[Critique Group 2] FW: Hello from The Avocet to all the BOE poets - Here is our Winter printed issue of The Avocet pdf file for your reading enjoyment.

Mon Jan 10 00:10:04 EST 2022

Standing in the lonely light of the silver moon
looking over maps of memories for the road...
 -Michael Nesmith
 1942-2021
____
spiritwind at pmpmail.com

Original Message: 
From: Charles Portolano <cportolano at hotmail.com>
To: Charles and Elvira Portolano <angeldec24 at hotmail.com>
Subject: Hello from The Avocet to all the BOE poets - Here is our Winter
printed issue of The Avocet pdf file for your reading enjoyment.
Date: 
Fri, 7 Jan 2022 23:19:53 +0000

Dear BOE poets:

   Hello, Happy New Year.  Finally, the printed issues of The Avocet, a
Journal of Nature Poetry, were sent out today, and since we
published/shared the wonderful work of 12 of your BOE poets, we decided to
share this issue with all the poets who submitted work for our Weekly
Avocet issue - #467.  In the above attachment is the pdf file of our
printed Winter issue for your reading enjoyment.
   We invite you to submit for our Spring printed issue.  We look forward
to reading your Spring submissions soon.

Be well, keep safe,

Charles

Spring is a time of Rebirth!

    Yes, we know we are just entering into Winter, but now is the time to
start thinking about your Spring submissions for our next printed issue. 
Our submission period for our Spring printed issue is Dec. 23rd to February

23rd.

     Please think about the theme of Rebirth, because that's what Spring
is all about.  Please think about writing about the birth of new offspring
of your favorite wild animal.  Use the internet to research the facts about
that favorite

wild "friend."  Then let your imagination fly and send us what you have
written.  Let's not just write about the color green.  Let's write about
the Rebirth of our World, our gardens, our hopes, young ones learning to
run wild, learning to love life.

    Every time Vivi and I sit down to read for the next printed issue we
have a theme in mind.  Below are quotes that tell what we are looking for
in this next issue.  We feel blessed to have the best Nature poets in
America.  Putting each issue together is such great fun, but tough picking
the ones that fit our mindset.  So, please read the meaning of Rebirth and
the quotes, and as Winter goes into Spring, you might just have a perfect
poem or two for the Spring printed issue of Avocet, a Journal of Nature
Poetry.

   We look forward to reading your Spring submissions.

   Thank you for reading the guidelines below before submitting

Rebirth

the process of being reincarnated or born again.

"the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth"

the action of reappearing or starting to flourish or increase after a
decline; revival.

"the rebirth of a defeated nation"

synonyms:

revival<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+revival&FORM=DCTRQY> ·
renaissance<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+renaissance&FORM=DCTRQY> ·
renascence<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+renascence&FORM=DCTRQY> ·
resurrection<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+resurrection&FORM=DCTRQY>
· reawakening<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+reawakening&FORM=DCTRQY>
· renewal<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+renewal&FORM=DCTRQY> ·
resurgence<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+resurgence&FORM=DCTRQY> ·
regeneration<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+regeneration&FORM=DCTRQY>
· restoration<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+restoration&FORM=DCTRQY>
· new beginning ·
revitalization<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+revitalization&FORM=DCTRQ
Y> ·
rejuvenation<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+rejuvenation&FORM=DCTRQY>
·
revivification<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+revivification&FORM=DCTRQ
Y> ·
reincarnation<https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+reincarnation&FORM=DCTRQY>

Rebirth in Buddhism refers to the teaching that the actions of a person
lead to a new existence after death, in an endless cycle called sa?sara.
This cycle is considered to be dukkha, unsatisfactory and painful. The
cycle stops only if moksha is achieved by insight and the extinguishing of
craving. Rebirth is one of the foundational doctrines of Buddhism, along
with karma, Nirvana and moksha.

