Meeting, February 23, 2020

Sonja reported that she sent a proposal to the library regarding a NaNoWriMo event and a writers feedback event. The library is reviewing the proposal and will get back to us.

Judy suggested running a Shakespeare Sonnet Workshop (1 hour). Virginia suggested having Brian Henry in to give a writing workshop. We agreed to wait until we hear back from the library before putting forth more proposals.

After our prompts (below), June mentioned something about an Ode to a Salad. Since there was still some time left in our meeting we all decided to write an Ode to a Salad.

Writing Prompts

The writing prompt was taken from Writer's Digest - a game of Mad Libs.

Fill in the following:

1. A name
2. Noun
3. Noun
4. A place
5. Verb
6. Adjective
7. Adjective
8. Body part
9. Adjective
10. Time of year
11. A verb ending in -ing
12. A consumer product
13. A formal occasion
14. Plural noun
15. A verb ending in -ing
16. Noun
17. Plural form of something you wear
18. A place
19. Noun
20. Noun
21. Verb
22. Noun
23. Noun

Now, insert the words in the story below where numerically indicated.

Call me _____1______. Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - having little to no _____2_____ in my _____3______, and nothing particular to interest me in ______4______, I thought I would ________5______ around a little and see the _____6______ part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing ______7_______ about the ______8_______; whenever it is a ______9______, _____10______ in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily ______11________ before ________12________ warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every _______13_______ I meet; and especially whenever my ______14______ get such an upper hand of me, that it requires strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately _____15_____ into the _____16______, and methodically knocking people's _____17________ off - then, I account it high time to get to _____18________ as soon as I can. This is my substitute for ______19______ and ____20______. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword, I quietly ______21________ to the _____22_______. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or the other, cherish very nearly the same feelings toward the ________23________ with me.

Next Meeting

Sunday, March 8th, 1:30pm

Leader: Judy

Meeting Sunday, July 14th, 2019

There was continued discussion about the anthology's cover, title and a foreword. Submissions should be emailed to Virginia in a word document by September 1, 2019.

Judy shared some of her Haiku poems with us before providing us with the following details and prompts:

A haiku is a short poem - just three lines long - that uses language to capture feelings or images. Haiku poetry was originally developed by Japanese poets. The poems are often inspired by nature, a moment of beauty, a poignant experience, etc.

THE STRUCTURE: A haiku poem is only three lines long.
The first line has five syllables
The second line has seven syllables
And the third line has five syllables
These limitations will actually help you find just the right words to capture the essence or mood of the subject of the poem

BRAINSTORM SOME IDEAS AND DIVE IN

OR

1. After she died, I slept with her little yellow pyjamas under my pillow, and sometimes I'd see her scamper through my dreams, an arm's length ahead of me.

2. She tried not to lose herself in infatuation, but being with Darren took her away from the cloud of uncertainty and unrest at home.

3. When she looked at the house from the driveway, unease scuttled through her.

4. Like all teenagers, I was embarrassed by my mother - the way she dressed, her weird friends - and I was afraid of what my friends might think of her.

5. She loved going to Aunt Florence's house when she was a child - it was like a museum, every piece of furniture, every painting was like a story yearning to be told. But now she had inherited it, all of it, and something did not feel right, and then there was the dream she had, where Aunt Florence, all in a dither, seemed to be trying to warn her...

Next Meeting:

Sunday, August 18th, 2019

1:30pm

3rd Annual Open Mic Night

The 3rd Annual Open Mic Night took place on Tuesday, April 23rd at the Orangeville Public Library. We maxed out at 15 participants again and had a good crowd.

Dufferin County's Poet Laureate Harry Posner hosted and shared some of his poetry.

Linda Rebhan read some of her poetry

Emma Pink works at Mochaberry, a local coffee shop. "Words have the power to change lives," she said as she spoke on the coffee and words connection.

Clare McCarthy read from his latest work, "Growing Old Isn't For Wimps", a reflection on aging.

M.J. Moores read from her steampunk novel "Shadow Phoenix".

A rapt audience.

Marilyn Kleiber read from "The Healers", the second book in a series of myth/fantasy novels written under the name J.M. Tibbott. The first book is called "The Arrival". Book 3 of a possible 7 books is currently in the works.

