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You Can Publish Poetry

© Kay Day

The question asked most often: How do I get published? Here are a few magazines and other resources that may help.

I know when I finish a poem. I ask people to read it, especially people that don't normally read poetry. The person will take the page, and try to look interested. He or she will read my poem. If some sort of a noise comes forth at the end, and the reader is caught off-guard, then I figure the poem is ready to market. I call this segment of my writing process "the right tight stage."

There's no magic bullet for publishing poetry. The underlying foundation requires that the poem be polished and unique. There are, however,some resources that I can single out because they helped me to survive in the field of freelance writing. There are a couple of new ones I've discovered that also help.

For starters, you can't beat the trade magazines. I load up on these. I subscribe to several like ByLine and Poets & Writers. I head to the bookstore each month to buy Writer's Digest and The Writer. Each magazine fills a certain need in my professional sphere.

ByLine Magazine is my favorite, for many reasons. Years ago when I left a good job to freelance, this magazine was one of the first to publish my work. The magazine's credo aims at helping all writers, especially those trying to break into print. ByLine holds regular contests, with a chapbook competition coming up this spring. Of particular interest to my readers: a women's poetry contest.

Sandra Soli writes a poetry column for ByLine, and she's a great inspiration to me. Her January column highlights submission policies at the magazine, and offers some tips about crafting. She's an award-winning poet and has published widely in upscale magazines like Southern Poetry Review, New York Quarterly, and New Delta Review. Her chapbook, Silvering the Flute has won an award, and she has served in Oklahoma's artist-in-residence program since 1991.

Her experience has offered me a great deal of insight into the work side of poetry. In an email recently, she wrote, "Any reason for writing a poem is a good reason. But this does not make it worthy enough to submit to a magazine." In the September, 1998, issue, Ms. Soli constructs a blueprint for what she calls a "pro" poem. It's worth the price of the back issue to read this article. ByLine also features poetry related to writing in every issue.

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