buttons

the museum of americana—4x
reads June and December only
work focuses on things americana—"showcases and/or repurposes historical American culture"
poetry, fiction, interview, reviews, nonfiction, art & photography
Share Buttons throughout issue

Sleet Magazine—2x
regular posting period not posted but is currently reading subs
includes poetry, fiction, interviews, and what they call "irregulars," i.e., cross-genre pieces
will consider previously published work
no Share Buttons

Thrush—6x
poetry only
open all year—accepts on a rolling basis
very quick response time
one print edition per year
No Share Buttons

Appealing Online Journals

Following is the list of online journals that I've assembled from my recent search. I was already familiar with a number of these, but I also posted a query at Facebook and received some suggestions for journals I was not familiar with. I checked out each suggestion but did not include all of them. I excluded online versions of print journals, those with unattractive aesthetics, those that require a download, those that appear as pdf's, those that do not notify of rejection. I included a number that violated one or two of the items on my list of What I Look for in an Online Journal because they were strong in other areas. There are a few here that desperately need navigation buttons, Share Buttons, and breathing space between poems and sidebar information or contents. Two have cumbersome guidelines which I hope they'll trim down.

I also kept in mind that I'm imposing my own criteria. This list should not be construed as a Best Of list. It's not; nor do I have the credentials to create such a list. But I present these as the journals which I now find appealing and which others might want to consider. I should also mention that I have not included a number of fine but more innovative kinds of journals.


The Collagist—monthly
Each issue contains short fiction, poetry, essays, book reviews, and one or more excerpts from novels.

Connotation Press—monthly
Lots of good material in this journal. Most of the poems are preceded by an interview with the poet. Lots of reviews.

Devil's Lake Review—2x
Limited number of poets, some reviews and interviews.

diode—3x
Plain and simple. Gets the job done and nicely.

Goblin Fruit—4x—pays
Poetry only, "poetry of the fantastical," includes audio.

Innisfree Poetry Journal—2x
Includes reviews and a Closer Look feature in each issue.

Ithaca Lit—4x
New one, includes lovely art work in header on each and every page.
A featured poet with interview and poems, featured artist, 12 poets, non-fiction craft essay.

Mezzo Cammin—2x
Formal poetry by women. Also features one visual artist.

Memorious—2x
Beautiful cover art, poetry, prose, and art song collaborations.

Pebble Lake Review—2x
Poetry with audio, fiction, non-fiction, reviews.

Pirene's Fountain—2x
Lots of poetry, several features, reviews and interviews.

Plume—monthly
12 poems / 12 poets per issue.

Poemeleon—2x
Poems, essays and reviews.
Themed issues.

Redheaded Stepchild—2x
Exclusively poetry. Poems must first have been rejected elsewhere.

Shenandoah—2x
Still requiring snail mail subs but planning to soon switch to online subs.

Superstition Review—2x
Poetry, fiction, interviews, nonfiction, and art.
Art slides are a wonderful feature of this journal.

TriQuarterly—2x
Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, short drama, and hybrid work.
Video essays are a unique feature.

Umbrella—2x
Poetry and prose (variety of different kinds of criticism), book reviews.
No simultaneous submissions.

Valparaiso Poetry Review—2x
Poetry and reviews. Featured poet in each issue.

Verse Wisconsin—1x
Poetry, verse drama, lots of reviews, essays.
Some themed issues.
No simultaneous submissions.

Waccamaw Journal—2x
Fiction, non-fiction, poetry.

Wicked Alice—2x
Women-centered but publishes work by men.
Poetry, reviews, and criticism (current issue has only poetry).

What I Look for in an Online Journal

I'm sure you've noticed, as I have, the demise of a number of print journals or their transition to an online format. At the same time, I've also noticed the proliferation of online journals. There are several factors contributing to this proliferation—money, ease of building and maintaining, the ability to reach a wider audience, ability to respond in a timelier manner, and so on. But because anybody can create an online journal—even for free—not all of these journals are of equal quality. Because I believe that it's a good idea for a poet to have both a print and an online presence, I've been gathering a list of online journals I like.

But first I want to share with you the criteria I used in assembling my list:

1. No blogs masquerading as websites. The blog format doesn't have the feel of commitment and permanence that a real website has.

2. Absolutely no scrolling down in order to find the next poet and his / her poems. Each poet must have his / her own page. Scrolling is one problem frequently found in the blog masquerading as a journal.