Matt Griffin was his usual peculiar but very entertaining self. His impersonations of Jimmy Stewart and Kermit the Frog were on point.

Winston Utenbogaart read from his book of poetry "Leaves O'er Weathered Stones". We heard "From My Heartfelt Store", "By The Table Lamp" and "Dusky Evenings".

Eight-time published author of cozy mysteries, Diane Bator read from the first of her new series of Glitter Bay Mysteries, "All That Sparkles".

Dancer, choreographer, director and writer, Roland Kirouac entertained us with details of his memoir "Message From a Fool".

Andrew Welch read from his first book "The Value Crisis - from dollars to democracy, why numbers are ruining our world". He shared with us Chapter 8 - Numbering Our Days.

Healer, author and motorcycle enthusiast, Liz Jansen read from her memoir, a collection of stories, "Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment".

Jenn Crole read the poem "Current", inspired by the beauty in all things.

David Mcguinn shared his poetry on meditation and nature.

Judy Zarowny read three poems on the topic of relationships. "The Argument", "Fix Me", and "Forfeit".

Our talented group of writers!

See you next year!

Sunday, September 24, 2017, Meeting

A reminder that Phil Taylor at 91.7 FM Erin Radio is looking to interview local authors for his weekly radio program dedicated to local writers (published or not published). Email him at erinradio881@gmail.com, or call or text at 905-875-8348.

Business cards are needed for the Headwaters Writers' Guild. JST Printing was recommended.

Harry Posner's last two poetry workshops take place on Sunday, October 22, and Sunday, November 25th from 1:30pm-3:30pm in the Orangeville Public Library meeting room. Please register at the library 519-941-0610.


Writing Prompts:

Viva Las Vegas!

Luck of the Draw

Pick a card from the deck of playing cards and use the corresponding prompt.

Don't like the card you picked? Roll the dice and try again. An eleven or twelve roll means you're free to choose any prompt you want.

Ace - You're in Vegas for a milestone birthday when you and your friends pass a tattoo parlour. You walk in just for a laugh and then...

Two - You're visiting The Mob Museum when suddenly the interactive display becomes a deadly game.

Three - You're visiting the Little Church of the West, a famous celebrity chapel built in 1942. When you walk in you are astonished by the ceremony taking place.

Four - You're visiting the Neon Museum at night, a two acre graveyard of the city's retired neon signs. Among all the blazing lights you spot a sign you didn't expect to see.

Five - You're playing a slot machine in the Golden Gate Casino, the first casino to ever open its doors in 1906. A man dressed in a suit and wearing a fedora approaches you. He asks you how to get out of the casino. When you turn to point towards the exit and look back again, he's gone.

Six - You're watching a magic show when your friend volunteers for a disappearing trick. When they rejoin you at the table you notice that there are two puncture marks on their neck.

Seven - You're at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum taking picture with all the "celebrities" when one of them pinches you.

Eight - You win a draw at one of the casinos and the prize is a night on the town with the celebrity of your choice - dead or alive.

Nine - You pass by an old church while taking in The Strip at night. The sound of creole jazz and laughter is coming from the open door at the side, but there are no lights on. Curious,  you convince your friend to have a look with you.

Ten or Face Card - You're staying at The Mirage hotel, a Polynesian themed hotel built in 1989 over the sites of the former Castaways and Red Rooster Nite Club. When rooms, hallways and even staff start shifting and changing you're alarmed to discover why they call it The Mirage.

We encourage you to share your results here.

Next Meeting is Sunday, October 15th.

Clare is leading

Call for Submissions - Eden Mills Writers' Festival

2016 Eden Mills Writers’ Festival Literary Contest - Deadline: June 30, 2016.

Open internationally to aspiring or and modestly published writers, over the age of 16.

Contest categories:

Short story (2500 words max.)

Poetry collection (of 5 poems or less), or

Creative Non-Fiction (2500 words max.)

The best entry in each category will win a $250 prize. Winners will be invited to read a short selection from their work at the Eden Mills Writers Festival on Sunday Sept. 18, 2016.

Entry Requirements:

Include four copies of each submission*

On a cover page, include title, with your name, address, phone number, and email. Name and contact info should not appear on the copies of your manuscript.

