Okay, I have been trying to break into Rattle for years and years now. It is a paying market, and one of the most selective in the world, routinely publishing U.S. poets laureate and other heavy-hitters. But even more important is that its editor, Tim Green, is doing things the right way for the right reasons. He is strongly against charging reading fees, insists on giving subscriptions and free chapbooks to people who pay to enter contests (which have ginormous prizes), encourages simultaneous submissions, and is an overal good guy from what I can tell from his rejection letters and social media presence. All that said, my aesthetic is not always a match with what Rattle does and the quality of my writing is typically not quite up to snuff with the top of their selection pool.
So, you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I received an acceptance for Rattle's online "news poetry" segmanet called Poets Respond. I submitted my first ghazal, a poem about a viral photo of a rhinocerous, and Tim liked it enough to pick it for this week's PR selection. There is nothing quite like getting an acceptance letter that concludes, "Thanks again for sharing this great poem! Thousands of people will be reading it tomorrow morning." It's something to be able to reach that many people and convey a sentiment that is so well received. Tim also gave me the opportunity to record audio of the piece, which you can listen to on the Rattle site. I am very grateful to Tim for the opportunity.
Anyway, here it is. I hope you enjoy it.
(Photo credit: Twitter/@biologistDan)
So, you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I received an acceptance for Rattle's online "news poetry" segmanet called Poets Respond. I submitted my first ghazal, a poem about a viral photo of a rhinocerous, and Tim liked it enough to pick it for this week's PR selection. There is nothing quite like getting an acceptance letter that concludes, "Thanks again for sharing this great poem! Thousands of people will be reading it tomorrow morning." It's something to be able to reach that many people and convey a sentiment that is so well received. Tim also gave me the opportunity to record audio of the piece, which you can listen to on the Rattle site. I am very grateful to Tim for the opportunity.
Anyway, here it is. I hope you enjoy it.
(Photo credit: Twitter/@biologistDan)