3. Looks matter. Must have aesthetic appeal. Good design.

4. No black background. This is horrible. Initially, it makes a strong impact, but turns out to be really annoying to read.

5. No image behind poems. Completely distracting. Why would any editor do this? And yet some do.

6. Easy to read. No fancy font stuff going on. No weird stuff with colored fonts. Nothing that jumps up and down such as a typewriter with moving keys.

7. Don't want a bunch of messages on the front page. Don't make me jump through hoops to get to the poems.

8. Don't want a lot of busy stuff in sidebars, stuff that distracts my attention from the poems.

9. Appreciate the Contents on each page but not smashed up next to the poems. Very distracting. The poem feels squashed.

10. Ease of navigation—return link to home page, previous, next. Don't make me use my Back Button. Don't make me have to return to the Contents page to get to the next poem / poet. It's annoying to have to keep starting over.

11. All of one poet's poems together or at least with a forward button.

12. No pdf format. Some editors think this is a cool format as it sort of mimics a book, but it's more annoying than cool.

13. Bio note with poems. Prefer not to have to go somewhere else to find that information.

14. Must notify of either acceptance or rejection. Big fat zero to those editors who don't notify for rejections. Insufferably rude.

15. No complicated, idiosyncratic guidelines—I always read and heed but don't want to spend huge amounts of time figuring them out.

16. Share Buttons for each poet's page. This is a great way to expand the journal's / poet's / poem's reach. It is really foolish not to include these. Really.


In a few days check back here for the list of online journals I like. In the meantime, you might want to check out The Benefits of Publishing Online.

The Sound and the Poem

Since I recently posted about the online journal, Soundzine, I thought I would mention a handful of other places where you can find poetry and audio combined. It makes so much sense, I think, to provide audio for poetry, an oral art, and to provide readers an opportunity to also be listeners. If I can't get to your reading on the other side of the country, perhaps I can hear you read your work online.

The Cortland Review was, as far as I know, a trailblazer in providing audio to accompany the poems in the journal. You can find an alphabetized list of all their holdings HERE. It's huge. You can also search by poet's name. The site also provides a list of other online audio sources.

Rattle, although a print journal, has found a great way to make the poems and the poets audible. Editor Tim Green invites poets published in the journal to submit recordings of their work. He then posts the recordings at the journal's website. An extensive ARCHIVE is maintained. It provides access to both the poems and the recordings.

Linebreak is a unique publication. It uses a weekly newsletter format, sending those who subscribe one poem per week, always on Tuesday. Most of the poems are accompanied by a recording by one of Linebreak's readers, usually another poet who has been featured in the past. All the poems and recordings are archived online. When you get to the page, scroll down a bit to find the subscription form. I encourage you to subscribe. I don't think I've ever received a poem from this source that I didn't really like.

Another unique addition to the poetry / sound combo is qarrtsiluni, an online project created by Dave Bonta and Beth Adams. Every three months or so they put out a call for submissions for a themed issue. Usually, the issue is farmed out to a guest editor. Once the poems have been selected, they appear a day at a time in the journal. Each poem is accompanied by an audio which is available for download. Past issues are maintained in their entirety at the site.

Dave also keeps a nifty blog called Moving Poems. This site is for poem videos. Some of the videos are made by other people; some are made by Dave. I love this site for both the poetry and the lovely videos. The right sidebar contains a long list of other sites that provide poetry videos. If you're interested in how the videos are made, Dave often links to his other site, Via Negativa, where he provides more detailed explanations of how his own videos were made. While you're at Moving Poems, you might want to subscribe to Dave's weekly newsletter. This comes out each Saturday and provides links to the videos that were posted in the past week.

Finally, I want to mention Nic Sebastian's Whale Sound. If you go to the home page, you will find the current poems. Every few days Nic posts 3 recordings she's made of poems by other poets. She is an outstanding reader (as well as a fine poet herself) and more than does justice to the poems. The site keeps an indexed list of all poets who have had poems on the site.

Happy listening.

Poets and Geeks

First there were poets. Then there were geeks. Now there are poet-geeks. I'd like to give a shout-out and a big round of applause to some of these strange but wonderful people who love poetry and computers and who are finding new ways, via the internet, to spread the good word about poetry. They do not sit around moaning and groaning that nobody buys poetry books anymore. Instead, they are creating new ways for poets and poetry lovers to experience poetry.