Email entries will not be accepted.

Manuscripts will not be returned.

Submission Fee:

$15.00 (CDN) per entry. Cheques to be made payable to Eden Mills Writers’ Festival.

*A combination of entries may be sent in one envelope with one payment for each entry (e.g. a short story and a poetry collection, and $30.00).

To submit, mail four copies to:

Laurel Marsolais

39 Bushmills Cres.

Guelph, ON N1K 1T6

An Evening of Poetry

An Evening of Poetry: Readings by Lorraine Gane

June 9, 2015, 7:00pm - 8:00pm at the Orangeville Public Library

Poems that explore the extraordinary in the ordinary will be the focus of a reading by Salt Spring Island, B.C. poet Lorraine Gane on the evening of June 9.

Gane will read from her two new poetry collections published last fall: The Way the Light Enters (Black Moss Press) and The Blue Halo (Leaf Press).

For more information check the following link:

http://www.orangeville.ca/orangeville-public-library/events/2015/06/09/an-evening-of-poetry-readings-by-lorraine-gane

W.O.W. Words The Orangeville Way in Pictures

Saturday, November 15, 2014, The Headwaters Writers' Guild participated in W.O.W. at the Orangeville Public Library. This event featured many local authors, poets, story tellers, and our writing group. For the first year of this event there was a fair turn-out of people. We thank the Orangeville Public Library for bringing writing to the forefront in the Orangeville community. It's been a long time coming and now there are events on a monthly basis if not more often. Kudos to our great Chief Librarian Darla Fraser who has worked diligently to bring writing, reading, and authors to the library from the Dufferin area and beyond.

Below are pictures taken by our group secretary (who is not a professional photographer or blogger):

Rapt Audience

Clare McCarthy

Harry Posner

Diane Bator

Joseph Gilbey

Jayne Self

June Hustler (Duncan)

Nancy Rorke

Judy Zarowny

The Headwaters Writers' Guild members in attendance

Anthony Carnovale & Harry Posner on Storytelling

Marilyn Klieber, HWG Moderator of the Day

.... and these pictures are not going to post the way I set them up. It's the best I could do.

Good News

Hi all.  Recently found out that I won second prize for adult poetry in the Click Create Celebrate literary competition, sponsored by the Caledon Library.  Here is the poem:

Untitled

the sky is charged tonight

timorous stars, ears turned earthward

listen for their true voices, that

like blind gospel psalms—echoing

upwards from upturned palms

—rise out of the vocal sacs

of a sea of peeper frogs

who fill the wetland bogs

with intense ululations

a sexuality of supernovic proportions

light years separate star and frog

yet are they not one being

as the hand is, at heart, no different

from the head in its seeing?

they sing, these tiny astral amphibians

to give cruciform voice to a longing

felt in the farthest reaches of inner space

to teach me something

I cannot fully comprehend

like a dream I cannot quite place

the sky is charged tonight

it needs us to attend

it needs to birth universes

stir up cosmic dust dances

toss its connecting light

like a seine net over us all

drag creature-Earth to shore

so that we finally find each other

the way a hand searches for and caresses

the furrowed field of a brow

to share in its many sadnesses

my yes, my heart cups

the hive of the world

whose shiver chatters bones

its heft-sensuous curves

braille-like textures intone

the warp and weft of

Being in its becoming

and when I look at you

with my stars singing in your eyes

your frogs peeping in my ponds

I am made to ask

where do I end and you begin?

Meanwhile, we carry on writing towards the collection of flash fiction now tentatively titled AND MAYBE YOU FLOAT AWAY, with the goal of completing it and shopping it around for Spring of 2014. Working with a professional editor has really helped my understanding of 'conscious' writing, which is to say that I am more aware now, as I write, of the intertwining of narrative/character/thematic elements inherent to good storytelling. It is very much an art and a craft, this business of scribbling.

Next up, Anthony Carnovale and I will be offering a presentation and workshop series for seniors in Snelgrove, Ontario, on Nov. 7th, on the topic of MEMORY, IMAGINATION and the POWER OF STORYTELLING. We're also working on a series of workshops for autism spectrum teens. Busy period! Keep you posted.  Cheers.

