Author Archives: Jeff

Who was that masked man?

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Jeff

I wanted to thank him. tagline from the Lone Ranger TV series. Has a different connotation these days. Older people in Austin, TX are pretty good about having a mask though not always wearing it properly. Younger people in our … Continue reading →

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The Win is Not Always to the Strongest

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Jeff

I recently had one poem accepted out of a batch of three. It wasn’t the strongest poem and I felt a little odd. On reading the published journal, I found it fit in just fine. The editors acknowledge in their … Continue reading →

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Early Voting

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Jeff

Getting submissions back a few days or a week after I submit them bugs me. I must be doing something wrong, something that makes it too easy to decline. I’ve gone back and carefully checked the guidelines and rarely find … Continue reading →

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Advice on Getting Published

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Jeff

I’ve had fifty poems published over the years. Over the last year I’ve averaged one or more poems published out of every four submissions. This is typical for mid-level poets willing to share their acceptance rate. However, one writer said … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Writing | Leave a comment

Tiered Rejections

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Jeff

For most of the 4th quarter of 2020, I received no acceptances. Discouraging. My number of active submissions fell below my goal of 10. However, 3 of the rejection e-mails used language like, “Didn’t find space” or “Didn’t fit in … Continue reading →

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2020 by the Numbers

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Jeff

2020 was a fairly productive year. The numbers are: New poems worth typing in: 90 Submissions (average 3 poems): 65 Acceptances: 18 Unique poems accepted (one was accepted 3 places): 16 Published: 14 These are reasonable numbers. or the next … Continue reading →

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The Work of Inauguration

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Jeff

My poem, The Work of Inauguration, was published January 4, 2021 on Laurence Musgrove’s newest project, Texas Poetry Assignment. It plays off Howard Thurman’s “The Work of Christmas”. Laurence’s previous two projects, Tejascovido (now gone) and Texas Poetry Ballots were … Continue reading →

Posted in Poems, Publications, Social Justice | 1 Comment

Margaret Atwood on Creativity

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Jeff

“Everybody has creativity. It’s a human thing.” Margaret Atwood Read enough and you’ll run into interesting articles in unexpected places. There is a page and a half long interview with Margaret Atwood in the AARP weekly newsletter. Worth the time … Continue reading →

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Love Song for My Organs

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Jeff

Love Song for My Organs by ire’ne lara silva details her organs one by one, their gifts, and their deficiencies. She struggles with diabetes and its effects on her body. It’s a beautiful poem that offers a glimpse into her … Continue reading →

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Resilience and Diversity, Pt. 1

Posted on November 28, 2020 by Jeff

In hindsight this seems obvious, but for a system to be resilient, it must have diversity. The classic example is mono-culture agriculture. Efficient, yes. Everything matures at the same time so it can be harvested all at once. But when … Continue reading →

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