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Saturday, February 20, 2010

A Break in the Clouds



44º overcast with grayish layers of clouds

While it may be cloudy outside my window today, I did receive a little sunshine yesterday afternoon in the form of an acceptance email from the Georgetown Review. Many thanks to Lauren Martin and Steven Carter for sharing the good news with me. It couldn't have come at a better time, given the string of rejections I've had lately. Also, this is one of the newer poems from last fall, so it's good to know I'm still doing something someone likes and wants to read/publish. Another awesome thing about this acceptance is that I had submitted again to GR based on a handwritten note from Emma Bolden, the poetry editor, on my first submission. She encouraged me to send again, and I did. Usually, this doesn't turn into a publication, but this time it did (happy dance).

Of course, ye olde rejection machine just couldn't rest. About two hours after the acceptance, I received a rejection email from a journal for which I had such a strong feeling and good hope. Thanks to my friend Anne for reminding what that great movie The Big Lebowski has to say on the subject: “Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear, well, he eats you.”

Now, my composition students beckon me to finish grading their papers already!

"The dude abides."

13 comments:

Justin Evans said...

As we would say in the army (because we used the bear metaphor decades befor TBL): "That's ate-up!"

Still, congratulations on the acceptance. GR is a great place to have a poem.

Sandy Longhorn said...

Thanks, J.!

Nancy Devine said...

sandy-
congrats on the acceptance.

i've heard people say something is "ate-up" and never knew where it came from. (thanks justin)

Sandy Longhorn said...

Thanks, N.!

Anne Greenwood said...

the dude abides with my grading stack too. sadly, the papers don't tie the room together in any way.

Sandy Longhorn said...

A., :)

Susan Rich said...

Congratulations! And keep doing the happy dance - GR is a wonderful publication.

Sandy Longhorn said...

Thanks, S. Still dancing here.

Anonymous said...

Hurrah! Hurrah! So happy to hear! Congratulations to you!

Suzanne said...

Congrats!

Sandy Longhorn said...

Thanks, thanks, thanks to everyone!

Joshua Robbins said...

Congratulations, Sandy. What a great place for your work. When the issue comes out, I hope you'll go bowling to celebrate. Here's to more strikes!

Sandy Longhorn said...

J., my bowling pseudonym is Irene, and I've been known to knock the pins down a time or two. :)