At the very top of MK, you'll find a list of inner links (known as "pages"); click on them for information about writing, publishing and publications (such as CALLIOPE'S CLOSET for inspiration and MEDUSA MULLS for what that cranky old battle-ax has up her sleeve), plus other poet-phernalia.
•••SOW: Check on Tuesdays for our Seed of the Week (SOW). Of course, your poems don't have
to be based on the SOW; the "seeds" are just there to get you going if
you feel stuck. What triggers a poem in you? A stray word, a shocking
scene, something that evokes a memory? Our SOWs are intended to,
hopefully, inspire a poem in you the way something in "real" life does.
Come up with poems, photos and art (loosely, very loosely) based on our
SOWs and send 'em to kathykieth@hotmail.com/. No deadlines; save those
seeds for later if you want, when your Muse gets ornery and hides under
the bed. (There's a huge list of past SOWs in the Calliope's Closet link.)
Here's how to send stuff to MK:
•••NO COVER letter needed, though it's nice to have a couple of words of chitchat and where you're from; email kathykieth@hotmail.com. (If you email, it's probably best to put "poetry" and/or "submission" in the letter heading.) All poets are welcome from any locale, but we do like to list where people are located, so please include that. If you absolutely have to send poems by snail, write to me and ask for an address.
•••ANY NUMBER of poems is okay; no need to stick to the usual 3-5. The snakes of Medusa are always hungry! (A daily blog is relentless...)
•••POETRY is what we do here, not short stories, even though the dividing line between prose poetry and short shorties is pretty slim. Use your own discretion about the difference. But remember that, even though we have almost infinite room on the blog, we prefer to stick with poetry.
•••SEND VISUALS: photos, art. These can be intended to illustrate your poems or not, and they can be your own photos or from public domain. It's best if you can send them as separate attachments, rather than in the manuscript itself, but I'll make it work either way.
•••SEND NEWS: events/announcements/links/journal news. Poet-phernalia, in other words.
•••TURN-AROUND TIME is very, very short. I usually respond within a day or two (if I don't, please write and ask if I got it!). Almost all styles and content are welcome; we are an equal-opportunity publisher. Watch out for poems that are too long, though, like pages and pages and pages, or political or religious rants, or stuff that's too racy... (Medusa does like her juice, so to speak, but we don't want to get linked to too many porno sites.) And I'll let you know the exact day your work will appear.
•••REVISIONS: Be sure that whatever you send Medusa is in its final form. We post the first version you send; we can't be keeping track of revisions, fer criminy's sake.
•••RIGHTS remain with the poets. A word about COPYRIGHT: Unless you have written to the Library of Congress and obtained the copyright of your work, it isn't official—and that includes the old myth about mailing it to yourself. And writing on the paper that it's copyrighted by you won't cut it, either.
•••PREVIOUSLY-PUBLISHED POEMS are okay for MK, as long as you own the rights. If it's worth publishing once, it's worth seeing again, yes?
•••SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: We'd prefer NOT to receive simultaneous submissions. It messes with the rights, and most publishers hate it. I think I do. It just seems wrong on so many levels.
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In sum, Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their POETRY, PHOTOS and ART, as well as announcements of Northern California poetry events (or those accessible by Zoom from other areas) to kathykieth@hotmail.com for posting on this daily Snake blog. Rights remain with the poets. Previously-published poems are okay for Medusa’s Kitchen, as long as you own the rights. (Please cite publication.) We'd prefer not to receive simultaneous submissions, though (it messes with the rights, and most publishers hate it.) Also—Medusa cannot vouch for the moral fiber of other publications, contests, etc. that she lists, so submit to them at your own risk.
CARPE VIPERIDAE—Seize the Snake!
