Women Who Submit

April 1, 2018April 1, 2018

WWS Chapter Roundup: March Publications

A wood plank table with black glasses, a pine cone, a book, typewriter, a journal, pen, and arranged in a semi-circle. There is a text box with the words "Chapter Roundup March" in the bottom center of the image.

As seen on our Join Us! page, Women Who Submit has chapters all across North America! These are just a sample of the work WWS members are getting published:
Publications from the San Francisco Chapter (2)
Lead : Rebecca Gomez Farrell

From L.S. Johnson’s short story, “Properties of Obligate Pearls,” in Issue 020 of New Haven Review:

“You have to know what to look for. Younger, definitely—stones from the elderly are heavy and black, decades of layers dulling the luster. No one wants the weight of a grandmother’s worries around their neck.”

From Ruth Crossman’s “An Election Year” short story in Issue 91 of Sparkle + Blink:

“First the guy from Motorhead dies. On New Year’s Eve the billboards on the venues say RIP Lemmy, and the metal heads hold wakes and mock funeral services in his honor. I’m not a metal head or anything, but it sets a tone.”

Continue reading “WWS Chapter Roundup: March Publications”

March 31, 2018March 31, 2018

A WWS Publication Roundup for March

A laptop computer with an article titled "Submissions Made Simple" on the screen and a stack of literary journals sits on top of the laptop base, titles facing out

2018 has been a wonderful year for WWS members finding homes for their work and March was no exception. Congratulations to all the women who had work published this month!

Congrats to Carla Sameth who had three poems published at Unlikely. From “Secondary Inspections“:

A nose, a foreign look, a memory. “They just want to know if you are Jewish,”
your mom says of questions about what country you came from;
you know that you’ll never pass for who you are. Everyone foreign claims your face.
City of Angels swelters, everyone here from somewhere else, still they ask,
“Where were you born?” and “How do you say ‘Hello’?” You answer fearing hatred.
Fear you came by naturally after strip search and secondary inspections. Not beautiful.

Also check out “Mornings Still Scare Me,” which Carla saw published at the b’k. Continue reading “A WWS Publication Roundup for March”

March 28, 2018September 26, 2018

Breathe and Push: Finding Light in Stephon Clark’s Name

By Noriko Nakada

This week there is another name to say.

Stephon Clark.

When the news breaks, it’s not because of the shooting. Police shootings like this happen with frightening frequency. What makes the news is the outrage, the crowds of protesters gathering around the city, shutting down freeways and sports arenas. It is the people who refuse to accept this familiar outcome that makes headlines.

I hear only the basics: he was unarmed. He stood in his grandparents’ backyard. He was shot twenty times. Protesters are calling for accountability; for justice.

Then, I look away. How many of you have looked away? It is hard to watch. To keep watching. Continue reading “Breathe and Push: Finding Light in Stephon Clark’s Name”

March 21, 2018March 20, 2018

Behind The Editor’s Desk: Melissa Chadburn

By Lauren Eggert-Crowe

WWS veteran Melissa Chadburn wants your work.

The Los Angeles literary rock star recently joined the editorial team at DAME Magazine and is looking for reported essays and lyrical journalism. If you’d like to work your Barbara Ehrenreich chops, stretch your Ifill and Didion and Bogado muscles, Melissa wants to work with you. This is not the hasty trendpiece end of the pool, but the deeper dives into research and reporting. You’ll be writing pieces with headlines on par with, “Why don’t doctors take women’s pain seriously?” and “Will SCOTUS let crisis pregnancy centers keep lying?” and “The Deafening Complacency of Melania Trump.”

“Independent, women-owned, and women-edited,” DAME’s tagline is, “For Women Who Know Better.” The outlet values critical analysis in the social, cultural and political spheres, and “breaks through conventional narratives.” Who wouldn’t want their name attached to such a classy, no-bullshit mission statement?

Continue reading “Behind The Editor’s Desk: Melissa Chadburn”

March 14, 2018March 14, 2018

Poem-a-Day as Practice

A tree with pink blooms next to a suburban sidewalk covered in shadows on a sunny day.

by Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo

I am not a morning pages poet, nor am I a write everyday poet. To write every day, or close to every day, is something I have to work at, and by work I mean, it takes trickery. It takes a challenge like Poem-A-Day that happens every April for National Poetry Month. If you’ve never heard of this event, it’s similar to National Novel Writing Month—commonly known as NaNoWriMo—in September but without the cute name. For the month of April, in celebration of NPM, poets around the country and even the world, challenge themselves to write one new poem a day for 30 days. To help, many websites and journals give daily writing prompts. Many are free and some take a subscription. But here’s the thing, you don’t have to wait for April to challenge yourself, and to be honest, I have never successfully accomplished writing 30 poems in 30 days in April, and to be even more honest, I’ve only tried once, maybe twice.

