Acceptance: Yes, Poetry!

http://yespoetry.tumblr.com/


Three poems accepted in Yes, Poetry!


I usually don’t submit poems to brand new journals, but when I went to the site of Yes, Poetry! It was beyond easy to see that editor Joanna Valente has intelligence, vivacity, magnetism, and most important of all, a real itch for poetry and poetic culture. Although most new journals falter quickly and fade, this one has a good chance of becoming an important venue in New York City, the point of origin, and far beyond.

Tumblr.com offers a versatile blog format plus a cool archive system; and Valente has already provided many great entries, an effective prelude to the first issue, better than any I have seen before. For instance, I was struck right away by a video of Allen Ginsberg reading at Carl Solomon’s funeral. This warmly chilling video alone is a good reason to visit the site, but there’s more. It’s pretty astounding, so I’m just going to list some of the recent topics:


March 4, Upcoming poetry readings in NYC

March 3, Looking Back: Billy Collins’ Picnic

March 1, Watch: Allen Ginsberg reading at Carl Solomon’s funeral

February 27, Chapbook Writer Stephanie Adams-Santos

February 26, Time and Memory: A Look at Ilya Kaminsky

February 23, On Our Radar: Elegant Thorn Review

February 17, Ten Writing Prompts


I find it amazing that Valente is writing reviews and poetics in addition to taking submissions. Honestly, I don’t know if she’ll be able to keep it all going without cutting back, or finding some volunteer editors to assist. The writing is clear and informative, too. Here’s an excerpt from her review of Collins:

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In the poem “Picnic, Lightning” many of Collins’ techniques and styles are represented, giving the reader a clear indication of where the work as a whole stands. For example, the poem is in a structure which Collins uses frequently: one long, thin stanza. Many of the lines flow into each other, creating drawn out sentence. However, the length of the sentences does not hinder the work, in fact it plays to its strengths. The images in “Picnic, Lightning” are often beautiful images of nature, and while they are numerous, they work together in such a way that weaves the reader throughout the poem, rather than being overwhelming.
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Bottom-line: Yes, Poetry! (I think the abbreviation should be YeP!) has a chance of becoming an important watering hole for NYC poets and others as well. Valente states as part of her mission that she welcomes emerging writers, and THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY for such folks to submit.

This precocious editor has style, depth, appeal and panache. I really hope she succeeds, not just because she took some of my favorite poems (one of which I’ve been working on for over a year), but because YeP! deserves it. This could be the face of the next generation of great zines in New York.