Diving For Pearls
Online writers' resources by Ingrid Bruck
Ingrid Bruck is an editor at Between These Shores. She was a featured writer in BTSA Issue #2. Her column is devoted to online writer resources. She found her own writer support community online. Writing this column is one way of "paying it forward".
Diving for Pearls: Online Writers Resources
BTS Books strives to be a writers resource. Toward that end, we invite writers to share their information, link, and news of interest for the literary community.
Email your pearls of resources for writers to:
Ingrid Bruck, Network and Resource Editor
July 2020
Read To Improve Your Writing
The best way to improve your writing is to read other good writers. Think about it. How did you learn to read? You learned by doing it. And the more you read, the better you got as a reader. It works the same way for writing.
Everyday I read what other writers write. I read work by notables and emerging poets. I read high quality work. The act of reading well written poetry lifts my own bar of personal expectations—it pushes me to aspire, to try to excel. Reading work by contemporary poets helps me to keep pace with the ever changing literary landscape, provides a dose of post-modern reality and is a way to gage the pulse of popular culture.
There are many online resources you can subscribe to for free. The publisher delivers a poem-a-day into your inbox. Or an article about writing. Or an example of best of the craft (such as non-fiction). Or a daily writing resource. All you have to do is register. Go to the website, scroll until you find the sign up box, enter your email address. You’re subscribed.
Below is my personal list list of “daily-poem” Emails. This selective list is weighted in favor of poetry and memoir, because that is what I write.
I learned this daily practice of reading a poem-a-day from poet and teacher Marj Hahne. It has helped me immensely as a writer. Thank you, Marj, you introduced me to most of these sites!
Some “Daily Poem” & Writer Emails:
Writer’s Almanac by Garrison Keillor. Keillor covers literary tidbits, factoids and history about authors from all disciplines. He covers all literary ages, from classical to modern. http://www.garrisonkeillor.com/subscribe/
Poem-a-Day. The Academy of American Poets. poets.org offers a Poem-a-Day with new work by today’s notable poets. https://poets.org/poem-a-day
Rattle. Publishes a daily poem-a-day that mixes emerging poets with notables. Highly competitive. Open to all submitters. Only publishes 2% of submissions. https://www.rattle.com/
Poem of the Day. By Poetry Foundation. Not only does Poetry Foundation have a daily Poem of the Day for free but they provide a collection, “Teaching Online Poetry”, a fine resource for learning poetry remotely. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/poem-of-the-day
Slow Down Show. By Tracy K. Smith, Past US Poet Laureate. This site may have special appeal to audio-learners. Tracy prefaces each poem with a creative essay in the voice of a storyteller, she gathers you in before she reads the featured poem. https://www.slowdownshow.org/
Poetry Daily. A non-profit contemporary poetry organization. Offers diverse, multicultural poems, including translations. Daily poems are culled from current literary journals published in print and online. Sign up for a free daily poem: https://poems.com/about/
SWIMM Every Day. Collaborative poetry salon by Women Writers of Miami, The Betsy Hotel and others. A virtual poem-a-day project spotlights modern women’s voices. SWIMM is also dedicated to building a real-time literary community. https://www.swwim.org/
Brevity’s Non-Fiction Blog. Somewhat daily posts from the Literary Non-Fiction World. Featured Guests share articles about writer practices to make a difference. Great source of ideas and inspiration for Creative and Flash Non-Fiction. The writer’s counterpart to Brevity Magazine, publisher of stellar flash non-fiction works by emerging and notable writers. https://brevity.wordpress.com
Read on. And write on. And may the muse find your inbox this month!
And Don't Forget...
High Quality Journals (No Fee to Submit)
Between These Shores Annual- Open: January 1 - June 30, 2020
https://www.betweentheseshoresbooks.com/call-for-submissions-2018
Gold Dust Magazine - two editions per year, in June and December. They don't accept simultaneous submissions and recommend you submit two to three months prior to the publication dates. http://www.golddustmagazine.co.uk/Writers.htm
Poetry Breakfast- Subscribe for a daily poem in your inbox. Submission Guideline:
https://poetrybreakfast.com/submission-guidelines-2/
Rat’s Ass Review- Open: Aug. 1-Sept. 30, 2019 Those published receive an invitation from Editor Roderick Bates to join a fine workshopping site.
http://ratsassreview.net/?page_id=81
Verse-Virtual— supportive poetry’s community that accepts submissions the first ten days of the month. https://www.verse-virtual.com/submit.html
General Information About Where to Submit (Fee & Free to Submit)
Submishmash Weekly by Submittable- subscribe to receive the posts
Entropy Magazine: Where to Submit: June, July & August 2019
https://entropymag.org/category/where-to-submit/
Erika Dreifus- subscribe to Practicing Writing Blog
https://www.erikadreifus.com/blogs/practicing-writing/\
Trisch Hopkinson- subscribe to her writer’s blog - Trisch emails weekly blasts of information about writer opportunities https://trishhopkinson.com
NewPages - subscribe to receive information about writer opportunities and places to submit https://npofficespace.com/newpages-newsletter/