As recently as (looks at imaginary watch) yesterday I indicated here that opportunity and readiness is all, plus I have a few things up my sleeve to help the writing gods find my work acceptable. One of these things is writing to my strengths. I know that I like art, and I like throwing together ideas and words and going down rabbit holes of specific terms and jargon. Which is why I try to remember to keep an eye on certain publications, such as The Ekphrastic Review and it’s regular challenges. When I see a challenge I think I can create something for, I work on it. Sometimes, I’m ready and that something makes the deadline, and other times the poem isn’t ready, or I completely miss the (opportunity) deadline, but the piece is picked up elsewhere later (true story). So, at the very least I get a new poem out of a challenge, and if the challenge host likes it, I get a publication credit. Ekphrastic writing is one strength, and knowing some of the journals to send such writing to another. It’s not everything, but I don’t keep a list. But I might imagine developing on one day.

Anyway, all of the above is why I’m directing you to read my new poem, written this week, Stone, cold, published today for the most recent Marsden Hartley ekphrastic challenge. The link is here.

Thanks.

The 2023 Writing Update:

• Rejections: 8
• Pending: 16
• Accepted (3 carried over from 2022): 5
• Published: 4