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News round-up: poetry submissions, readings etc

Just a quick update… I haven’t been blogging as much lately as I am knee-deep in a job, and paid work must be paid attention to! But a few things to report:

Submissions

Those nice chaps at Prole magazine are taking a poem of mine for their April edition, which is fab news, and THANK YOU Brett and Phil for such a prompt response to submissions. The poem I sent them is not quite my usual style, and I hadn’t sent it anywhere else. If Prole hadn’t wanted it then I probably would have tried ‘Obsessed with Pipework’ and failing that ‘Morphrog’ – both of which tend to like off-the-wall stuff. Anyway, the poem is a sort of ballsy paean to Don Paterson, but I’ll probably never read it at a poetry reading, although I’d like to hear it read by someone with more balls than me!

Also delighted that next week (April 6th) my poem ‘Small Horse’ will be up on Ink, Sweat & Tears. Big thanks to Helen Ivory for that.

No other submissions news – currently waiting on:
4 poems, out for 228 days (33 weeks)
4 for 203 days (29 weeks)
5 for 148 days (21 weeks)
6 for 24 days (3 weeks)
5 for 5 days

Readings & Events

I was really looking forward to attending the National Poetry Competition prize giving gala evening tomorrow, but it’s looking like I will have to send my apologies as I have a stinking cold. Boo. Hope I get asked again, I really enjoyed it last year.

Telltale Press is moving up a gear – not only do we have our next reading coming up here in Lewes on Wednesday 15th April (where I’ll be hosting but not reading – I’m leaving that to Martin Malone, Peter Kenny, Ryan Whatley and Helen Fletcher), but we’ve also signed our latest member, Siegfried Baber, who’s launching his pamphlet in at Topping’s Bookshop in Bath on Wednesday 13th May. Whoah! Telltale in Bath – please come if you’re anywhere nearby.

We’re also about to announce our fourth member, and another pamphlet launch – which we’re all very excited about – I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile I’m out and about with readings in Highgate (London) on 22nd April, Brighton 30th April, Mayfield on 3rd May, Lewes on 14th June and Camberwell (London) on 22nd June. Yeehah!

I’m also at Brighton Library on Saturday 25th April at the New Writing South Industry Day, where I’ll be having my brains picked on the subject of social media, blogging etc for writers.

There’s a black hole hovering (can a hole hover?) over the end of April and beginning of May, when I’ve been called up for jury service. Fingers crossed it’s over within that time and doesn’t drag on for months – you do hear horror stories. Then by June or July, we should be moving house, if everything goes to plan. So a busy few months. Just need to banish this cold.

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  1. Prole have taken one of mine, too so we will be in the same issue! See you there!

  2. msjinnifer msjinnifer

    It’s always good to hear your news, Robin. I’m amazed at your patience with your submissions. My maths isn’t strong, but by my stare-out-of-the window-and-mouth-silently calculations, two of your submissions have been out there over 6 months. I do hear stories of editors replying to a polite prod with a form of “oops — we forgot you” so do you do that? I know you have posted on the topic in the past so I wonder what is holding you back on those? That’s not a veiled criticism btw; I’m genuinely interested!

    • Hi Jennifer, good question – I’ve twice emailed Iota (where the poems have been out the longest) but received no response, and to be honest I know of others who have never heard back from them at all, after years, so sadly I’m not holding out much hope there. Which is a shame because they’ve published me twice in the past. The other long-awaited mag I haven’t chased but I know they’re busy with all kinds of stuff, although they do still say on their website they aim to respond in 6 weeks (rather than 6 mnths!). I’m sort of philosophical about it – if they like my stuff they will respond, if not, no point pushing. I’ve had a number of poems lost/missed out/accepted and rejected by the same mag, all kinds of shenanigans. I guess you have to just embrace the chaos of the small indy mags!

  3. msjinnifer msjinnifer

    Mmm agreed pushing isn’t productive in terms of getting them to like your work. My only reason for requesting a response would be to liberate the poems from limbo. At what point otherwise does one call time and submit them elsewhere? BTW, it’s Jinny… 😉 Good luck with the cold 🙂

    • Sorry, Jinny! I think I may have tried one or two of them elsewhere already…

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Robin Houghton 2021