DECEMBER 2024 NEWS

 

 

I hope the buildup to Christmas / solstice/ winter break is treating you well. here's some updates and tips from Black Bough. Get yourself a cuppa, something warming and read.

 

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Christmas anthology

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Make sure Santa brings you our Christmas anthology, which, we're told, is beautiful and features a world exclusive extract from Matthew Hollis's The Seafarer.  Be sure to get his new work with Hazel Press.

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Our new work contains illustrations by Emma Bissonnet that will warm your winter bones with plenty of hygge. We have 40 writers from Mark Anthony Owen to Rachel Deering, Julie Stevens, Laurie Koensgen, Leigh Manley, Robert Frede Kenter and more!

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When you read this book, we recommend you listen to anything from old Christmas carols like Holly and the Ivy and Silent Night to Bing Crosby or Slade. Something for everyone.

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Christmas-Winter Vol 5 2024 | Mysite

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Submissions tip

 

if you're a writer, make sure you're submitting your work regularly and tracking this. At the very least, this should be at least twice a month. However, if you are submitting simultaneously, consider sending your work out every week. It is a number game and if your acceptance rate is 10-20%, let's say, you need to rack up the numbers to see your work widely published over a year.

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In this bulletin,  we recommend

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Where to Submit Your Poetry • Poetry School

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Volunteering

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Many of you writers, poets and creatives help with projects. out there It's a good thing to help out and make connections. whether this is a local open mic, a magazine in the area, asking to be the poetry correspondent for your local paper or asking to be a guest editor, online. It's a great development and networking opportunity and will fire up creativity

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Writing plans

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Many of you are working on your 2025 writing plans from the last 'How to Get Ahead in Writing' workshop' (so ignore this). If you haven't signed up for our workshop on 30th Dec, see the link. In this workshop, we look at good and bad practice at trying to get ahead in poetry and focus on our own writing plans for the next year. The session is 2 hrs on Zoom and really is very focused! 

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Writing Workshop: How to Get Ahead in Writing Tickets, Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 6:30 PM | Eventbrite

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TopTweetTuesday

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We're looking for TopTweetTuesday hosts - we have to be careful who is chosen for obvious reasons and they should have posted their work before on our popular Twitter platform. If you're keen to wade back in and do it, or try it for the first times, please contact us!

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Christmas submissions

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We have a submissions window starting on 16th Dec for three weeks for next year's Christmas edition. Make sure you submit three poems for the best chance of getting in next year's Christmas and winter edition. Submissions | Mysite

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Check out this year's anthology, featuring Matthew Hollis. Christmas-Winter Vol 5 2024 | Mysite

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Mentoring

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If you would like poetry mentoring - about 6 months of support on 3 edits of 6 poems and a zoom call (plus other opportunities) - let me know as the diary is filling up.

 

blackboughpoetry@outlook.com

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Book reviews

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If you want to review a poetry work for our website, please let me know. The reviews shouldn't be about a friend's work and should be constructive, positive, etc. No point slating a book! Find one that you like and analyse rather than zoning in on a book to pull it down. Read last month's review book of the month by Matt of Taz Rahman's book. Book reviews August 24 - Dec 24 | Mysite

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Social media

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We're on Twitter, FB, Bluesky, Insta, Threads and Facebook. If you could give our posts a boost when you can on Facebook that would be great - bit quiet there!

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I would also recommend you use at least three platforms and interact several times a week, posting some of your content. Social media use is fragmenting but remains super powerful! Twitter is probably still the most effective medium online for sharing poetry.

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Publications

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Coming up in 2025, we should, all being well, have a new edition in January (submissions for this closed). Watch this space.

 

The ever-so difficult TS Eliot edition should be out, too. Keep us with us in 2025 as there's always something going on.

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Award nominations

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Congratulations to our nominees this year for the Forward Prize, Best of the Net and Pushcart prizes. This is a small press but we do our best to boost writers.

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National Poetry Library

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A real high at the end of the year with our Christmas anthology and news that three of our authors' books will be going to the National Poetry Library in London. What a boost for Sarah Connor, Rachel Deering and Matt Gilbert!

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Subscription and follow recommendations​

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Why not take out a Poetry Wales subscription in 2024. Support this national press that is buzzing with poems, articles and other forms of writing. Click here 

 

Follow new poetry blog The Book Bag run by Paul Short. The Book Bag 

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Silver Branch writer

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We're still savouring last month's feature by Saraswari Nagpal. Read the Indian poet's beautiful, startling work. Saraswati Nagpal - Nov 24 | Mysite

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Personal update

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Thanks to everyone who has helped this year from guest editors like Lesley and Marcelle to all the hosts of TTT and contributors, and readers. It's been a winter ball, a snow storm and rarely a snowfight! Phew. Amazing to publish Rachel Deering and James McConachie's works this year.

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My glossy pamphlet Paviland: Ice and Fire is £5.00 on Amazon. I'm now on Threads and Bluesky. I've recently run a workshop on Rugby poetry! Who would have thought? Have a look at one of my recent Rugby poems with Atrium. Click here

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I will have new copies of The Keeper of Aeons, shortly! It was sold out.

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​​That's all for now,

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Matthew  M. C. Smith

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