Acceptance: Blast Furnace Press

This extraordinary new journal/press is run out of Pittsburgh by Editor and Publisher Rebecca Clever. When the very first call for submissions came out, Blast Furnace generated quite a bit of excitement. The site is rendered in blog format, and preparations were made well in advance through carefully timed and enticing announcements. All very professional and even savvy on the part of Ms. Clever.

So impressive was this pitch, that when we writers were finally allowed to submit, we reacted like thoroughbreds leaping out of the gate. My submissions, all chosen with great concern and worry, were rejected almost right away. I guess I was a draft horse instead of a Zenyatta. If you look at the premier issue, you will see part of the reason I fell behind: astounding talents such as James Robison and Jennifer Gresham:

The Incredible First Issue of Blast Furnace

I stubbornly stomped my foot and furiously began editing and selecting poems. After a month, I submitted again and happily Blast Furnace is going to publish two of my pieces (“Inside Metal” and “Leaf Struck”) in upcoming issues. This is a very great honor for me! The editor is a genius at finding her way. She has true publisher charisma. I have little doubt that she is going to make a significant name for herself, reaping the fruit of poets, distilling it, and showcasing the best.

Blast Furnace’s latest announcement reveals the results of a poll; and the conclusion is that BFP will run a chapbook competition in 2012. Five hundred dollars for the winner. If the entry fee isn’t too steep, I will definitely be entering the game, even though I’ll be up against some of the best poets in America and possibly the globe.

I suggest submitting your honed work now, before the inevitable trappings of prestige and glory make Editor Clever inaccessible to us mere mortals.

Clink on the link above and enjoy the molten excellence from the first smelt in the Blast Furnace. You will be scorched by a passionate glow.

Owl