Continue reading “Poem-a-Day as Practice”

March 8, 2018March 8, 2018

Welcome to the New Women Who Submit Site!

Brand new address, same stellar submission info you’ve come to expect from us, with some new additions:

Join Us! – Learn about the various WWS chapters across North America
Resources – A collection of useful links for your publishing journey
Submit to Us! – We have four new columns! – Writing on a Budget (ed. Lisbeth Coiman), Breathe and Push (ed. Noriko Nakada), WWS Chapters Publication News (ed. Ashley Perez and Ramona Pilar), and Dear Submission Mistress (ed. Ashley Perez).
We’re on YouTube! – If you can’t make one of our workshops and have missed the Facebook Live Streams, no need to worry! We’re now uploading to YouTube following the sessions.

Peruse the site and enjoy! Happy submitting!

March 6, 2018

Writing on a Budget: Discounts

By Lisbeth Coiman

Although writing involves a desk and countless hours sitting in front of computer, it has a significant overhead cost. Expenses add up pretty quickly and include items as varied as office supplies to car expenses. We learn to make informed decisions, and find the discounts to finance projects or conferences.

Early Bird Registration

Careful planning is the key to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration for conferences, especially those asking up to $300 (airfare, lodging, and food & beverages not included). Early registration can save you 15% off the total cost. The Early Bird discount is not restricted to large events and can be found in most small and local workshops and classes. Plan ahead to catch limited-time opportunities for conferences like Mendocino Coast Writers Conferences. Continue reading “Writing on a Budget: Discounts”

February 28, 2018March 6, 2018

A WWS Publication Roundup for February

The month may be short but the list of WWS publications is long. Congratulations to everyone who had work published in February!

From Claudine Burnett‘s “A Look at Bygone Days” at Signal Tribune:

In researching a possible new book on African-Americans in our community, I came across a California State Office of Historic Preservation report (“An Ethnic Sites Survey for California”) that mentioned that most people seemed to believe that, before 1940, there were virtually no African-Americans in the state. But there were.

Also from Claudine, “Lost Love Found” at Long Beach 908:

It was a story that brought many a tear to the eyes of many Los Angeles Herald readers the morning of August 28, 1898. It appeared that Leslie Newlin, one of the crew of the on the yacht Dawn, had found a long lost wife and she a long lost husband. Continue reading “A WWS Publication Roundup for February”

February 21, 2018March 5, 2018

Learning to Breathe and Push through the Darkness

By Noriko Nakada

A few days before 2017 came to a close, my family and I drove through a cold, dark night from Oregon to Southern California. As we sped along that long stretch of freeway, my partner and I took turns driving, while our kids slept in the back seat. I dozed off when I could, and when I couldn’t, I stared out at the dark landscape rushing past us: distant mountains pressed up against the horizon, shadows of hills crouched beneath a starless sky. Occasionally, I’d pull out my phone, and gaze at pictures of friends celebrating holidays with family and friends or news updates. That was when I first caught civil rights attorney Valarie Kaur’s speech, “Breathe and Push.”

In her address, delivered at an interfaith watch night on New Year’s Eve of 2016, she spoke about her Sikh grandfather’s immigration to this country, and the white man who came to his aid, rescuing him from a dark cell. She spoke about the injustices and discrimination that dripped across each generation in her family, and how members of her family stood up to hatred. She spoke about raising her young son to see a world that is magical, but the fear that she is bringing her brown son into a world that is even more dangerous than the one where she grew up. But after examining these dark corners where our nation lurks asks:

“What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb? What if our America is not dead, but a country that is waiting to be born? What if the story of America is one long labor?” Continue reading “Learning to Breathe and Push through the Darkness”

February 14, 2018

Our Voices: Adopted People of Color

by Julayne Lee

Several years ago I attended a conference in Minnesota with overseas adopted Koreans. One of the evening events was a spoken word and poetry showcase featuring only adopted Korean artists. I had been to several poetry readings but this was the first one where our perspectives and experiences were centered. My friend who had gone to poetry readings with me leaned over and said, “This is for us.” It was special, unique and amplified our voices and lives.

I moved to Los Angeles a few years ago and participated in Writ Large Press’ first #90for90. When I heard they would host #90X90LA again in 2017, I knew I wanted to curate an event, and I wanted it to center adopted people of color. On a very hot Saturday afternoon in September, we gathered at Cielo gallery, and I hosted Our Voices: A Reading & Discussion with Adoptees of Color. We believe it to be the first ever poetry reading by adopted POC in Los Angeles, which featured Lynne Thompson, Dr. Michael Datcher and Yun-Sook Navarre. I had let the poets know they could read anything adoption related or not but the majority of what they chose to share was about adoption. It was a powerful experience for the poets and the audience, some of whom identify as adopted POC. For some, it was their first time being in an adoptee-centered environment. Continue reading “Our Voices: Adopted People of Color”