First on my list is Dave Bonta, who must be a real mega-geek. His name pops up in all kinds of discussions about online journals and technology. Rather than do the same kind of online journal that has proliferated, i.e., an online parallel to a print journal, Dave has created a truly innovative online journal, qarrtsiluni, which takes full advantage of what the internet can do. Issues are themed and editors change. Instead of the entire issue appearing all at once, poems are added daily, thus giving each poem and poet a chunk of time in the spotlight. Each poem is accompanied by an audio with an introduction by Dave and a reading by the poet. Readers / listeners are invited to leave comments, so there's an interactive element. You can subscribe by email and iTunes and you can follow on Twitter. Like what you've found? Say so at Facebook and any number of other sites with a quick click of the appropriate icon. You can also download any of the podcasts. For free! Links are provided to each author's blog and website if available. This is no concession to The Book Is Dead philosophy. In fact, Dave and his cohorts recently instituted a print version of themed online issues as well as a chapbook contest. Hey, Dave even has a hoodie!

Nic Sebastian has recently taken on another kind of innovative project, a site she calls Whale Sound. Nic has a lovely reading voice which she puts to good use by creating audios of poems by other poets. There's an Index of Poets with each poet's name linking to a bio and to the recorded poem. Readers can Like at Facebook and Tweet. They can also leave comments. Guess who helped Nic with the technical issues involved in running such a project? Dave Bonta! Another interesting aspect of this project is that Nic limits it to what she has named "web-active poets." Here's the definition from her submission guidelines:

If #1 below and at least two of the remaining items accurately characterize you, you are a web-active poet:

1. A fair amount of your finished work is freely available online (on yours or others’ blogs/sites or published in online poetry journals).
2. You check and respond to email at least once a day.
3. You have a comment-enabled blog that you update at least twice a week.
4. You have a Facebook/Twitter/other online social network account that you check/post on at least twice a week.
5. You have a website that consistently displays current contact info and material.

Although the site did not begin with this limitation, I think that Nic soon became overwhelmed with requests from poets to record their poems. And she noticed that those poets who had a heavy web presence were attracting many more visits than those who didn't. This is a web project, so, of course, it makes sense to want to expand the exposure using the resources of the web.

Last on my list is Jessie Carty who has begun an online project called Referential. Jessie selects a poem or a piece of prose from submissions for which she puts out a call. That single piece is posted in the online journal. Other people are then invited to respond to it in an original piece of their own. That can be another poem, a piece of prose, some kind of audio, or a visual piece. These pieces can be submitted anytime during the year. After the initial piece is posted, the referential ones accumulate. From what I can see, subsequent ones may also, in turn, stimulate referential pieces. These are posted with a piece of art. What an interesting concept! A kind of Ponzi scheme for writers.

Poetry and Art

Matisse's The Open Window

I was recently invited by poetry editor, Kathleen Kirk, to submit some poems to Escape into Life. This was a double pleasure: first, because it's always nice to know that someone wants my work, and two, because this was my introduction to a lovely online journal. This journal combines visual art and poetry, a combination I like a lot. The journal includes several different categories of art: drawing, photography, painting, collage. It also includes art videos, film shorts, and movie trailers as well as music and music videos. You will also find art reviews, essays about art history, some fiction, and some interviews.

And then, of course, there's poetry. Each poetry feature is enhanced by a painting. My four poems are "Temptation by Water," "You Offer Lychee to Your American Friends," "The Fruitful Woman," and "The Summer He Left." Since "Temptation by Water," the title poem of my new book, is based on Matisse's painting, "The Open Window," the art editor selected that piece to go with my poems. I'm very happy with that pairing. Please pay my poems a visit.

Then drop by the Poetry Library where I'm joined by such poets as Leslie McGrath, Nin Andrews, Nicelle Davis, George Looney, and Peter Davis. Be sure to also check out the other categories. You'll find much to delight you.

Additions to the journal appear to be made on a rolling basis, and there does not seem to be a submission process.

Grace Cavalieri recently steered me towards another gorgeous online journal that combines poetry and art, Poets and Artists. This is a downloadable pdf format, which I'm not crazy about for plain old poetry journals, but the format ideally suits this journal because of the visual element. As I turned the pages, the word "exquisite" kept coming to mind.

