Tracing a Poem From Idea to Publication

Reflecting on a recent acceptance

Conception

Several years ago, I was driving down Ward Parkway in springtime, feeling nostalgic or something, when the sunlight hit a field of clover and suddenly I remembered something from my childhood.

Yes, that’s literally how a poem is inspired sometimes.

This is not my typical process, to be clear. My typical process is more akin to a raccoon digging through a dumpster and occasionally finding a cheeseburger.

Birth

Then you write the poem. You sit down and put words on the page, somehow.

That’s how “Clover Crowns” came to be in approximately May of 2020. I actually didn’t realize how old the poem was until I was going through my records for this newsletter.

Not every poem feels super finished immediately, but “Clover Crowns” did. And I added it to the rotation of poems I’m submitting out pretty quickly.

Troubled Teenage Years

I submitted this poem a total of 17 times over the last 5 years for both journals and prizes, that’s not including the manuscript submissions it was also a part of. I think it might hold the record for most rejections in my repertoire…

Formative Teenage Moment that Shapes the Poem’s Belief in Itself

I received one positive rejection early in this poem’s career that called the last line, at the time a question, “hauntingly beautiful.” I actually can’t find the rejection email in my inbox anymore, so I can’t find the precise wording. But they still didn’t take the poem.

And then this poem got form rejection, after form rejection, after form rejection.

Despite the compliment the ending of the original version got, I made a tweak to the ending of the poem so that it doesn’t end on a question anymore. It ends on an image. I’m not sure when I made that choice, but it was awhile ago. Did it make the poem stronger? Maybe.

Coming of Age

I was thinking I might stop submitting “Clover Crowns” this year. I have other things I’m working on, more poems I want to see in the world.

Then, I thought, why not just give it one more try for a prize that it seemed like it would fit. I submitted it to the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards put on annually at The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in New Jersey.

I have a special place in my heart for Allen Ginsberg’s work. I wrote a paper about his “Howl” in highschool that was very formative for me as a poet and literary thinker. It would be so cool to have a poem that won a prize with his name on it many years later.

Since the PCCC requires hard copy submissions (which I haven’t had to do since I started submitting poems at age 15…) I printed out “Clover Crowns” and the rest of my poem packet, got an envelope, googled how many stamps I needed, and dropped it in the mailbox outside the grocery store down the street.

Many weeks went by.

And then!

…it didn’t win.

But it got an honorable mention and will still be published in the Paterson Review! Which is still pretty cool.

Sometimes it just takes believing in your work and giving it another go. I could’ve just as easily not submitted and moved on with my life. But it’s nice to have validation for a poem I know is good and wanted to share with the world.

Frequently Asked Questions about Publication Process

How do you know when a poem is ready to submit?

When there are no typos. (Just kidding, I’ve definitely submitted multiple poems with typos that got picked up anyway and fixed in post...)

Every poet probably has a different answer for this question.

For me, there’s a level of quality that a poem should have before I start sending it out. Does it feel like it would add value to another person reading it? Does it match the vibe of publication I’m submitting it to?

For “Clover Crowns,” the example poems I read on the website spoke to me of childhood, nostalgia, and memory—all things that my poem also embodies. The Allen Ginsberg prize is specifically meant to celebrate Ginsberg’s Paterson upbringing. So, I felt like this poem might have a shot.

What makes you submit one poem instead of another?

I highly recommend reading previous issues or winners of whatever publication or prize you’re submitting to. Consider it a vibe check, does your poem match the vibe?

Personally, I know that most of my poems aren’t always super “academically” oriented anymore, so more literary spaces aren’t necessarily going to vibe with them. (Although I have a goal of getting a Godzilla poem published in POETRY magazine someday…a distant dream to be sure.)

I often look at indie publications or presses for my work, because they tend to align more with the kind of work I write. I also look for magazines that specifically publish pieces about pop culture and the topics I tend to write about.

I write a lot of poems. And a lot of them are (frankly) not good or up to the standard of work I want to see “permanently” in the world.

Sometimes you write a poem, and you just know…you know? It’s a bit ethereal sometimes.

Some poems are one and done and don’t require a lot of revising. But more often my poems end up evolving over the course of their journey quite a bit. I have a poem “Hard to Read” that has gone through several drafts, even as I’ve been performing it for 7 or so years, and the latest draft I crafted based on a publication opportunity, and it got accepted! I’ll probably do another one of these for that poem when it releases? If we like this? So tell me if you hate it??

All in all, if I’m not particularly stoked about a piece, it probably won’t get many submissions from me.

I’m only interested in publishing pieces I’m excited about and that
represent me well.

There are many many many poems that I’ve written and never gone back to, they were just part of the journey.

How do you find submission opportunities?

I use Chill Subs primarily, every couple of weeks I just pop on to see what’s new. Their instagram also regularly posts opportunities that I’ll skim. I also take note of where my friends get published.

I’ve been submitting for so long that I have a backlog that I comb through of rejections from places I’ll probably try again. Chances are, if I thought my work vibed at one point, it probably still will, so I usually add it to the roster for the next year if I get rejected.

I’m at a point in my career where I’ve been more focused on other aspects instead of publishing, so I’m not prioritizing it the way I used to. Which is part of the creative journey, we have seasons and that’s okay!

I decided I wanted to submit more this year because I wanted to make sure I have work that represents my current voice out in the world.

What’s the best advice you can give poets looking to get into publishing?

Consider why you want to be published. Knowing your ultimate goal is important because you are going to get rejected. Probably a lot. You need to be prepared for it. It is unavoidable.

At the end of the day, spend time with your work. Refine your craft and voice. When you’re steady in your creative practice and know what you’re trying to say and create, the rejection is easier to deal with.

Also, take the extra time to consider whether your work makes sense for the publication or not. You don’t have to take shots in the dark, you can be more calculated with submitting your things.

Also, self publishing is completely valid! Instagram, hand-printed chapbooks, flyers on a bus stop…you can put your work in the world without waiting for someone to give you a thumbs up.

The creative practice is a journey, the most important part is showing up and getting to know your work.

You are your work’s biggest and best advocate.

If you don’t believe in it, you’ll only be able to get so far. It’s important to be excited about the work you’re submitting because you’ll likely have several rejections wracked up before you get an acceptance.

Every writer that you love has been rejected, multiple times. You usually only ever see or hear about the acceptances.

Perspective is key.

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