"Spring is the time of plans and projects." - Leo Tolstoy

 "Oh, Spring! I want to go out and feel you and get inspiration. My old
things seem dead. I want fresh contacts, more vital searching." - Emily
Carr

"Spring adds new life<https://parade.com/937586/parade/life-quotes/> and
new beauty to all that is." - Jessica Harrelson

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not
sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." - Anne
Bradstreet

"I enjoy the spring more than the autumn now. One does, I think, as one
gets older." - Virginia Woolf

"Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn."
- Lewis Grizzard

"The beautiful spring came, and when nature resumes her loveliness, the
human soul is apt to revive also." - Harriet Ann Jacobs

"An optimist is the human personification of Spring." - Susan J.
Bissonette

"Deep in their roots, all flowers keep their light." - Theodore Roethke

Let these themes/quotes play on your mind, then do a little, fun
researching, let that research ruminate for a while, then write.

Guidelines for the Spring printed issue of The Avocet

Submission Period is from Dec. 23rd to February 23rd.

Spring-themed issue

                                     Please read the guidelines below
before submitting.

We want to save you time, money and not waste paper

So, we ask you submit your work on-line to:

cportolano at hotmail.com<mailto:cportolano at hotmail.com>

in ONE Word Attachment, please no pdf files

or you can send in the body of an email,

or you can send by snail mail:

(In our hands, not postmarked)

The Avocet, a Journal of Nature Poetry

Charles Portolano, Editor/Publisher

P.O. Box 19186

Fountain Hills, AZ  85269

cportolano at hotmail.com<mailto:cportolano at hotmail.com>

We welcome previously published poems.

    Think of the Season when you send us your work. We want Spring-themed
poems for the Spring issue, but, of course, there are those Saving Mother
Earth poems that transcend the seasons, they are always welcome at any time
of the year. We love poems with animals in them, even better, poems with
humans interacting with animals out and about in Nature. Send poems written
about the beginning of a new season and the end of a Season. In each issue,
we try to present a cubistic view of a season, to display Nature in all her
splendor.  We use your poems to tell the story of each season... from
beginning to its end.

    It is such a great honor to be the Editors/Publishers of The Avocet.
We love being poets. We love knowing if we 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.

    We believe the main purpose and focus of our being editors is to
promote the best Nature poetry possible in each issue. We believe Poetry is
everywhere, in everyone. We believe if everyone wrote poetry, we would have
a better, kinder, more caring, planet Earth to live on. We believe we as
poets belong to a community who has a fiduciary duty to spread the word of
poetry.

    We are looking for poetry that moves the reader through the beauty,
the peace, and the fury of Nature in all its glory. We love poems that have
people interacting with nature. We love poems that have animals in their
element. We love poems that have a message! We believe the purpose of
poetry is to provoke thought!

Here are our guidelines, please follow:

We welcome previously published poems.

But no simultaneous submissions.

We will not read submissions that are not addressed to us - Charles and
Vivi.

Only one batch of poems submitted per reading period.

Please no religious references.

Send no more than four poems, all in one attachment.

No more than 39 lines per poem. (spaces between stanzas count as lines)

Do not use fancy font, which only confuses the scanner.

All poems must be left margin formatted.

Use single spaced lines.

Do not use all Caps in the title.

Please, please type your name/town and state/email address underneath
each poem, thank you.

Please, we want a short bio so we can get to know you, the poets, of the
Avocet community better! We don't care to hear where you have been
published before. Please tell us of your love of Nature.

We 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.

Please notify us of any change of address. We will not send out another
copy to a new address if you fail to tell us. Also, we mail by bulk mail,
which will not be forwarded.

So you know: If you would like to do a Showcase that would go directly
into the homes of 300 Nature-loving poets and people of The Avocet
community, please put together a short intro about your book for our/your
readers, why you wrote it?  How did you come up with the title? If it comes
from one of your poems from the book, please use it as of your three poems
for your Showcase. Why should the reader buy your book?  A short write up
about you, the author.  3 short reviews. 3 poems, if possible, Nature ones.
 Please have your info under each poem.  The number of pages and poems? How
can they buy a signed copy from you?  How much?
   This is your showcase so have fun putting it together to get our
readers to become your readers of your book. I have final approval, of
course.
   Please send in the body of an email a cover photo to be included in
your Showcase.
   There is a $25 fee for your Showcase and a signed copy of your book if
you are a subscribing member and $50 + a signed copy if you are not.

