It’s finally here, friends… the update on the great poetry debate of 2023. 

The last time I checked in about my new approach to the world, you know, as it relates to my personal pursuit of self-promotion and publishing, I was taking my E.T. And retreating back into the safety and comfort of my closet. If that reads strangely to you, no worries… this post will explain it in full, paint-by-numbers detail. 

Or, if you’re like me and don’t have time for that bronchitis, rest assured the short story is fairly simple. I’m saying “no” to all public appearances and anything that causes my social anxiety to flair. In that post, I also profess that the jury is still out on what I’m gonna do with all the other poetry things—writing, revising, and sending out work. 

The update today then is that I’ve still not written much lately. Ok, one new poem since then, but that’s it. I have a few micro CNF pieces I’m revising. To what end I’m not sure. And I’m fairly certain that my next big revision project will be to revisit the original MFA manuscript in preparation for sending that out to a few new places, plus the next chapbook I put a lot of effort into last year that never got traction with the first round out in the wide world. 

I had basically stopped sending the big manuscripts out because 1. Rejection is a bummer and 2. I had had about 6 months of nothing but rejection on all subs so my confidence in the work was at an all-time low. That “radio silence” is a serious buzz kill. After a while it makes a person throw their hands up and say “Forget about it.” 

But I didn’t do that with everything–just the full collections. I actually kinda did the opposite with all my individual beautiful babies that don’t have homes yet. I doubled down and then tripled down and now I’ve got more open/active submissions under consideration at various publishers than I’ve ever had. Almost embarrassed to say 160. Not a typo folks. I’m hovering right at one hundred and sixty active submissions. Mostly poems but a few CNF essays are in that mix. 

Someone once told me it’s a numbers game. If that’s true, I’m the winner. I challenge anyone to contest my title as “Supreme Ruler of the Salty Submission Throne.” The one built from salt from all those rejection tears. Quick… somebody hand me a crown and scepter. I’m getting ready to compose a speech to address all the loyal subjects of my salty kingdom. 

It’s surely a lot easier for me to poke fun at this whole ridiculous “game” now that my 6-month rejection streak has been broken. And not just broken but crushed because, in the past 5 weeks, I’ve had not one, not two, but four acceptances for work sent out in the past year. The first one happened in late May. And in the past few weeks, I’ve received 3 more. 

So I guess my update is that I’ve had a little success on the publishing end of this writerly business and even if it is not a great success, like one of the big heavy hitters everyone has heard of, it still does wonders for my confidence. Sometimes you don’t know how down you are until you are reminded what it feels like to be coming back up, and out of that funk. That is how I feel now. 

I suppose the other update about me and my E.T. is that we had a weak moment and agreed to do another public appearance. This one is all the way out in October though so I can coast for a few months in denial that I did that. I was sent the contract last week though, which was a reminder that made me wince. Stupid. Why did I agree to do that? Maybe I need a few reminders so that… 1. I don’t disappear completely (but would that really be so bad) and 2. I have something that fuels my ability to continue to say “No” to everything else. 

Now that I have something in October, I can just tell anyone who asks “nope.. all booked up.” Not like anyone else is asking. I’ve already started to disappear into the shadows of my cozy closet.

I think that’s all I’ve got for now. It always feels like a long wait when something is accepted. These new babies will not be released until the season has turned over at least twice. Summer is coming in nicely now, but it will probably be snowing when I get the word they are officially headed out into the world. Still, it is nice to have something to look forward to. 

OK, that’s really it now.
Peace and Love from the Back of the Closet,
~Miss SugarCookie