Inside – Published on Spillwords Press!

Posted by Brad Osborne on August 4, 2019 · 12 Comments 

I’ve been published on Spillwords Press! Read my poem at https://spillwords.com/inside/

In the early years of my writing, I tested the waters and submitted poetry pieces to several publications. I think it was my first foray into figuring out if my writing was any good. I had not yet started my blog and I had no other means of feedback save friends and family; whose bias would certainly dismiss any real critical critique. Eventually, one piece made the cut and was published in an extensive anthology of new poets and their works. It felt good. Someone else thought something I wrote was ‘good enough’. It also allowed me the status of being a published poet, which words I could never utter without it seeming to drip with ego. It did not bring fame, fortune, or great recognition, but it was the small validation I needed to not throw in the towel. It was a lot more writing and many more years before I started my blog.

Since then I have found my needed validation from the readers and followers of my blog. That has always been enough to keep me going, and I have learned to write for its own sake, thus needing much less validation.

Recently, after reading about the successes of some of my favorite bloggers, I again felt a desire to submit some of my works. Not for validation of my skills or abilities, but in search of a broader audience and greater exposure. It is still my dream to do this for a living. I chose to submit to an online publication as a start. This is usually a much easier process then submitting to print publishers and it directly connected to people who already use the digital medium for entertainment or information. It seemed like a good match.

I submitted one strict-form poem and one article of prose to Spillwords Press, whose mission is to give both, published and independent writers, a place where their works can have the proper exposure to readers, writers, other literary communities, as well as publication firms around the world. There online submission process is unbelievably easy, and they are excellent with their communications through the process.

I am happy to announce that the strict form poem, titled ‘Inside’, was accepted for publication and will be featured on their web site. You can read it here:

https://spillwords.com/inside/

Please support me by following the link to read it, as I am hoping the metrics from there site will put future submissions in a better light. I had written this many weeks ago and wanted so badly to share it with my readers that I struggled not to publish it before hearing back on my submission. But I had told them it was yet unpublished (this is a preference for them as they too are always looking for unique content found nowhere else) and did not want to feel like I misled them.

Oddly enough, the first poem, which carried me across the threshold of being a published writer, I now read and find I don’t like it much. I see a fight to maintain rhyme scheme, dotted with horrible attempts at maintaining any recognizable meter. This one I am much prouder of. An iambic dimeter that runs a little dark in comparison to most of my other writing. I hope you enjoy!

And again, thank you all for the daily support that keeps my pen moving!

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