Dear Readers, It is my pleasure to present the revival issue of The Literary Nest. I had to take a prolonged break from publishing the journal. During that time, I wasn’t certain that I would ever be back. But as with any creative venture, inspiration strikes when you are sitting idly. I read some amazing metrical poetry and wanted you all to have a taste of it. Who knows, more people would be submitting metrical, formal poetry in addition to the free verse and prose poetry. I do hope you enjoy this issue. I am going back to the quarterly publishing schedule as before. The next issue will be the winter issue coming out mid-January. Please comment below on this issue. I look forward to engaging with the readers.
Category Archives: Announcements
We are back.
After a long hiatus, The Literary Nest is back.
Thank you, dear readers, for your continuous support. The Literary Nest is back with a few changes, primarily in the publishing calendar and the submission processing. The poems will appear online as soon as they are accepted. The complete issue will be deemed published twice a year, most likely in January and July. I will let you know the details as I iron them out. Meanwhile, I look forward to reading your poems. I have missed that for the last few years when The Literary Nest was on hiatus. I welcome you with all my heart. — Pratibha
Indefinite Hiatus
The Literary Nest journal will begin an indefinite hiatus beginning July 1, 2021. Hence all submissions will be closed as of June 28, and the summer issue will be released on June 30, 2021. After that, the blog will continue to be updated often with material from archives and new poetry-related posts.
Turning Over the New Leaf
The Literary Nest will turn 6 in 2021. In the past six years, we have published some great poetry and also fiction. Except for a handful of initial pieces, every poem and story published here came from unsolicited submissions. I am so grateful for the poets, writers, and a few visual artists who trusted us with their precious words and images. To keep up with the changing needs of the submitters and our scarce staff, I propose a new journal model.
Beginning in January, the journal will provide almost instant gratification to the poets. The outline of how it will work follows.
- The submissions will be open all through the year.
- If a poem is accepted, we will post it online immediately.
- If your poem doesn’t appear online within a month, please consider it as rejected.
- We will not send out formal acceptance or rejection.
- At the end of the quarter, the journal will announce the publication of the quarterly issue.
- We may hold occasional contests, and each contest will have separate guidelines posted if and when we hold a contest.
The primary motivation behind this policy is that I don’t particularly appreciate sending rejection letters. It is excruciating for me to write one. As a poet, I am also on the receiving end of such letters, and no matter how polite of encouraging it is or how valid the reasoning behind it, it is still a rejection, and there is no way to sugarcoat it.
This new model will be good for the readers as there will be ongoing fresh content and suitable for the poets as they will get a quick turnaround for their submissions.
Feel free to send your feedback either in the email or in the comments below.
Stay tuned for the regular winter issue coming out on December 30th.
100 Thousand Poets for Change Reading
The reading and an open mic for poets for change. If you have a poem about positive social change that you would like to share with the world, join us for this reading.
What: Open Poetry Reading
Who: Poets and Poetry Lovers
Why: We care about building a better society by effecting positive social change.
When: Wednesday, September 23, 2 PM (PDT)
Where: online via zoom (RSVP appreciated – theliterarynest@gmail.com)
Topic: 100TPC Reading
Time: Sep 23, 2020 02:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 883 9504 2137
Passcode: 394304
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Reading – 100 Thousand Poets for Change
If you would like to join, register by contacting us at theliterarynest@gmail.com with the subject line “100TPC Reading.” Upon successful registration, you will receive a zoom link on September 22.
Theme and poetic forms for Fall Issue – Fire
Dear Poets,
This post will guide you to navigate the submission guidelines for the fall 2020 issue. The theme for the fall issue is ‘fire.’ As always, you are free to interpret the theme the way you seem fit. Fire can be an actual fire, emotional rage, an idea that catches fire, and so on. Just let your imagination guide you.
About the forms that we are looking for this issue are,
Pantoum
Bop
Villanelle
Golden Shovel
Ballad
Check out the blog articles about these forms on this site and are linked above. Happy writing and submitting.
June 2020 Poetic Response – Call for Submissions
Poets, if you are agitated, angry, sad, or confused by the current racially charged situation in the USA, speak out. We are all trying to make sense of the killing of George Floyd, the latest black man to die in police custody. While we, as artists, grapple with our own conscience, try to understand how we can bring the change to our own actions and attitudes that will make a small change in the world around us, we can use the one tool at our disposal, our voice.
You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn’t do anything to the object of its displeasure. So use that anger, yes. You write it. You paint it. You dance it. You march it. You vote it. You do everything about it. You talk it. Never stop talking it.”
― Maya Angelou
Speak up, write, and send us your poems. We will have a separate “Poetic Response” section in the summer issue to be released on June 30th. The details are on the submissions page. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at theliterarynest@gmail.com.
National Poetry Month April – Write with us
The month of April is designated as National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poetry and poets. The tradition was initiated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. Since then many other poetry organizations have followed the tradition. The aim is to
- highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets,
- encourage the reading of poems,
- assist teachers in bringing poetry into their classrooms,
- increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media,
- encourage increased publication and distribution of poetry books, and
- encourage support for poets and poetry.
There are many ways to celebrate the month and many are listed on the Academy of American Poets website.
To honor the poets and poetry and encourage the writing of serious poetry, I am offering a community page where poets around the world can write a poem-a-day (or as many days as you want to) during the month of April 2020. I will provide a daily prompt for inspiration, but you don’t have to follow the prompt. As an additional incentive, if you write a great sonnet I might feature in the summer issue. The page will be password-protected to retain the future publication rights of the poet. This activity is totally free. There’s no charge to participate. So, sharpen your pencils. You have the whole month of March to do that. Go ahead, sign up and see you in April. To sign up for the activity, leave a comment below and send your email contact to theliterarynest@gmail.com by March 30th, so I can send you the password. I will open the page for writing on April 1.
Villanelle Contest
This is a sweet opportunity for readers who also write poetry. You could win cash prizes in addition to the useful poetry anthology signed and inscribed by our esteemed judge Annie Finch. Check the contest guidelines.
Don’t wait. The deadline will arrive faster than you think. If you need inspiration, this article is here to jumpstart your imagination.
The Literary Nest 