Eclectica Magazine takes "Broken Women."

I woke up this morning to an acceptance email from Eclectica Magazine--they're going to publish my poem "Broken Women" in their winter issue, as part of their Word Poem Challenge. Obviously, I can't link the poem here; it's not live on their site yet.

I don't usually submit to themed issues or challenges, because I'm not very clever at quickly writing a poem with a particular topic or theme, or using a given set of words. My work just sort of comes when it comes, and I don't always plan where a draft will go. That makes themes and challenges difficult. 

Eclectica's challenge had five words, I believe--the only word that was not already in "Broken Women," a poem I first drafted in early fall, was "nail." It now appears in the last line--I reworked the last four lines or so, to meet that last requirement, and I'm thrilled my poem was selected for inclusion. 

Eclectica Magazine's website is pretty minimalist, but the publication has been around since 1996, as an online journal. Their archive is vast--and a treat to explore. I remember what the internet was like in 1996--I was in grad school for the first time, earning a MA in English at West Virginia University. That this web-based journal has survived (and thrived) since then is pretty incredible. 

Eclectica Magazine