HWG Guest Poet GTG: A Review

On Sunday, May 30, 2010, GTG (aka Gary T. Gravelle) joined the Headwaters Writers’ Guild to talk about his book Paths Through Heartache: A Journey in Poetry. Mr. Gravelle’s wife, Joanne, was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease in 1989, she passed away in 2001. The collection of poetry is a story of their love and life and received high praises from members of the Ontario Poetry Society of which he is a member.

Mr. Gravelle, a former English teacher at Orangeville District Secondary School, used poetry as a tool to help him through their heartbreaking journey of love, life, suffering and loss. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to The Huntington Society of Canada. As well as reading some of the poems to us, he shared his story and his writing process.

The book is broken down into three parts, the three stages of the journey, beginning with brief personal essays which bring the collection together to form a story. Photographs of roses are scattered throughout the book, including a picture of the rose engraved on his wife’s tombstone. One of his writing students, Emily MacInnes, produced the collection of 100 poems. It begins with The Empty Chair which sets the theme and is one of the most powerful pieces in the book along with Hands and Vigil. The two final poems, Retrospective and The Finale, were written five years after his wife passed away. The titles speak for themselves. You will no doubt cry while reading this emotional collection of poems.

Mr. Gravelle told us that when he writes he creates an environment with music and a candle, though he has been known to scribble a poem on a napkin at a stoplight. After writing a poem he does not look at it again for 24 hours. At that time the only editing he will do is with setting the structure and any spelling errors. His poems do not rhyme. In fact, “Thou Shalt Not Rhyme” is one of his rules. Rhyming is confining and limits the freedom of expression.

Harry asked, “What makes a poem a poem if it doesn’t rhyme?” Mr. Gravelle responded that poetry is about emotion, saying the most in the fewest words, breaking up the lines. He recommends writing prose first and then playing with the structure, the line breaks. Gravelle says space is as important as spelling.

Clare asked, “What does writing do for you?” Mr. Gravelle said that writing poetry was a way of releasing anger, frustration, questioning God. It is a personal thing, feelings of human emotion. He finds writing poetry very cathartic. He added that he did not write poetry from the time he and Joanne met in 1968 until about 1994. “Why? Because we were happy.”

Harry told us that he had only begun taking poetry seriously three years ago. When asked what “taking it seriously” means, Harry said that he thinks about it every day.

Mr. Gravelle finished up by reading some of his more humourous poems from Trail of Stones, a darker look at fairy tales. “Humour and emotion go hand in hand,” he said. “One balances the other.”

You can purchase Paths Through Heartache from GTG at g_gravelle@hotmail.com. At this time he has sold 130 of the 200 copies originally produced. It is his hope to have more published after the first run is sold out.

Judy shared some of her personal and humourous poems with the group.

There was no time for writing. The prompts were handed out as homework. They are:

1. You’re listening to the radio.
2. “And it was at that age...”
3. It’s snowing.
4. Write about a time someone said yes.
5. Before I was born
6. If I could do it over again
7. You hear a siren.
8. It’s too soon to tell.

From Judy Reeves’ A Writer’s Book of Days

Another option is to write a story or poem using one or a combination of words from the list below:

May, Capacity, Banjo, Pink, Echo, Exploration, Recover, Affection, Formal, Butterfly, Watery, Silky, Cheerful, Ostrich, Obvious, Spring, Juggle, Nostalgia, Magnolia, Dominate.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Sunday, June 13th.

How to Submit Poetry for Publication

From Writer's Relief:

http://www.writersrelief.com/blog/post/How-To-Submit-Poems-To-Literary-Journals-And-Magazines.aspx

Contests, Contests, Contests!

Instructional Humor Essay Writing Contest: Submit your 250-500 word humorous instructional essay to win an Amazing Creativity Tool Kit. Check out the Coaching Your Creativity Web site for details. Deadline April 1, 2010.

The Writers’ Union of Canada’s Postcard Story Competition is open for entries up to 250 words. Entry fee is $5, with a $500 grand prize. Deadline is fast approaching: February 10, 2010.

