Yellow Arrow Publishing Blog

Kapua Iao 2/13/24 Kapua Iao 2/13/24

Por La Sombrita: A Conversation with Barbara Perez Marquez

Take a bite out of the bread of life, without realizing that you are the bread itself.
Life is taking a bite of you, one minute at a time.

“It Rises”

Barbara Perez Marquez is a writer from the Dominican Republic who now resides in the United States. Her prose and comic creations are a much needed contribution to the growing literature on coming of age and queerness for younger audiences. She enjoys participating in the larger conversations surrounding identity and representation in the graphic lit world. You can find samples of her incredible work on her website mustachebabs.com.

Barbara is a former Yellow Arrow Publishing writer in resident and her creative nonfiction chapbook Por La Sombrita was recently published with Bottlecap Press in both English and Spanish. This collection deals with themes of identity and coming of age, family relationships, and brims with an intricate nostalgia for the sensory setting of a distinct childhood.

Barbara had a dynamic conversation over Zoom with Melissa Nunez, Yellow Arrow author and interviewer, where they discussed her entrance to the graphic lit scene and the inspirations behind her newest chapbook.

Who are some women identified writers and artists who inspire you?

I grew up in the Dominican Republic so a lot of my inspiration, especially in regards to this this chapbook, comes from thinking of who I was reading when I was growing up. Salomé Ureña, a poetess from the Dominican Republic, was one of those writers that I felt I did not read nearly enough. Her work still inspires me to this day. As for contemporary writers, Rita Indiana is another Dominican creator whose work is really inspiring. I also read a lot of Miranda July’s flash fiction around the time I was putting this chapbook together. Her work and that of Anne Carson were everything I was consuming and it made me realize the need for more of this genre of fiction.

How did you connect with Yellow Arrow Publishing?

I moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 2015, after I left the Dominican Republic and then spent six years in New York while I was in school. I was fresh out of graduate school and felt like I was still trying to discover what writing would look like in this new place and stage. For a while, I was trying to get my legs under me with the comics community. While I do write traditional prose, flash fiction, and poems, I also write comics for graphic novels and shorter issues. I found myself there, but around 2018 I just felt sort of aimless. I knew that I wanted to come back to prose and felt maybe a residency program could instigate that motivation to write. I think that programs often allow us do away with all the excuses because we have to write for a deadline. That’s when I found Yellow Arrow.

I believe Yellow Arrow was on the second cycle for residency and it was like right down the street from me, basically. It was really great to see this support for women-identifying writers on this side of town because a lot of the arts center of Baltimore is not really where Yellow Arrow started and where I am situated. It was really exciting to find living artists and writers here and that led to me applying and becoming one of the residents for that cycle. We were the pandemic residents, so it was really interesting for us to navigate what this new iteration of community looked like. We had to figure out online events and if there was a way for us to use the space in a safe environment. We were able to do this small, one-day retreat out on the patio at Yellow Arrow House because we had to be outside and all of that. From there it has grown into a community where we receive newsletters and stay updated on all of these awesome writers that I now know through Yellow Arrow. It was a fun experience that I still value today.

What drew you to graphic art? How did you get started?

I always knew I wanted to write for children. Drawing was not really in my wheelhouse, and so this brought me to graphic novels. I liked that you could have a collaboration aspect between artist and writer and I wanted to be that writer. I was consuming a lot of animation media at the time and have a lot of friends that are artists. That allowed me to see what that realm looked like. I think in discovering flash fiction, I also found this new world of breaking the page.

One of my mentors in graduate school, my advisor for the program, gave me a Linda Berry book. She told me, “I think you really need to read this.” She could tell that I had this like artistic side that isn’t always captured adequately through words alone. When I read that book, I could see the marriage between art and writing that I could explore. From there, another classmate gifted me this Batman comic she thought I would enjoy and then it sort of extrapolated. I saw that there are people that are creating these things. Publishing can have a lot of rules, written and unwritten, but I found out very quickly that comics writing has no limiting standards. Everybody just kind of does their own thing. Somehow, with this knowledge in hand and that sort of lack of rulebook, I got the push I needed to say, “I can do this.” I could experiment with giving guidance to an artist and collaborating together in a different way than just me sitting in front of a computer or notebook. I love creating and giving that part of me to the page and reader.

Is there an overlap in creation and planning for text only and visual work? Or are they very different for you?

I think that they certainly use different sides of my creative practice. When it comes to a comic script, I know that I have a freedom in format if that makes sense. You’re just telling the story and nobody is going to read these words in this way. The manuscript is sort of like a secret little thing that somehow eventually becomes art. Whereas with prose, I know I have this box in some way, shape, or form. With creative nonfiction, even with the chapbook, I would do a lot of page breaking. You format things and you play with the blank space and all of that stuff. When I am creating prose I want it to look attractive on the page and I have to consider the final product in print. This chapbook was the first printed piece of prose that I’ve had in a while. I haven’t had to worry about that so much because I’ve been creating for open mics and I’ll just read from my phone. I didn’t even own a printer for like five years. So there is that visual difference there. However, when it comes time to create they still remain very similar. I work to evoke and maintain the spirit of what I’m trying to say in both forms. I get it into words and then explore that in different ways.

What do you think draws you to the topics in your writing and comics? Things like female knight orders in the comic world and then the personal content in your prose?

