More of the same . . . still a waiting game, mostly.

It's been two weeks since I've posted here, but not much has changed in the submissions waiting game. I expected to see a large number of rejection letters come in right after Thanksgiving, but only a few have trickled in. My work is hanging in there, "in progress," at several larger journals right now, so I'm hoping that there will be good news for at least a couple of poems before the end of the year. 

I did send some work back out--rejections from Tar River Poetry and Poetry Northwest freed up a few pieces, and I did a little shuffling and surface revision. I sent to OxMag, which is the rechristened Oxford Magazine, out of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and I sent a separate selection of poems to Salmon Creek Journal, out of Washington State University. Both publications have deadlines coming up in mid-December, so I'm hoping for some end-of-fall-term magic there. 

I have been working in my newest journal a great deal, and I think I have a few new bits of poetry to work on over winter holiday. If everything holds, I'll only have three courses in winter term, which gives me a great chance to continue this sustained momentum. 

I'm getting really excited about the prospect of having a chapbook or book accepted for publication in the next year--I'm grateful for the opportunity that working from home has given to me. 

I'm still a little stunned that I've not been dealing with depression during the pandemic/quarantine/shelter at home situation of the last 7 months. My anxiety has been up a little, but I'm not drinking, and I've not had many sad days overall. I feel like I've been gifted a lot of "me time" back to devote to writing, and both the writing and the lack of booze are having a positive impact on my mental health. 

My grading is a little behind right now, in Week 10 . . . but I've been caught up all term long, too. I'm not having to blow off work to devote time to my writing anymore. I'm learning that being chair was sucking all of my energies. My writing wasn't getting what it deserved, and neither were my students. Anyhow. These posts are sometimes repetitive, I know. 

And--Kenyon Review still has my work.