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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.

 

Public Radio Delmarva features the new “Delmarva Review”

11 Tuesday Nov 2014

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

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"A Limited Sky", Author Ree Davis, Authors, Book Reviews, Delaware, Eastern Shore Writers Association, Editors, Literary Journals, Maryland, Personal Essays, Poetry, Salisbury Players, Short Stories, The Delmarva Review, Writing

Recording in the WSDL studio, Delmarva Public Radio, are(l to r) George Merrill, Wendy Elizabeth Ingersoll, Wilson Wyatt, with show host Harold   Wilson

Recording in the WSDL 90.7 studio, Delmarva Public Radio, are(l to r) nonfiction editor George Merrill, poet Wendy Elizabeth Ingersoll, executive editor Wilson Wyatt, with show host Harold Wilson, fiction editor      Click on image for larger view

“Delmarva Today – Writer’s Edition” highlighted the new issue of The Delmarva Review, a literary journal, in a one-hour radio show, which included interviews and a dramatic reading by actors of one of the short stories in the Review.

Poet Wendy Elizabeth Ingersoll read from her poetry and was interviewed by program host Harold Wilson. Also interviewed were nonfiction editor George Merrill and executive editor Wilson Wyatt. The literary journal, published by the Eastern Shore Writers Association, printed an expanded edition of poetry, short stories and essays. It is available in print and e-book editions at major online booksellers, like Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Apple, and others. It is also carried by regional book stores, the News Center, in Easton, and Mystery Loves Company, in Oxford.

RADIO BROADCAST link:  http://delmarvapublicradio.net/post/delmarva-today-writers-edition-17

AMAZON link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OPP6BZ4

A wonderful task for an editor. . . Pushcart Prize nominations!

03 Tuesday Dec 2013

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

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Authors, Book Reviews, Creative Nonfiction, Eastern Shore Writers Association, Editors, Fiction, Inspiration, Literary Reviews, Literary Writing, Maryland, Poetry, Recognition, Submissions, The Delmarva Review, The Pushcart Prize, Writers

DR-6-Pushcart

 

The Delmarva Review nominated the writing of six authors for The Pushcart Prize. It’s one of the greatest pleasures an editor can experience, recognizing the writers among the best, all in contention with other selected authors around the nation, their work competing for the coveted Pushcart Prize.

Being nominated for a prestigious literary prize gives authors more than recognition.  It propels their work to another level of discovery.  It’s a powerful incentive for writers to seek the best in literary writing, one of the primary purposes of the Review.

Personally, this caps a long year of hard work.  A gifted team of editors, all skilled volunteers, can appreciate our selection of poetry and prose, all over again.  We’ve gone through the difficult task of reading hundreds of submissions, making tough choices, accepting and rejecting the words that so many authors have labored over, sometimes for years.

The selection process was followed by the careful eyes of our copy editor, proofreaders, and designer.  All of us felt an obligation to print a quality journal that respected the words of our authors.  This often goes unnoticed, but a fine literary review is not just glued together and haphazardly sent to readers or posted online.  It takes time, and a creative, caring hand.

The pleasure we feel today is from knowing that our authors appreciate their opportunity. It’s now up to another set of editors to make their choices. We’ll know next year.

The Delmarva Review nominations include:

–       “Writing My Way Home,” a personal essay by combat veteran Ron Capps

–       “Melissa,” a poem by William Peak

–       “Immigrant,” a poem by Holly Karapetkova

–       “November Morning,” a prose poem by Devon Miller-Duggan

–       “Dioscuri,” a poem by Paul Otremba

–       “Flowers Scarcely Withered,” a short story by Nancy Ford Dugan

Thank you to Pushcart Press for its continued support of literary work published in the small presses.  And, thank you to a gifted team at The Delmarva Review…and to our sponsor, the Eastern Shore Writers Association.   For more about the Review, copies, and submission guidelines, please see the website: www.delmarvareview.com.

 

 

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