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In support of Literary Journals…a free gift to all writers. By Wilson Wyatt, Executive Editor, Delmarva Review

21 Thursday Feb 2019

Posted by Wilson Wyatt Jr. in Inspiration, Maryland, The Delmarva Review, Uncategorized, Writing, Writing and publishing today

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Acceptance, Authors, Books, Commercial Magazines, Critics, Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, Discovery, Eastern Shore Writers Association, Editors, Essays, Fiction, Literary Arts, Literary Journal, Literary Magazines, Maryland, Nonfiction, Poetry, Rejection, Short Stories, The Writer's Center, Virginia, Writers

Delmarva Review, Volume 11 – evocative prose and poetry

One of the great ironies in the writing business is the persistent misunderstanding by many writers of the purpose of literary journals.  Message to writers: We’re not against you; we exist for you.

Here is a good example of the potential value of literary reviews. Recently I received a personal email from an aspiring poet thanking us, as the editors of Delmarva Review, for printing his work four years earlier. We had published six of his poems, as a collection, to show the strength of his voice. In his email, the poet explained that our belief in his work bolstered his perseverance to write his best work, which resulted in a publisher producing his first book, as well as his receiving a National Endowment for the Arts literary fellowship.

He was excited; he shared his exhilaration. As executive editor, I felt we had received the ultimate reward for our efforts. Delmarva Review had succeeded in meeting a major objective—to encourage writers in their pursuit of literary excellence. It was working.

However, my sense of satisfaction was short-lived.

Later that day, I attended a writers’ reading at a local library. I enjoy hearing authors tell their stories in their unique voice. One of the writers came up to me to complain, with some bitterness, that after several repeated rejections, that person would never again submit to our journal. It was disheartening, but I listened. I explained why acceptance in Delmarva Review was competitive and to keep trying. Reliance on high standards assures a publication that earns respect throughout the literary community. That respect is totally transferrable to the writers whose work we publish.

We receive thousands of submissions annually. At least two experienced editors or readers read every one of them (at no cost to the writer). If a writer’s work is accepted, it is an accomplishment. Our readers–who include writers, editors and teachers–should expect to read a higher quality of writing in a literary journal than in a standard commercial magazine or book.

Unfortunately, rejection is a necessary part of the process. Any way you say it, rejection is rejection.

About rejection – We editors often tell each other that experienced writers understand rejection. But, the truth is, we’re all human, and one of the fallacies of human behavior is the frequent inability by artists, experienced or not, to recognize and appraise the limits of their own writing. Self-appraisal of an author’s writing is usually tainted by bias. Hopefully, we all like our own work. That’s only the beginning. Developing the ability to make a realistic assessment and knowing where to market one’s work is very, very difficult. But, not to try assures the hardness of rejection.

Speaking for Delmarva Review, we created it for the benefit of writers. “Literary” refers to writing that rises to a high artistic level. Cutting through a lot of philosophical thought, it is simply the pursuit of the best of literary art and beauty.  It is beyond craft.  Literary journals help assure a societal pathway toward continued literary excellence.

The literary journal gives writers an opportunity to publish their best efforts, a place to showcase their highest aspirations, and to be recognized for it. At a time when so many commercial publications are retracting, or going out of business, journals offer a respected, permanent place to print the best writing a writer can create. We have no other agenda. We are independent. We are nonprofit, and our editors draw no salaries. We care about the appearance of the writer’s words on a printed page and the thoughts behind them. Above all, we hope that our discoveries become the discoveries of other discerning readers and publishers who actively seek the best writing they can find.

The benefit to us is the reward of knowing that we have encouraged writers to exceed by offering a possible venue for their most creative expression.

So…don’t give up. If you’re a writer, a literary journal like Delmarva Review is your friend. We take pleasure in discovering your best. Rejection may or may not be a part of that process. But, if you try, you may very well succeed at something very special, very fulfilling.

For information and submissions, see our new website: www.DelmarvaReview.org.

