Submittable calls it “Decline.” I like to refer to it as “Returned” when my manuscripts come back to me, which they still do more often than not. As an editor for Poetry South and a frequent submitter to many magazines, I have a complicated relationship with rejection. On the one hand, I have a toughContinue reading “The Meaning of Rejection”
Author Archives: Kendall Dunkelberg
Wordle Strategy Redux
Today’s Wordle threatened to break my 81 game streak, but I paused for a moment, used strategy, and defeated the deceptively simple game. Without giving away the word, I can say that I got four correct letters on my first try, made a good guess and got them all in the right place, guessed anotherContinue reading “Wordle Strategy Redux”
How Do You Know When You’ve Written a Poem? — A Dream Answer
In a dream last night, I was at an event aswering questions, and someone asked, “How do you know when you’ve written a poem?” I had a pretty good answer, or at least so it seemed in the dream. So let’s see how much I can remember here. The first part of my answer wasContinue reading “How Do You Know When You’ve Written a Poem? — A Dream Answer”
Two Tiers of Pushcart Nominations
Did you know that there are two kinds of nominations for the Pushcart Anthology? I was looking through some old papers this morning and was reminded of the distinction. The one most of us get is a nomination by the editors of a journal. Each editor of any literary magazine can send in up toContinue reading “Two Tiers of Pushcart Nominations”
February Wrap-Up
February has been a busy, busy month. Even with the extra day that leap year afforded, it seemed to go faster than ever. At Mississippi University for Women, our year began with the announcement of a new name: a name that went over like a lead balloon. So February started with a scramble to comeContinue reading “February Wrap-Up”
MFA Application Advice 2024
Now that it’s January, we’ve started to see some applications again for our low-residency MFA program for another year. This has me thinking about all the advice I’ve given to applicants over the years. If I could give one piece of advice on how to apply, I think it would be to just be you.Continue reading “MFA Application Advice 2024”
In Praise of Traditional Small Press Publishers
People always seem to want to reinvent the wheel in publishing. Sometimes that leads good opportunities for writers, but often these seem to be new ways (or newly packaged old ways) to make money off of writers. Here are my musings on online publishing platforms and hybrid publishers.
2024 Writer’s Resolutions
Each year we make our resolutions and try to keep them. I’ve never been one to focus too much on losing the weight gained over the holiday (I trust I will as I get back to my morning walks and other routines and work my way through a few leftover treats). My resolutions tend to beContinue reading “2024 Writer’s Resolutions”
Ecopoetry Anthology: Volume II
Two of my intergalactic traveler poems will appear in the Ecopoetry Anthology: Volume II, due out in 2025.
My First Publication
Read the story of my very first publication, four translations of Paul Snoek in Pinchpenny in 1985, which I wrote about on my SubStack this morning. I’m still looking for a good way to connect WordPress and SubStack, so in the meantime, I’m cross posting like this. I’ve connected WordPress to my Mastodon, Facebook, andContinue reading “My First Publication”
Kendall Dunkelberg 