The journal is published by Didi Menendez who says, "Publishing to us is an art form and the process of publishing your work means as much to us as your art and poetry mean to you." That lofty intention is fully met. The journal is published 8-12 times per year. Each issue can be enjoyed online for free. If you want a hard copy, there's a fee for that. Several issues feature a poet on the cover. That poet is then interviewed by Grace Cavalieri, and the audio interview becomes part of the issue.

Submission guidelines for poets and artists are at the journal site.

As you visit each of these journals, I'm sure you'll want to bookmark them and return often for the poetry and the art. You might even get some new poems stimulated by the art.

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The Benefits of Publishing Online

Now that I've posted about what I like in an online journal and which online journals I admire, I want to consider the benefits of publishing your work in an online journal.

When online journals started competing for our attention and our poems, I sort of looked down my nose at them. They seemed tentative, not sufficiently official. I suspected that they were easier to get into. I wondered if anyone actually read them. I wondered if a publication in an online journal was considered a respectable credit.

I stuck with print journals. Then as time went on, I began noticing that a number of poets I considered major poets were publishing in online journals. I noticed that the journals were becoming more attractive, many with lovely designs. I read some articles about online journals. Then somebody somewhere said something to the effect that if you didn't have any work online you were missing the boat.

So with some trepidation I sent out several submissions to online journals. Some of them had the nerve to reject my work! Thereby disproving my suspicion that they let anybody in. But a few accepted my work. Suddenly, I was receiving fan email! I was on the boat.

Now I believe that it's a good idea to have both print and online publications.

So what are the advantages to publishing some of your work online?

1. Widespread availability of the work. You know those relatives of yours in Greece? Now they can read your work online.

2. The ability to get your work to a wider audience. If a print journal has a subscriber base of 500, then your poem is going to 500 people. An online journal could potentially reach thousands of readers.

3. The ability to widen the circle with links. You, your friends, relatives, and fans, can post links to your online publications, drawing even more readers. Have a website and / or a blog? Post the link there. Post the link on Facebook. Twitter. Any number of social networks. Email the link to your pals.

4. An assist in getting bookings. People potentially interested in booking you for a reading, a festival, or a workshop can view your work online. They might google you or ask you for links. If you send out queries for readings, you can embed a handful of links.

5. Long-term availability of the work online. Most online journals retain all previous issues in an Archive.

6. Another source for book reviews when your book comes out. As with print journals, an online journal that has published your work will most likely be receptive to publishing a review of your book.

7. Audio component with your poem. Many journals now ask poets to record their poems. I enjoy listening to poets read their poems online, and I like thinking that someone on the other side of the country or the world might be listening to me read my poems, someone who can't make it to a reading.

8. The monetary savings. It costs nothing to submit to an online journal. No more stamps, paper, envelopes. There are a few online journals that charge a small fee for a submission, but it comes to no more than what you'd spend on the paper products.

9. Faster response time. It seems to me that the turn-around time for online journals is faster than for print ones. Usually.

10. Fan mail. I don't think I've ever received a note from someone who'd seen a poem of mine in print, but I've received quite a few from people who'd seen my work online. It's easy to look up the poet's name via Google, visit the poet's website, then send an email. Some journals provide a link to the poet's website.

What else? If you have any additional thoughts, please leave them in the Comments Section.


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Online Journals I Admire Redux

The following is a list of online journals culled from the multitude now available. The ones I've listed here all have many of the features I admire and look for. They might not be your favorites, but they'll give you a good idea of what's out there. Undoubtedly, I've omitted some that you would have included.

**indicates new to the list

Blood Orange Review
Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, book reviews, gorgeous art; a bit difficult to navigate--have to keep going back in order to go forward.

**Cerise
Lovely journal, poetry, interviews, reviews, essays.

**Conte: A Journal of Narrative Writing
Not my favorite color scheme (dark background, white type) but a solid journal of poetry and fiction. Will consider essays.

Cortland Review
Each poem accompanied by audio. Some reviews.

Del Sol Review
Strong work. Generous Contributors' Notes. Could be prettier.

Diagram
Could be easier to navigate, red font is annoyingly hard to read, use of brackets is unattractive, but good poetry.

diode
Could use a darker font but excellent content.

Innisfree Poetry Journal
Strong poetry, one well-known poet featured with generous sample of poems. Now also available as a pdf or print version (fee for print).

In Posse Review
Lots of good poetry here. Odd picture menu which takes you to a previous issue.

