poetry keeps me going

solidarity with Palestine, writing opportunities, minimal existential dread

Y’all, I’m tired. February (and my fun collection of disability) has been testing me! But over and over again, I keep being shown the power of community, the power of poetry, and the power of rest. (Really, truly resting!)

Before the hectic-ness of this month, I had the privilege to chat with writer Sean Enfield about his new essay collection, holy american burnout! Check out our interview here:

As I haven’t posted a round-up in almost a month(!), I hope this edition of trans poetica will have something new for you to fall in love with, a fruitful opportunity for you to read or send your work to, or inspiration to activate your community with. Without further rambling, let’s get into it.

Solidarity with Palestine:

• We are nearing 150 days of israel enacting a genocide of the Palestinian people. This is being carried out with us money and us weapons. This is not normal. This is not okay.

• You’ve probably heart of SXSW— it’s one of the biggest events in Texas every year. The festivals and conferences are including several weapons manufacturers that are actively aiding israel right now. Here’s how you can take action.

• Find out who in your community is organizing! There’s so much power in numbers.

• Read and sign on to this open letter to PEN america— why is the american branch of PEN staying silent when PEN International (as well as many other countries) have spoken out against israel’s war crimes?

• If you’re in the usa, keep calling your reps. Flood biden’s phone lines every Tuesday and Thursday. Shut it down.

• USCPR is a great resource for getting started.

• Keep boycotting. Check out the BDS site for more info.

Opportunities:

• LittlePuss Press

  • We are currently considering original manuscripts of fiction and non-fiction (including works-in-progress). We are also considering reprint proposals of literary/historical works of significance by transgender authors.

• Printed Matter is seeking artists books, zines, etc on Decolonization, Resistance & Solidarity

• Sundress Publications 2024 Prose Contest - closes 2/28

• Sliced Up Press - Slay And Slay Again! An Anthology Of Queer Horror - closes 2/29

• The Loveliest Review - issue one, theme of “beginnings” - closes 3/1

• Start A Riot! Poetry Chapbook Prize - open to QTBIPOC+ literary artists in the San Francisco Bay Area - closes 3/1

• new words {press} - open to poetry, hybrid, and experimental work by trans* and/or gender-expansive poets - closes 3/4

• SICK - open to work from folks who are sick/chronically ill/mentally ill/disabled - closes 3/10

• The Poetry Lab Markus D. Manley Award - open to BIPOC poets; $1000 stipend, free access to courses, community networking, and mentorship - closes 3/15

• Hub City Press BIPOC Poetry Series - open to full-length poetry collections from BIPOC writers connected to AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA, or WV - closes 3/15

• Grubstreet Novel Immersive for LGBTQ+ Writers - scholarships available - closes 3/26

• Jaded Ibis Press Uplift Voices Nonfiction Book Award - open to book-length creative nonfiction by US-based, historically marginalized writers - closes 3/31

• fourteen poems

  • open to chapbooks from LGBTQ+ poets - closes 4/5

  • open to poetry for next issue from LGBTQ+ poets - closes 5/15

• Meet Me There, Another Time: Letters To Places Queer and Trans People Left Behind - anthology open to queer and trans writers - closes 4/15

• Sinister Wisdom - Mad Dykes, Queer Worlds - closes 6/30

From around the internet:

• Quererme En La Luz by Farrah Fang, the first title from

  Abode Press
  , is now available for pre-order! This collection is so incredible and I can’t wait for it to be out in the world. I mean, even the description is gorgeous:

  • Quererme En La Luz is an unapologetic journey, a spiritual philosophy, a militant manifesto, a harmonious and chaotic retelling of the author’s experiences as a trans Latina navigating the gulf coast of Texas.

• Check out “Acting Up For Palestine: HIV+ Playwright On Medstrike For Gaza,” Myriam Gurba’s interview with Victor I. Cazares about their medstrike

• If you couldn’t tell, I’m really into interviews lately. Here’s Laura Villarreal interviewing Joshua Garcia on his book Pentimento for Letras Latinas

• Lambda Literary Review is on a hiatus. Here’s Suzi F. Garcia’s letter on the matter from earlier this month

• I am incredibly obsessed with all three of Halee Kirkwood’s poems in

  ONLY POEMS
  , especially “I Didn’t Need to Read Communist Theory to Know” — read them here!

• Alannah Guevara’s poem “The Rising Sun” is full of poetic leaps I wish I could achieve

• Publishers for Palestine launched Poems for Palestine, a free chapbook of poetry, artwork, and resources for action

• Split Lip Magazine’s February issue is gorgeous. I especially adore TR Brady’s memoir “Buzzcut,” but the entire issue is worth a read or three.

• manywor(l)ds also has a new issue! Here’s two pieces by Mordecai Martin I keep rereading

• Aaand a new issue of beestung. Beestung consistently puts out the most exciting, inventive works by non-binary, genderqueer, & two-spirit writers, and this new issue is no different

• A perfect pairing with beestung is the always stunning Honey Literary! Check out issue 7 here

• The Patient Is an Unreliable Historian by Brody Parrish Craig is available for pre-order! Can’t wait for this poetry collection

What I’ve been up to:

• Huge shout out/eternal love to the

  H2C Team
  for publishing a little piece whose title is pretty self-explanatory:¹ “How my 4-year tutoring career ended in white tears”

  How my 4-year tutoring career ended in white tears

• My poem “reclamation as in” is in All My Relations volume 6: Resistance

  • the whole issue is incredible. very grateful to have my work in good company

• My first piece of fiction, “El Primo,” is in Barrelhouse’s Latine Monsters issue, edited by the amazing Ofelia Montelongo

• Boston friends: I’ll be facilitating my Writing Queer & Trans Joy workshop at the Muse & The Marketplace conference May 10th

• I’m thrilled to share that I’m going to be part of this years Poets in Pajamas reading series! Join me & Joshua Garcia on May 26th!

• Tin House was a really meaningful and fruitful time after nearly a year of poetry-burnout. I’m super grateful for intentional communities that prioritize inclusion and justice and a passion for writing. I think I have to write my next book now?

AWP reflections:

Is it weird that I don’t feel like getting into it? Okay, I will partially get into it. I had a great time hanging out with friends and writers that inspire me, tabling for Abode, selling out of another limited run of Last Stop, paneling on the topic of trans poetics, and reading at T4T and We Outlast Empire.

I had a not-great time reckoning with institutions and the way they 1, harbor abusers on an interpersonal level, and 2, look the other way in times of genocide on a broader level. But I refuse to let those factors keep me from writing, keep me from speaking out until my voice is gone.

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Like I said at the top, shit has been rough. It’s been rough for everyone. But being in intentional spaces, and having somewhat disappeared from most people for a bit to work on my bipolar shit, reminds me that poetry keeps me and a whole lot of other people going.

See y’all next time!

<3

Thank you for reading this far! If you enjoy trans poetica, or generally wanna support a disabled trans Xicano freelancing under hellish capitalism, tips are greatly appreciated! I have three pay-what-you-want zines available here. I am available for editing, readings, workshops, and more through my site.

A lil note on opportunities:

I list opportunities specifically for marginalized writers since publishing is so inequitable for us. I also try to only include things that are accessible to submit to (ie, are there fee waivers/is it free?) and/or pays writers. You also probably won’t see me supporting something “trans focused” if its entirely run by cis people— same goes for BIPOC opportunities et cetera. If you have something you’d like me to include, please let me know! If I’m platforming an institution that is doing wrong by our communities, please let me know that, too.

1. if you’re BIPOC with a micro/aggression to share, send it their way! they will handle your work with love and care