Malahat Review Rejection Slip
I have news! I finally heard back from one of the magazines I sent poems out to. I feel inspired. My daughter tries to understand - "You seem so upbeat about it." - I tell her I won't be a poet until I have a wall plastered with rejection slips. This is my first, so I'm on my way. She asks "Hmm. How big of a wall are we talking about here ? Would it be like, hall sized, or bathroom sized or ?"
The poems were sent out on Nov 27 to Victoria, not far from here. The rejection slip is dated Dec 30. I take that in a positive way - they didn't just toss them immediately did they? And they read them. A magazine editor read my poems. I have proof. They even folded them up and returned them to me.
They weren't all good poems. But some were. I believe it was more a matter of style and taste than anything. I have never read the Malahat Review - just what they have online. I cannot afford subscriptions to all these magazines. I do order issues when I can afford it.
My first thought was to send them some new ones. But then I read through what I had sent and realized my newer ones are still the same style - it's my voice. Different versions of it won't really make much of a difference to the Malahat editor I am sure.
So I will re-embrace these poems and send them somewhere else.
I have carefully taped the rejection slip into my recordbook. It was hand signed - here is what it said
Dear Jude
We regret that we have decided not to publish your work. Malahat receives many excellent manuscripts and can only publish a small percentage of them. Thank you for thinking of us. We wish you luck in placing your work elsewhere.
(and then, handwritten)
"Sorry to disappoint. Best Wishes, Rhonda Batchelor"
As an aside, the cover letter I sent with these poems was terrible. I should know better after Scott's course. My next letters were much more respectful.
Now I am about to send out two more batches. Ill post what and where when Im done
Jude
Snowing again - lots this time. Maybe schools will be out tomorrow.
The poems were sent out on Nov 27 to Victoria, not far from here. The rejection slip is dated Dec 30. I take that in a positive way - they didn't just toss them immediately did they? And they read them. A magazine editor read my poems. I have proof. They even folded them up and returned them to me.
They weren't all good poems. But some were. I believe it was more a matter of style and taste than anything. I have never read the Malahat Review - just what they have online. I cannot afford subscriptions to all these magazines. I do order issues when I can afford it.
My first thought was to send them some new ones. But then I read through what I had sent and realized my newer ones are still the same style - it's my voice. Different versions of it won't really make much of a difference to the Malahat editor I am sure.
So I will re-embrace these poems and send them somewhere else.
I have carefully taped the rejection slip into my recordbook. It was hand signed - here is what it said
Dear Jude
We regret that we have decided not to publish your work. Malahat receives many excellent manuscripts and can only publish a small percentage of them. Thank you for thinking of us. We wish you luck in placing your work elsewhere.
(and then, handwritten)
"Sorry to disappoint. Best Wishes, Rhonda Batchelor"
As an aside, the cover letter I sent with these poems was terrible. I should know better after Scott's course. My next letters were much more respectful.
Now I am about to send out two more batches. Ill post what and where when Im done
Jude
Snowing again - lots this time. Maybe schools will be out tomorrow.
posted by Squamish Writers Group at 4:25 PM
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