Pushcart Nominations announced by The Delmarva Review – 2014

19 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by Wilson Wyatt Jr. in Maryland, Poetry, The Delmarva Review, Uncategorized, Writing

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Bay to Ocean Writers Conference, Creative Nonfiction, Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, Discovery, District of Columbia, Eastern Shore Writers Association, Editors, Essays, Literary Reviews, Maryland, MidAtlantic States, Poetry, Pushcart Prize, Recognition, Short Fiction, The Delmarva Review, Virginia, Worldwide Distribution

The Delmarva Review, vol. 7, cover

The Delmarva Review, vol. 7, cover photo by Roger Camp     Click on image for larger view

It’s that special time of year for all of us as editors.  With pleasure, The Delmarva Review has nominated six authors for a Pushcart Prize for exceptional poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writing.

Poetry nominations were: “Devil on an Elevator,” by Charlie Clark, of Austin, Texas, “For the Readers of Graves,” by Adam McGee, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and “Morning Paper,” by John Palen, of Urbana, Illinois.

“Widow Fantasies,” a personal essay by Randon Billings Noble, of Washington, D.C., was nominated for nonfiction.

Short story nominations included “The Mythology of the Wife,” by August Evans, of Seattle, Washington, and “Robot on a Park Bench,” by Brandon Getz, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“We are excited that our authors have the opportunity for a Pushcart Prize,” said Wilson Wyatt, executive editor of the Review. “Discovery of new literary writing and recognition of the authors are essential to our purpose.”

The Delmarva Review, published annually by the Eastern Shore Writers Association, in Easton, Maryland, is open to all writers.  Over a thousand authors submitted writing for the 2014 edition.  During a seven-year history, 60 percent of its published authors have come from the tri-state Delmarva region.  In all, the writers are from 27 states, Washington, D.C., and nine foreign countries.

The Review’s nominations were selected from 40 authors of poems, stories, and essays in its seventh annual edition.  Pushcart editors will make a selection from all nominations to publish in the 2015 anthology, The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses XL.

For Writers, the 2015 Submissions Period is Open

The new submissions period for The Delmarva Review is open now through February 28, 2015.  A submission link is posted on the “guidelines” page of the website www.delmarvareview.com.

The Review is carried by the following regional bookstores: the News Center, in Easton, MD, Mystery Loves Company, in Oxford, MD, and The Writer’s Center, in Bethesda, MD.

Both print and digital editions can be purchased from all major online booksellers, including Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Apple. The worldwide availability of the Review greatly expands the potential readership of an author’s work.

The Eastern Shore Writers Association’s website is http://www.easternshorewriters.org. The organization also holds the annual Bay to Ocean Writers Conference (February 28), website http://www.baytoocean.com.

 

Sharing Words and Images Beyond Boundaries

06 Saturday Aug 2011

Posted by Wilson Wyatt Jr. in Photography, Uncategorized, Writing

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Beauty, Behavior, Boundaries, Chesapeake Bay, Creative Spirit, Creativity, Discovery, Feelings, Freedom, Images, Knowledge, Limitations, Photography, Sunrise, Words, Writing

Writing and photography are bridges transcending human boundaries.  Some people would attach rules to them, but once seen or read, beauty is uncontainable.  It is unleashed.  Each of us has that freedom, within our minds, to touch our creative spirit.   Words and images allow us to connect as people, to share expression and understand feelings of fear, loss, love, and happiness, regardless of where we live or who we are.  The power is within us.

Morning Sunrise, Chesapeake Bay - Copyright 2010 by Wilson Wyatt Jr. (Click on image for full size)

We limit ourselves with boundaries.  They can be our homes, our towns, our countries…perhaps the color of our skin, our gender or age, our beliefs or language.  It’s a natural behavior.  All animals have it. Yet, we have choices as human beings.  We posture ourselves as superior forms of life on Earth, striving to better ourselves…searching for peace, yet starting wars…building great buildings, then tearing them down…writing laws to protect us from each other…talking about purity, then polluting the air, water and soil…seeking truth, but not recognizing the truths around us…holding ourselves better than others, while suffering the same weaknesses.  Recognizing how we aspire to improve, it’s mysterious why we conjure so many boundaries, preventing discovery and creativity, limiting our horizons. Is it knowledge we fear?  Perhaps it is fear, itself, that guides so many…the fear of what we don’t know.

This site is meant to explore creativity beyond boundaries, through words and images, while seeking understanding and connections with everyone. Welcome.

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