**The Medulla Review
Caters to surreal and experimental, themed issues, teaser excerpts lead to full entry (a feature I dislike), and have to hit back arrow to return to menu (another feature I dislike).

**Melusine: or Woman in the 21st Century
Men also welcome to submit. Poetry, reviews, lovely art.

Memorious
Very nice. Poetry, prose, interview.

The Pedestal Magazine
Poetry, fiction, reviews, audio; excellent material. A bit busy-looking.

Perihelion Review
Poetry and reviews. Attractive journal. Have to go back to author link to get to next poem.

**Pirene’s Fountain
I love this journal. Poetry is abundant, art is beautiful. Also has interviews and now accepts reviews. Occasionally considers previously published.

**Poemeleon
Each issue devoted to a specific kind of poetry. Poetry, essays, interviews, reviews.

**Prime Number
A new literary magazine featuring distinctive fiction (flash and short stories), poetry, and non-fiction, as well as book reviews, craft essays, and interviews. Supplements in between regular issues. Wish it had back and forward buttons.

Redheaded Stepchild
In order to get in here, your poem has to have been rejected somewhere else first. I hope the editor will reconsider the lime green font in menus and table of contents. I know redheads look good in green, but it's hard on the eyes.

Salt River Review
Plain, gets the job done in spite of a somewhat confusing navigational system.

Studio
Poetry, critical articles, pedagogical articles, reviews, art, translation. Very readable.

Sweet: A Literary Confection
New journal, has done some redesigning and is much easier to read now. Poetry and creative non-fiction. Plus they like chocolate.

Tattoo Highway
Odd Table of Contents and weird categories, but good selection of poets and poems. Lovely art.

Umbrella
A good assortment of poems in two sections, one themed and one unthemed. Also reviews, essays, interviews.

Valparaiso Poetry Review
This one's been a favorite for a long time; everything is here.

**Verse Wisconsin
Online companion to print issue, themed issues, poems, audio, reviews, articles.

Waccamaw Journal
Excellent. Fiction, poetry, non-fiction.

**Wicked Alice
Woman-centered but men are welcome. Guidelines say they accept reviews and criticism, but I didn’t see any. Problems with their menu taking me to a menu for dresses or to some other strange page.


Formal Poetry Journals:

The Barefoot Muse: A Journal of Formal and Metrical Verse
Poetry, essays, reviews, audio with many of the poems. Has had a nice facelift.

14 by 14
14 sonnets by 14 different poets. Less happy with the redesign of this journal. It now has a rather bloggy feel. Front page has excerpts with links to full poem.

Mezzo Cammin: A Journal of Formal Poetry by Women
Poetry, reviews and critical articles, beautiful art by one featured artist.

ShatterColors Literary Review
Lots of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, numerous interviews. Wish the navigation didn't require me to keep going back to the Table of Contents.

Unsplendid: An Online Journal of Poetry in Received and Nonce Forms
Nice improvement in font and readability, and I like the audio element.


Innovative Journals:

Anti-
A single poet is featured along with a poetic statement. Single poet issues alternate with full issues. Strong work.

Linebreak
A single poem featured each week with audio by someone other than the poet. Available online or by email. I've loved each of the poems.

**Poem of the Week
Subscribe to the email and receive one poem per week. The website includes an interview with the featured poet and bio, sometimes an essay. Archive of all featured poets.

qarrtsiluni
Described as "an experiment in online literary and artistic collaboration." Demonstrates that it is possible to have a blog format and excellence at the same time. Each issue is themed and  has different editors. Poems, artwork, audio. You have to scroll down, but it's worth the effort. Can get specific url by clicking on poet's name. Visitors may leave comments. Puts out a call for submissions for each issue.



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Online Journals: What I Want Redux

Back in December of 2008, I posted about online journals. I first blogged on the topic as a result of a conversation that had taken place on the Wompo listserv. Print vs Online was the gist of the conversation. Back then I was doing the weekly newsletter for the listserv—and still am doing—and observed that most of the journal publications each week were in print journals. Now less than two years later, that has dramatically reversed. With that reversal in mind and the continued proliferation of online journals and the demise of a number of print ones, this seems like a good time to revisit the topic. This post will be essentially a reprint of the earlier post but with some revisions.

Some online journals are excellent and some are not. I've  visited a number of these journals and my poems have appeared in a number. I've again been asking this question: What makes an online journal worth visiting and revisiting—and worth submitting to?

