Two Sylvias Press 2022 Spring Newsletter
Our popular Summer/Fall Online Poetry Retreat is Back!
Hello Friends of Two Sylvias,
We hope that you are having an inspiring spring so far! Here in the Pacific Northwest we are still waiting for a break from the chill and rain, but we’re staying busy indoors with publishing books, creating material for our new subscription service (The Weekly Muse), and getting things in order for our upcoming online poetry retreats. These days we are often reminded of writer James Dickey’s words: A poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning.
It’s back for the 7th year! Our annual (and popular) Online Summer/Fall Poetry Retreat is open for sign-ups: https://twosylviaspress.com/online-poetry-retreat.html
Sign up and participate in the Two Sylvias Press online poetry retreat! Have one of your poems critiqued by Diane Seuss, Traci Brimhall, January Gill O'Neil, or Jennifer K. Sweeney for the summer sessions. Fall session poems will be critiqued by the editors of Two Sylvias.
We send you poetry prompts, example poems, creativity suggestions, and reflection questions to inspire your writing—ALL VIA EMAIL.
Dates:
July 4th - July 31st (July Session)
August 1st - August 28th (August Session)
October 3rd - October 30th (October Session)
Choose the session that best fits your schedule and sign up! Space is limited! Please visit our website to register: https://twosylviaspress.com/online-poetry-retreat.html
Enter the Two Sylvias Press 2022 Chapbook Prize!
Submission Dates: Feb. 1 - May 31
Judge: Diane Seuss (Diane Seuss just won the Pulitzer Prize on May 9th for her poetry collection frank: sonnets, published by Graywolf Press)
Winner receives $500, chapbook published by Two Sylvias Press, and an amethyst depression glass trophy.
Past Winners: Cecilia Woloch, Jasmine An, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Hiwot Adilow, Stella Wong, Christopher Salerno, Meg Griffitts, and Saúl Hernández.
Please visit our website for guidelines: https://twosylviaspress.com/chapbook-prize.html
Two Sylvias Publication News:
Now Available: Nightmares & Miracles by Michelle Bitting (winner of last year’s Wilder Poetry Book Prize)
“In Nightmares & Miracles, Michelle Bitting again proves herself as a poet, her inquiries vital and deep, her concerns darkly personal and conscientiously worldly. Charged with remarkable imagination and formal dexterity, these poems ring with clarity and precision.” ~Dorianne Laux
To learn more about Nightmares & Miracles and for purchasing info, visit our website: https://twosylviaspress.com/nightmares--miracles.html
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Coming in Fall of 2022: At Night My Body Waits by Saúl Hernández (winner of last year’s Two Sylvias Press Chapbook Prize, chosen by Victoria Chang)
“Put simply, the writing in this book is gorgeous: Dreams run in my family. In mine I/nail water to the wall, it runs down//my hands and splashes at my feet... These poems rely on language to create tension, to express the difficult road of self-acceptance and freedom. This is a coming of age story, of heartbreak, of struggle, of identity, of border, and ultimately of empowerment.” ~Victoria Chang
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Congratulations to Gail Griffin, winner of this year’s Wilder Poetry Book Prize!
Look for Gail’s full-length collection to be published in Spring of 2023. Born in Detroit, Gail Griffin has had a 36-year career at Kalamazoo College, teaching literature and writing. She is the author of four books of nonfiction, including The Events of October: Murder-Suicide on a Small Campus (2010) and Grief’s Country: A Memoir in Pieces (2020). Her poetry chapbook, Virginals, was published in 2021.
Join the Two Sylvias’ Weekly Muse!
The Weekly Muse is a paid subscription that you will receive each Sunday, and we’ve loaded it with information and content to assist you in your poetry journey from inspiration to publication!
Subscribe and each Sunday you will receive:
*Poetry Exercises / Prompts
*Ask the Editors Column and Exclusive Interviews with Poets
*A Creativity Reflection Question for Journaling
*Where to Submit Your Work
*Giveaways and News
*Inspiration and Helpful Tips
*An Optional Facebook Group
Please visit our subscription website to learn more. The link below will take you to our subscription archive page. Please scroll down to read the first issue of the Weekly Muse (May 1st), available for free for a limited time. Scroll down further to read a post that explains the Muse, titled “What is Two Sylvias Weekly Muse?”
https://twosylviaspress.substack.com/archive
The Weekly Muse is a way to invest in your own writing by helping you write more poems, learn tips on how to have your manuscript selected for publication, find new places to publish your work, and more! It’s like a poetry class that lasts the whole year and having your own creativity coach!
Poetry Prompt Time!
Enjoy this lighthearted prompt from one of our past April Prompts for National Poetry Month sessions:
She’s Got Betty Davis Thighs
Write a poem that mentions a misheard song lyric. For instance, some people have misheard the Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive” as “Steak and a Knife” or “Saying a Lie.” Others have mistaken this lyric from “Dancing Queen”: “feel the beat from the tambourine” as “feel the beat from the tangerine.” Some have misheard one of Elton John’s lyrics: “hold me closer, tiny dancer” as “hold me closer, Tony Danza.” Think about lyrics you haven’t heard correctly and include them in a poem. Have fun with this prompt!
Thank you so much for your support of our small press!
Please visit our Two Sylvias website: https://twosylviaspress.com/index.html
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twosylviaspress/
Find us on Twitter: @twosylviaspress
Contact: twosylviaspress@gmail.com
Happy Writing!
Kelli & Annette
Kelli Russell Agodon & Annette Spaulding-Convy
Cofounders & Coeditors of Two Sylvias Press