Writer’s Digest is holding it’s 79th Annual Writing Competition. Lots of categories, including poetry, essays, short stories and scripts. Deadline is June 1, 2010. Early bird deadline is May 14, 2010—add $5 to the entry fee for all manuscripts submitted after this date. Entry fee is $15 for first poem, $10 for each additional poem submitted in the same online session. All other entries are $20 for first manuscript, $15 for each additional manuscript submitted in the same online session.

Markets and Calls for Submissions

No contests this week, just a few new homes for your writing.

Markets

Freelance Writing Jobs brings you 21 Poetry Markets and 16 Greeting Card Markets, including some general submission guidelines.

The Urban Muse offers up these 5 Unlikely Spots to Find Writing Markets.

Contemporary Verse, The Canadian Journal of Poetry and Critical Writing accepts poetry submissions as well as poetry-related articles, interviews and reviews. Their submission guidelines are online. Be sure to check out their Resources page as it includes an extensive list of Canadian literary journals, writing organizations, online poetry sites and more.

Calls for Submissions

Chicken Soup for the Soul has many books in development that might be of interest to you, including:

• Christmas and Holidays, deadline February 28, 2010. 
• Devotionals for Mothers, deadline February 28, 2010. 
• Dieting and Fitness, deadline January 31, 2010. 
• Family Matters, deadline February 28, 2010. 
• Grandmothers, deadline March 31, 2010. 
• Grieving and Recovery, deadline March 31, 2010. 
• My Cat’s Life, deadline March 30, 2010. 
• My Dog’s Life, deadline March 30, 2010. 
• New Moms, deadline February 28, 2010. 
• Preteens, deadline June 30, 2010. 
• Teens, deadline June 30, 2010.

Check out their website for details and submission guidelines.

Blog Roll-Up: Best of the Week's Writing Blogs

Okay, so I missed a week or two. I’ll make it up to you by including a few posts from those weeks in the roll-up.

Tips, Tips and More Tips

• If I’ve ever helped you edit a piece of writing, C. Patrick Schulze’s Tips for Editing Your Novel won’t come as a surprise to you. He doesn’t nag about “as-ing” construction as much as I do (okay, no one nags about it as much as I do), but he does explain the problem with it, and several other errors you might make in your writing as well.
• Add “Ka-Pow!” to your writing with How to Write Better—5 Quick Tips for Clear, Effective Writing from Quips and Tips for Successful Writers.
• Melissa Donovan at Writing Forward writes, “You can do just about anything in a poem. That’s why poetry is so wild; there are no rules.” So, instead of rules, she brings you 36 Poetry Writing Tips.
• If children’s books are more your thing, stop by the Guide to Literary Agents blog for 10 Tips on Writing Picture Books, a guest post from picture book writer Jean Reidy.
• Also on the Guide to Literary Agents blog, you’ll find Footnotes: 8 Articles on Synopsis Writing. If you scroll down the list of categories on the left hand side and click on “Synopses,” you’ll also find several examples of movie synopses to help.
• Freelance Folder offers Productivity Tips for Freelancers with Toddlers Underfoot. Don’t let the title fool you—there are some great tips here for every writer.
• Deb at The Freelance Writing Jobs Network’s 6 Tips for Finding New Freelance Writing Markets are applicable for short story and poetry markets as well.

“Best of” Lists

• Writing and Illustrating is a blog for “sharing information about writing and illustrating for children,” but Kathy Temean’s  Top Twelve 2009 Posts is useful for any writing. Her list includes posts about proofreading, revision, character arcs and dialogue.
• QueryTracker.net has a feature on their blog called Top Ten Lists. You can find the most queried agents, the most requested (by agents) fiction genres and the most non-responsive agents. I won’t tell you who the number one requested agent (check out the blog post to find out!) but I will say this: I’m not surprised.
• Lisa Romeo Writes shares the best information and tips from the notebooks she filled during her MFA program in a series of 14 posts: Gold in Them Notebooks.
• Be sure to stop by The Freelance Writing Jobs 20 Top Posts of 2009, which include tips for starting your freelance writing career, free online writing courses and who to follow on Twitter.
• Speaking of Twitter, Jane Friedman at There Are No Rules posts a weekly Best Tweets for Writers, with links to great posts such as “When to Stop Revising.”