Here are some of the qualities I look for in an online journal:

1. In 2008 I said, "I want a real website, not a blog posing as a journal. There are some blogs engaging in cool projects, but they don't seem journal-like to me. Just too easy to set up the blog kind. To my eye, they lack a professional, authentic feel. Usually." This is one idea I now must revise. With the ability of both Wordpress and Blogger, the two most popular blog sites, to create multiple pages, it is now possible for a blog journal to achieve a very professional appearance. That professional appearance remains essential to me. However, a caveat: Since these sites are free, anyone can start one. That means more screening for quality before you submit. But then you always do that, right?

2. Ease of navigation around the site. Don't make me jump through hoops to get to the poems. I like a Table of Contents that's no more than one page in. I want it to be easy and quick to get to what I want to see. I want to be able to move on easily from there. I dislike it when I have to use my back button to return to the main menu. I don't want to have to keep starting over.

3. No scrolling down to get to the next poet. Should be a link to take me there. I'm now adding that I truly dislike journals that make me scroll. In fact, I won't do it. This, to my mind, marks an online journal as amateurish. It also means no specific url for each poet. Bummer.

4. No menu with only picture links that I have to click in order to find out where they go to. More irritating than clever.

5. Menu on each page, at top or bottom or sidebar—and plain, not distracting.

6. No pdf download required. I want the material right there, in the journal. I appreciate that a pdf can achieve a book-like appearance, but I'd prefer that the publisher be less fancy and make my life easy.

7. I like it when a journal puts all of one poet's poems together or at least gives me a forward button. I want to read, not spend my time pushing buttons and hunting for things.

8. Bios with the poems or with a link to Contributors' Notes. I'm adding that just as I want contributors' notes in print journals I want them in online journals. I want them.

9. Links to author's website in each bio. Just in case I want more of a particular poet. But I don't want a plethora of links which can get like flies at my eyes. Some publishers go bananas with links. Why send readers away from the journal? Keep them right there, reading what's in the journal.

10. Archives. One of the benefits of publishing in an online journal is the long-term availability of the work. I think a journal should capitalize on that.

11. Inclusion of some reviews. A nice addition and a great way to promote books.

12. Eye appeal. It has to be good-looking. I like some images and I like some colors. Maybe this shouldn't matter, but it does. Dark backgrounds, e.g., black or navy, initially pop and look appealing, but in truth they make for hard reading and should be avoided.

13. Easy to read. No pale gray type in small font size. I dislike small text boxes. Too busy and crowded-looking. I refuse to read an online journal that has multiple font colors. It makes me insane.

14. Freedom from annoying ads. Sorry, but I just can't stand it when the journal is burdened by cheesy ads, especially if they do things like light on and off or move across the screen. More flies.

15. Good submission information. If submissions are now closed, I'd like to know when the doors will be open again.

16. I don't like it when the editor selects favorites from among the poems. That seems like implicit dumping on the others.

17. The editor should not publish in the journal. It's unprofessional. Exception for reviews and essays.

18. I like a mixture of poets familiar to me and ones who are new to me.

19. Of course, the poems should be wonderful and varied. Long poems are always a hard sell, perhaps more so online.

20. An audio element is nice. It's one benefit that the online journal has over the print one.


Next post I'll list some of the online journals that I especially like. This list will include some additions since 2008.

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Bits and Pieces of Good Stuff

cover art by Pris Campbell

I was happy this week to receive notice that my poem, Prunis Persica, has received a Pushcart nomination from Redheaded Stepchild. This journal reads only poems that have been rejected elsewhere, which probably leaves most of us with plenty to choose from when putting together a submission. It's reaffirming to have my previously rejected poem receive this nice mark of approval.

I was also delighted to find this list of recommended poetry books from Garrison Keillor's newsletter. Unlike some other recent lists, this one includes a number of women authors, one of whom is me! I was thrilled to find my book, What Feeds Us, listed here. If you purchase through the site, a portion of the price goes to NPR.

And because good things must come in groups of three, I'm also pleased to direct you to a lovely new online journal, Melusine, where I have two poems, "Bathing in Forest Dusk," and "Implosion". I like the way this journal pairs art with the poems.

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A Home for Rejected Poems

It happens to all of us. Rejection. We send out those poems we slaved over. The ones we like best. That we think are really good. Maybe our best work ever. And then they come back to us like wounded puppies with their tails between their legs.