   No other links to publishers, no links to Amazon, only your email
address will be listed.  We want our poets to get in contact with each
other, then you can send the reader wherever you want.

Tips for Navigating the World of Poetry Submissions

by Meghan Christie and Sean Glatch

Finding a home for your poem can be frustrating -- there are so many
homes to choose from! What's more, many journals don't allow simultaneous
submissions or take weeks to review your poem, so some poets spend months
finding publication for their work. Finding the right journal that's
accepting poetry submissions is daunting, to say the least.

It's important to understand the poetry submissions process. Most
importantly, no poem is guaranteed publication. Poetry reviewers look over
hundreds of submissions for each publication, and they often have to make
tough decisions about great poems. Good, publishable poems receive
rejections all the time, often because a journal has a finite amount of
space to publish each month.

Despite the competitive nature of poetry journals, you can take specific
steps to improve your chances of publication.

Despite the competitive nature of poetry journals, there are specific
steps you can take to improve your chances of publication. Do all of the
following before you submit poetry to a journal.

Review the Journal's Past Publications

It's good practice to read what the journal has published in the past.
Though many online poetry journals accept a wide range of styles and forms,
poetry editors still have preferences for what kind of poetry they like to
read and publish. Examine the journal's past publications with a critical
eye and consider whether or not your poem fits among the journal's ranks.

Follow Formatting Guidelines

When poetry magazines accept submissions, they often include formatting
guidelines alongside their submission rules. It's best to follow these
guidelines, as well as general MLA formatting rules. Use 1-inch margins, a
12-point font, and double space stanzas. Taking the time to properly format
demonstrates a seriousness about your poetry, whereas unformatted poems may
not receive proper attention.

Perfect The Poem's Title

The journal's reader is looking for something that grabs their attention
right away. A well-titled poem with a stand-out first line will be far more
eye-catching than an untitled poem with a slow start. Remember, the reader
goes through hundreds of submissions every month, so poetry submissions
should stand out from the beginning!

Shoot for the Moon, not the Stars

Lastly, it's important to note that not all poetry journals are made
equal. The poetry world is competitive, and poets often have to secure
publications from lesser-known journals before they attempt publication
through a reputable magazine.

Closing Thoughts on Poetry Magazine Submissions

The publishing world is tough, fast, and competitive. The internet has
expanded poetry's readership and writership; this is a good thing, but with
so many other voices, it can be hard to know where to submit your poetry to
add your voice to the conversation. You may encounter one rejection, five
rejections, or fifty rejections before you find a home for your poem. Don't
let this deter you.

Often, a rejection of your poetry submission has nothing to do with the
quality of your work. Rather, poetry editors have a limited amount of space
per publication, and they look to publish poems that, when read together,
create a bigger conversation. A rejection can simply mean your poems didn't
work for that issue, for reasons completely out of your control.

Don't think of a rejection letter as a "rejection," think of it as: there
is a better home for my poetry.

Finally, poetry journals are subjective in their treatment of the poetry
submissions they receive. After all, journals are run by humans, and
although many humans try to be objective in their tastes and preferences,
objectivity is impossible in the arts. Again, don't think of a rejection
letter as a "rejection." Think of it as follows: there are other places to
submit poetry, and there is a better home for my poetry.

5 tips to help get your poetry published.

  1.  Never write to "To whom it may concern" or editor or, even worse,
no name at all. Do your homework and find out the editor's (or editors')
name. Please never send a form letter.
  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/reader 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 39 lines, don't send poems that are longer.

  1.  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 poets do this. I always write a Thank you,
always. It is a missed opportunity to have a closer relationship with your
editor when you don't write them.

    We are looking forward to seeing/reading what Spring brings to your
mind, then to your hand onto to the page to be share with all of us in The
Avocet Community of Nature-loving people and poets.

 Charles, Vivi, and Valerie, Editors