Defining Genres

• Writing children’s books? Writers’ Digest Questions & Quandaries blog tackles Defining Picture Books, Middle Grade and Young Adult.
• Agent Scott Eagen of Greyhaus Literary Agency visits the Guide to Literary Agents blog to talk about Romance vs. Women’s Fiction.

Finally, I know that Christmas is over, but, you’ll need some time to practice Toni McGee Causey’s An Author’s 12 Days of Christmas before 2010’s Christmas party.

Blog Roll-Up: Best of the Week's Writing Blogs

Stop Making Excuses
Christine Baker Kline's blog, A Writing Life has a couple guest posts this week about making kids your excuse for not writing. Louise DeSalvo's on Why Having Kids is No Excuse and Lisa Romeo Adds Her Two Cents to the Writer-as-Parent Manifesto. Are you choosing.to rake leaves rather than write?

Social Networking
Jane Friedman of There Are No Rules posts her weekly Best Tweets for Writers. Most of these are links to some great online articles and blog posts.

Are you on LinkedIn? Freelance Folder explains why you might want to be in The Freelancer's Guide to Getting Started on LinkedIn.

Fiction Writing
On QueryTracker.net, Elana Johnson offer tips for finding your voice in Don't Use that Voice With Me!


Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent, talks about Giving Your Characters Life.Their own life, not yours.


Query Letters
Nathan Bransford, Literary Agent, suggests you Get the Big Stuff Right. He swears that agents won't reject you at the first hint of a typo.


Over at BookEnds, LLC, Jessica Faust helps you get one of the big things right: An Author's Credentials. What do you put in your author bio, especially if you don't have much to add? The good news is: it's all good news.



Just to be on the safe side, A Victoria Mixon, Editor, talks about Getting Credentials that will impress potential agents.


Book Review
On Writing Forward, Melissa Donovan discusses A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver.

Member Blogs
What Colour is Your Palette? Diane has been at a painting all this week and shares her experience over at Pens, Paints and Paper. The Ringmaster of the Three-Ring Circus has been busy writing and posts about NaNoWriMo Success.



Weekly Laugh
And finally, The Rejectionist presents the winners of the best rejection letter contest: Author-friends, We Have a Winner.

Upcoming Anthologies

Upcoming Anthologies

Deadline: 06/15/09. Submit to: A Cup of Comfort. Submit via online form: http://www.cupofcomfort.com/memberlogin. Theme: For A Better World. Type: Personal essays (2,000 words MAX). URL: http://www.cupofcomfort.com/CallForSubmissions

Deadline: 06/15/09. Submit to: Lifebytes Book. E-mail (via Word attachment) to: bookeditors@lifebytesbook.com. Entry fee: None. Theme: Online dating. See URL for more information. Type: True stories (300 - 2,000 words). URL: http://www.lifebytesbook.com/guidelines.html

Deadline: 06/15/09. Submit to: Fairy Tale Review. E-mail (via DOC attachment) to: fairytalereviewsubmissions@gmail.com. Theme: Little Red Riding Hood; MUST BE about contemporary fairy tales. Put your name and genre in subject line. Type: All kinds of genres. Seeing a sample might aid you before submitting. URL: http://www.fairytalereview.com/.

Deadline: 06/15/09. Submit to: Ruminate. Submit via online form: http://www.ruminatemagazine.org/index.php?option=com_fabrik&Itemid=70. Theme: Confession. Looking for work that “reveals the nature of Christ, in whatever form this may look like. And through this, we hope to shed light on the process of making and reading art that is witty, thoughtful, fresh, and ruminative.” Type: Poetry (3 poems, 40 lines MAX for each poem), short stories, creative nonfiction/memoir essays (5,000 words MAX). URL: http://www.ruminatemagazine.org/submissions

Deadline: 06/30/09. Submit to: The Sea Anthology. E-mail to: submission@mirandamagazine.com. Theme: The sea. Type: Anything (8,000 words MAX). URL: http://mirandamagazine.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_magazine&Itemid=1

Deadline: 07/01/09. Submit to: Bitch. Submit via online form: http://bitchmagazine.org/contact/editorial. Theme: Old; MUST BE a feminist response to pop culture. Type: Essays (4,000 words MAX). URL: http://bitchmagazine.org/guidelines.shtml