What shall we do? Give up? No way. Not if you want to get good. If you're a poet, rejection is just part of the game. My rule of thumb for years was: It takes 20 rejections to get an acceptance. Then I could think of each rejection as one step closer to that acceptance. I'm not that patient any longer and I tend to revise after a poem has been turned away half a dozen times. But the rejections still come. One came just today! As if to prove my point. Thanks a lot. You know who you are.

Here's a journal whose editors know that rejection doesn't necessarily mean that a poem is not good: Redheaded Stepchild. The journal bills itself as "a home for poetry that has been rejected elsewhere." They ask that your submission name names, but they do not identify which journal(s) rejected your work. I decided several months ago to give them a try as I liked the journal and found some poems I really liked in the issue I examined. I'm willing to reveal that it was not a major procedure winnowing out which poems to send, to find the few poor souls that had suffered rejection. Most of my poems suffer rejection before finding a home. In fact, it's the rare one that finds a home on its first voyage out.

I'm happy to say that one of my poems, Prunis Persica, appears in the new spring issue. I like this journal because of its concept and also because it limits its selections to 20 poems. Here's who I'm keeping company with these days:
Terry Wright / Alex Grant / Christian Ward / Wendy Vardaman / Carol Potter / Cheryl Townsend / Kate Bernadette Benedict / Joan Wiese Johannes / Lana Hechtman Ayers / Ann Neuser Lederer / Richard Krawiec / Amy King / Pat Riviere-Seel / Alexander Lumans / Mark Decarteret / Thomas P. Levey / Maggie Glover / Kathryn Stripling Byer / Howie Good

Don't let rejection get you down or discourage you. Just wrap up those poems and send them out again. The best revenge is getting published in a better journal.

Journals That Accept E-mail / Online Submissions

Here is an updated list of journals that accept online submissions. Note that some guidelines specify that the journal does not accept email submissions, but does accept via their online submission manager.

Journals that have been added to this list are indicated by a double asterisk. A few journals have been deleted as they are no longer accepting online submissions or have gone out of business.

Note also that I’ve added the number of issues per year and the reading period for each journal.

Unless noted otherwise, the journal accepts simultaneous submissions.

As always, please let me know if you find any errors here. And good luck.

Agni—2x
Sept 1-May 31

The American Poetry Journal—2x
September 1-April 30

Baltimore Review —2x
all year

Barn Owl Review—1x
June 1-November 1

Barrelhouse—2x
at this time accepting only for online publication
all year

Bat City Review—1x
June 1-November 15

Bateau—2x
all year

Bellevue Literary Review—2x
all year

Caesura—2x
all year

Caketrain—1x
all year

Columbia—2x
September 1-May 1

Crazyhorse—2x
all year

Gargoyle—1x
next reading period will begin June 1, 2009

Greatcoat—2x
all year

Gulf Stream—2x
September 15-December 15
January 15-March 15

Hawk & Handsaw—1x
August 1-October 1

**The Hollins Critic—5x
Sept 1-Dec. 15

**Horticulture Magazine—6x
All year
Has recently begun a poetry section

Kenyon Review—4x
prefers no sim
September 15-January 15

**Keyhole Magazine—4x
all year

The Literary Review—4x
September 1-January 31

The Lumberyard—2x
all year

The MacGuffin—3x
all year

**The Massachusetts Review—4x
all year

Meridian—2x ($2 fee)
all year

**The Missouri Review–4x
all year

**Naugatuck River Review—2x
for the Summer issue January 1 through March 1
for the Winter issue July 1 through September 
1

