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 The Avocet, a Journal of Nature Poetry Charles Portolano, Editor P.O. Box 19186 Fountain Hills, AZ 85269 Dear Poet: Guidelines for The Avocet Please
take a minute to read. Think of the Season when you send me your
work, of course, there are those universal poems that transcend the seasons,
they are always welcome at any time of the year. It is such a great
honor to be the Editor/Publisher of The Avocet.
I love being a poet. I love knowing if I get an idea, a phrase,
or, even a word, it might bring about a poem, from out of nowhere, there onto
the paper, such great fun. I
believe the main purpose and focus of my being an Editor is to promote the best
poetry possible in each issue. I believe Poetry is everywhere, in everyone. I believe if everyone
wrote poetry we would have a better, kinder, more caring, planet Earth to live
on. I believe we as poets belong to a
community who has a fiduciary duty to spread the word of poetry. I am looking for poetry
that moves the reader through the beauty, the peace, and the fury of Nature in
all of its glory. I love poems that have
people interacting with nature. I love
poems that have animals in their element.
I love poems that have a message!
I believe the purpose of poetry is to provoke thought! My guidelines are based on my experiences as a poet for the last
17 years. 5 tips to help get your poetry published… 1.
Never
write to “To whom it may concern” or editor.
Do your homework and find out the editor’s (or editors’) name. 2.
Always
write a friendly few lines to let the editor know you care about them as
people, not just someone who can publish your poetry. There are always more poets’ poetry than
pages to put those poems upon. 3.
You
have 5 lines to catch the eye or interest of an editor; make them engaging,
make the editor want to continue reading! 4.
Send
a few long (within the guidelines, of course) and a few short poems. Never ask an editor to make an exception for
your work. If the line limit is 38
lines, don’t send poems that are longer.
Do your homework and follow the guidelines. 5.
Always,
always, write a Thank you to an editor who is kind enough to publish your
work. Believe it or not, editors are
people, too, who have feelings and they also have the power to publish or not
to publish your poetry. It amazes me how
few of you do this. I had over 100 poems
published last year, and, for each poem taken I wrote a thank you to the editor
for publishing my poetry in their publication. All
poems must be sent by snail-mail to the above address after October 1st
of 2013, but you do not need to send a SASE.
Save money by using just a No. 10 Business envelope. I will respond to all submissions by email
only. Please always have your address
and email address for each poem submitted at the bottom of each poem. If
you do not have an email address, please make sure you send a SASE. There will be four reading periods. I start reading your poetry on the 15th
of the second month of each reading period so the earlier you send in your
poems in each of the reading periods the better your chances are to be included
in the new issue. January 1- February 28 April 1 - May 31 July 1 - August 31 October 1 - November 30 Each poet who appears in an issue will receive a
contributor's copy; our small way to say thank you for sharing your work with
us. (only those poets who live inside the USA) If you miss the deadline for one of the reading periods or the
magazine slots have been filled, your poems will not be considered for the next reading period! Please
only one batch of poems submitted per reading period. Please
send no more than four poems. Please
no more than 38 lines per poem. (spaces
between stanzas count as lines)
Please, please put your name, address and email address underneath
the poem, thank you. I
want a short bio so I can get to know you, the poets, of the Avocet community
better! I don’t care to hear where you
have been published before. Please tell
me of your love of Nature. **** If you live outside of the USA, you can send in your
submissions by email, but know I will (because of shipping cost and time spent at the counter at the
Post Office) send you an attachment of the issue you appear in, instead of a
magazine. If a poem or poems of yours is/are accepted you will receive an
email asking for a proofed copy of your work to be sent back to me. All pages of poetry will be recycled. I
welcome previously published poems; if
a poem is good enough to get published once before; it probably deserves to be
read again! Of course, please do not
send poems that have already appeared in the Avocet.
I only review books for members of The Avocet’s community. If you would like to have your poetry
collection reviewed, please send me an email telling me about the book. The last three pages of each issue will be
devoted to a poetry collection. The poet selected will have those three pages
to impress us with the power of their work.
And, I will write a one page review of the book. I do
not review chapbooks, especially Finishing Line Press books. At the end of each year, I will pick the six most
thought-provoking poems for Pushcart nominations. Please
you must notify me of any change of address.
I will not send out another copy to a new address if you fail to tell
me. The purpose of poetry is to provoke thought, to move the
reader to think. Please
check out and support the magazine you want to be seen in by buying a sample
copy of The Avocet, a Journal of Nature Poetry, 64 pages of poetry, just $7.50
or $24.00 for a one year subscription. Thank
you, be well, Charles
Portolano Editor
of The Avocet and The Weekly Avocet The
Avocet P.O.
Box 19186 Fountain
Hills, AZ 85269 |