Deadline: 07/01/09. Submit to: Parabola. 20 West 20th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10011, or e-mail to: editors@parabola.org. Theme: The Future; MUST BE about myth, religious, spiritual, or social issues. Type: Articles (3,000 words MAX). URL: http://www.parabola.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=164

Deadline: 07/01/09. Submit to: Thema. Gail Howard, Poetry Editor, or Virginia Howard, Prose Editor. Box 8747, Metairie, LA 70011-8747. Theme: The dean’s cat. Be sure to specify theme on cover letter. (NO adult language or sexual material.) Type: Poetry (3 titles MAX), short stories (20 pages/5,000 words MAX). URL: http://members.cox.net/thema/submissions.html

Deadline: 07/03/09. Submit to: Pockets. 1908 Grand Avenue, PO Box 340004, Nashville, TN 37203-0004. Theme: Being Yourself. ONLY Christian topics for children. Type: Stories (1,400 words MAX), poems (24 lines MAX), and articles (1,000 words MAX). URL: http://www.upperroom.org/pockets/writer_guidelines.asp

Deadline: 08/01/09. Submit to: The First Line. E-mail (via MS Word or WordPerfect attachment) to: submission@thefirstline.com. Theme: Every story starts out the same: “My life is a sham.” Type: Short stories (3,000 words MAX). URL: http://www.thefirstline.com/

Deadline: 08/01/09. Submit to: Kaleidoscope Magazine. Gail Willmott, Editor-in-Chief. 701 South Main Street, Akron, OH 44311-1019. Theme: Giving & Receiving Care—A Delicate Balance. MUST HAVE disability topics. Type: Poetry (6 poems MAX), short stories, essays (5,000 words MAX). URL: http://www.udsakron.org/services/kaleidoscope/guidelines.asp

Deadline: 08/01/09. Submit to: Alive Now. JoAnn Evans Miller, Editor. E-mail to (preferred): alivenow@upperroom.org, or mail to: 1908 Grand Avenue, Box 340004, Nashville, TN 37203-0004. Theme: Speaking Truth to Power; MUST BE about Christian spirituality; NO adult language or sexual imagery. Theme listed on each page of submission. Type: Poetry (40 lines MAX), short shorts (400 words MAX). URL: http://www.upperroom.org/alivenow/writing_for.asp

Deadline: 08/01/09. Submit to: Rattle. E-mail (via pasted-in text) to: submissions@rattle.com. Theme: Sonnets. Type: Poetry and essays (5,000 words MAX). URL: http://www.rattle.com/callsforsubs.htm

Deadline: 08/01/09. Submit to: SageWoman Magazine. Anne Niven, Editor. PO Box 687, Forest Grove, OR 97116. E-mail (via attachment) to: meditor@sagewoman.com. Theme: Finding our balance. ONLY spirituality topics written by women. Type: Nonfiction (5,000 words MAX). URL: http://www.sagewoman.com/submit.htm

Deadline: 08/15/09. Submit to: Cinnamon Press. E-mail (via DOC or RTF attachment) to both Holly Howitt: cinnamonanthology@googlemail.com and Jan Fortune-Wood: jan@cinnamonpress.com with "microfiction anthology" in the subject line. In the body of the e-mail, please type your name and location. Theme: Microfiction. Type: Prose poetry or short shorts (600 words MAX). URL: http://hollyhowitt.com/main/?page_id=127

Deadline: 08/31/09. Submit to: Howl House Press. E-mail (via DOC, RTF, or TXT attachment) to: howlhouse@gmail.com. Theme: The darkest and most heartfelt manifestations of the pain of love and desire. Type: Poetry (up to 30 lines) and short stories (300 words MAX). URL: http://www.howlhouse.com

Deadline: 08/31/09. Submit to: River Poets Journal. E-mail to: judithlawrence@comcast.net. Theme: Jukebox Junction USA: a poetic history to how music moved you. Be sure to read specifics on Web site. Type: Poetry (1 poem). URL: http://riverpoetsjournal.com/SeekingSubmissions.html

Deadline: 09/01/09. Submit to: Chiron Review. 522 E. South Ave., St. John, KS 67576-2212. Theme: Punk. Type: Poetry (5 poems or 1 long poem). URL: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Nook/1748/chiron1.htm