New Madrid—2x
August 15-November 1

**New Orleans Review—2x
Aug 15-May 1

Ninth Letter—2x
September 1-April 30

Ploughshares—3x
August 1-March 31

Poetry—11x
year round

**Post Road Magazine-2x
check website for submission dates

Puerto del Sol—2x
September 15-March 31

**The Raintown Review—2x
all year
considers previously published

Rattle—2x
year round

Redactions—1x
year round

Redivider—2x
all year

Slice Magazine—2x
Feb. 1-April 1

**Spinning Jenny—1x
Sept 15-May 15
No Sim

Third Coast Review—2x
August 2-April 30

Tiferet—2x
all year

Upstreet—1x
Sept 1-March1

Versal—1x
Sept 15-Jan 15

Virginia Quarterly Review—4x
September 1-May 31
prefers no simultaneous

Some Nice News

It's nice to receive good news anytime, but especially these days when there's so much bad news. I've had several pieces of the good kind in the past few days. First, Ed Byrne, editor of the online journal, Valparaiso Poetry Review, let me know yesterday that he was featuring my review of Paula Bohince's collection, Incident at the Edge of Bayonet Woods, on the journal's companion blog, One Poet's Notes. The feature also includes links to poems of mine that have previously appeared in VPR. If you haven't yet discovered the journal, check it out. It's one of my favorites. If you haven't yet bought Paula Bohince's book, do so immediately. Paula, in addition to publishing this wonderful collection, recently received an NEA fellowship.

And if you haven't yet discovered Ed's blog, do bookmark it. It's one of the most informative poetry blogs out there. Apparently, lots of people agree with me. Ed's post on Elizabeth Alexander's Inaugural poem received 1500 visitors in one day and 60 comments.

In other good news, my poem, "The Missing Wife," is reprinted in the online journal, On the Issues: The Progressive Woman's Magazine." Also included are poems by Lois Rosen, Annie Finch, and Marge Piercy.

One more piece of good publication news, but I'll save that until next time.

Online Journals I Admire

The following is a list of online journals culled from the multitude that are now available. I've visited dozens of these journals over the past few days. The ones I've listed here all have many of the features I admire and look for. They might not be your favorites, but they'll give you a good idea of what's out there.

Blood Orange Review
Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, book reviews, gorgeous art; a bit difficult to navigate--have to keep going back in order to go forward.

Coal Hill Review
Not too big, not too small. Just right.

Cortland Review
Each poem accompanied by audio.

Del Sol Review
Strong work. Generous Contributors' Notes.

Diagram
Could be easier to navigate, red font is annoyingly hard to read, use of brackets is unattractive, but good poetry.

diode
Could use a darker font but excellent content.

Innisfree Poetry Journal
Strong poetry, one well-known poet featured with generous sample of poems. List of links to poets down right side of each page is handy but a bit too close to the poems on the page.

In Posse Review
Lots of good poetry here.

Memorious
Very nice. Poetry, prose, interview.

The Pedestal Magazine
Poetry, fiction, reviews, audio; excellent material.

Perihelion Review
Poetry and reviews. Recently revived. Looks promising.

Redheaded Stepchild
In order to get in here your poem has to have been rejected somewhere else first. I hope the editor will reconsider the lime green font in menus and table of contents.

Rougarou
Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, reviews.

Salt River Review
Plain, gets the job done in spite of a somewhat confusing navigational system.

Studio
Poetry, critical articles, pedagogical articles, reviews, art, translation. Very readable.

Sweet: A Literary Confection
New journal, some lovely graphics but some design issues, ie, pages that are hard to read because of font colors not working with background colors, cramped text boxes. Poetry and creative non-fiction.

Tattoo Highway
All poetry, organized by region of the country. Lovely art.

Valparaiso Poetry Review
This one's been a favorite for a long time; everything is here.

Waccamaw Journal
Excellent. Fiction, poetry, non-fiction.


Formal Poetry Journals:

The Barefoot Muse: A Journal of Formal and Metrical Verse
Poetry, essays, reviews, audio with many of the poems.

14 by 14
14 sonnets by 14 different poets. Poems beautifully displayed with artwork. Font color in bio notes a bit hard to read.

Mezzo Cammin: A Journal of Formal Poetry by Women
Poetry, reviews and critical articles, beautiful art by one featured artist.

ShatterColors Literary Review
Lots of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, numerous interviews. Wish the navigation didn't require me to keep going back to the Table of Contents.

Unsplendid: An Online Journal of Poetry in Received and Nonce Forms
Could use a darker font, but I like the audio element even though it took me some time to figure out that the butterflies meant audio.


Innovative Journals:

Anti-
A single poet is featured along with a poetic statement. Apparently full issues also appear but not when I visited. Strong work.

Linebreak
A single poem featured each week with audio by someone other than the poet. Available online or by email.

qarrtsiluni
Described as "an experiment in online literary and artistic collaboration." Demonstrates that it is possible to have a blog format and excellence at the same time. Each issue is themed and has different editors. Poems, artwork, audio. You have to scroll down, but it's worth the effort. Visitors may leave comments. Puts out a call for submissions for each issue.