Weird Circular #31 April

The April Weird Circular

This month's Weird Circular is live with submission ideas, prompts, and more!

Welcome to the Weird Circular

Dear Fellow Weird Writers,

It's April and that means

! Whether you participate in

 (Writing one poem a day in April) or just love to find new poetry reads, April is the best month for poetry! This month I am honored to be featured as the first poet in Houston Public Media's Voices and Verses series. Listen to me read my poem,

from my chapbook

 This month's Weird Circular is all poetry-themed, but I think even if you write fiction you'll find something you love in it.

Your corporeal host,

Holly 

Submission Calls

Upcoming Submission Windows: 

  • Shooter Literary Magazine, deadline April 21: Theme: Identity. Fiction (2k to 7k words), Poetry (Up to 3 poems). Pays 25 per story and £5 per poem.

  • Nonbinary Review, deadline April 22: Theme: The Works of H.G. Wells. Fiction/Nonfiction (Up to 3k words), Poetry (Up to 3 pages long, Up to 5 poems). Pays $.01/word for fiction, $10 for poetry.

  • Qommunicate Publishing: More Queer Families, deadline April 30: Theme: Stories and Poetry by/about Queer families. Nonfiction (Up to 3.5k words), Flash nonfiction (up to 1 page), Poetry (up to 5 pages). Pays $5/page.  

  • Museum of Americana, deadline April 30: Theme: creatures of all kinds: from pets to beasts of burden to wild—from real to imagined and beyond. Flash Fiction, Fiction (Up to 3k words), Poetry (3-5 poems). 

Need more submission ideas? Check the

newest markets,

, Duotrope's

,

, or Literary Mama's

.

YOU SHOULD BE WRITING

Prompt #1: Write a rhyming poem. I so rarely ask poets to do this because a lot of journals these days like free verse. But it's fun to stretch your abilities every once in a while. Write a sonnet, or pick a form

that rhymes. 

Bonus Round: Pick apart your poem and rewrite it in free verse. Which version do you like better?

Prompt #2: Write one line of a poem each day inspired by something that happened that day. By the end of the week, you'll have a 7-line poem. 

Bonus Round: If you're feeling like your poem isn't done yet, expand it into a 30-day poem by writing one line a day for a month. 

Prompt #3: Go to a museum, or look at museum galleries online. Draw your inspiration from collections of objects and artifacts from your favorite display. (If you're in Houston, check out the

!) 

Bonus Round: Create your own series of curious poems. Write a new poem about a

each day. 

Editing tip of the month: For editing poetry, my favorite technique is to simply rewrite the poem by hand or on a computer. Read it out loud while you rewrite it. Or, rewrite with the intent of changing every word to a similar word. See where your new poem takes you!

Inspiration from the Ether

♛ Weird Story of the Month: ‘’N’em’ by Jericho Brown ♛

➳ Craft Article of the Month: 4 Ways to Enjoy Daily Poetry this Month and Beyond ➳

♫ This month's writing music is from Doro ♫

News From Your Corporeal Host

Join the conversation

or to participate.