I think the draw for most of the topics is that they’re fun. They are really great sandboxes to play in. I grew up really interested in animation superheroes and fantasy magic and all of these things are part of what I want to create. We talked of course about female inspiration, women creators and inspirations there, but I was also reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez and inhabiting this world of magical realism. I felt it was something I could and should create, as I feel there are not enough women writing magical realism. I also find myself creating queer topics because I grew up queer in the closet. Every writer wants to write what they needed when they were younger or the story they want to see on the shelf and that definitely motivates my queer content. I know I want to leave a legacy with the stories I write of the support and knowledge I wish I’d had, something that would have made my experience a little easier. I can do that for the readers to come.

When it comes to fantasy work, the order of Belfry was really close to my heart. In this case, the artist approached me with this conversation about lady nights. I was like, “What do you want to say about lady nights? I think they’re hot and that we can tell a really interesting story here.” It was this marriage of all of those elements that fuel and inspire me. We were creating this heavily queer cast and we had this fantasy aspect where we were playing with the medieval knights order. We were very intentional with this. We weren’t necessarily being Arthurian on purpose. We knew we could have easily skewed it that way, but we wanted to somehow have some semblance of “reality” in our fantasy where it still felt very grounded, which I think is so important. In classes and workshops you always hear about writing what you know and you have the own voices movements with writing, but I think we can do both. I think if people do their work, you can still create something different and present perspectives that are new and necessary. I didn’t grow up in a medieval pseudokingdom, but I can put a bit of myself in this idea I built upon research and collaboration.

La primera vez que mentí, las palabras hormigueaban en mis labios y desguste la libertad.

“Mentiras Blancas”

The first time I lied, the words tingled my lips and I tasted freedom.

“White Lies”

Do you regularly handle your own translation work and how do you approach this? Does anything inform which language you write in first? I am not fully fluent in Spanish but I did read through your chapbook in both languages and the way you handled “White Lies” really stood out to me. I love digging into decisions like this.
I’m glad you pointed that out and I appreciate you reading the collection in both languages. That’s great practice. I do translation as sort of a side gig just because I’m really interested in linguistics, and I think it allows us to explore writing on a different level. I think that the words that we use obviously are very specific in the sense of what you need in the moment for your writing. When I do any translation work, I’m more interested in salvaging the creative voice of a piece of work than just translating this word from the English to the Spanish. Google can do that, right?

For my chapbook specifically, I approached the editor of Bottlecap Press about how important it is to me that my writing is available in both languages. I grew up speaking Spanish because I’m from a Spanish country, and while this chapbook is in the American market, I’d love this opportunity to present it to people that are in the Dominican Republic. Especially for those in the audience who want to be a writer but are not sure how to do that. It is a great opportunity to present the chapbook I wrote and show a bit of what that looks like. So for that purpose, I offered my time and gladly took on the task. Then it became the matter of those individual choices, like the hormigueas choice versus tingling. It could have easily been like cosquilleo, but I was like, that’s not right. I looked at each piece and I considered what words I was trying to express along with the feeling that I was trying to inhabit in that specific moment. And that sort of allowed that sort of play on words.

Translation is so interesting because Spanish is so regional, like we’re all different. But there’s also beauty in finding where those things cross. I’ve translated things for other creatives in the past and sometimes they’re looking for something where the character is not necessarily Dominican. Then the translation is more about finding a sort of neutral translation. That’s fine and that’s something that I feel is important, too. But then you have creatives that are like in need of a specific character, for example, a Puerto Rican. I’m not Puerto Rican and I’m sure there are great Puerto Rican translators out there, but I had this opportunity to look at this particular piece of work. The creator knew my background but still wanted me to look at this Puerto Rican character. That’s where that research came in. I knew that I was unfamiliar with Puerto Rican jargon or slang, so I had to look it up. I can research that side and read from a translator’s point of view and offer that sort of perspective.

Coming back to the chapbook, it became an opportunity to also explore my own voice in Spanish which I don’t get to do very often. I do not write in Spanish as much as I should. I think that looking back I hadn’t really thought about that part of my life yet. The chapbook looks at like the first 15 years of my life and ends there. I think at some point there will probably be another chapbook to cover the ages between 15 and 25. This is when I explore the idea of becoming aware of my writing and that desire to be a writer. I was at that point of learning English and trying to teach myself how to be good at that. I think there was this unintentional effort to write in English because that’s where all the people write and that’s where the market is and all of these thoughts that tie into that. And so I do that a lot. I still write in Spanish. I had one story that I published in a magazine during college in Spanish because the editor was Dominican and she called me out on not writing in Spanish. She wanted to see what I could do. Fast forwarding to now, I have this impetus in me to make the market available to Spanish speakers and I know that some of the other works that I have don’t have that versatility. With the chapbook I had this special kind of control over it where I could put my money where my mouth is. I want to see my work in Spanish so I have to make it happen. It was fun. Ultimately, I think it was really cool to see how chapbooks are translated because it does slightly change the piece itself. I’m really excited to see, once I start doing readings for the pieces, the reception to the language I read them in. That will be an interesting journey ahead.

What do you think a writer gains from looking back and writing our child selves as an adult?

I think there’s obviously a lot of perspective. First and foremost, I think that there’s a lot of writers that look for a sense of catharsis when it comes to creating our nonfiction work, particularly for myself. It’s about coming to terms with the history that brought me here. I think it’s very important for me to present the things as I experience them. They are not perfect and I’m not really interested in presenting them in that manner. I’m not presenting this wonderful childhood. I want you to look at the imperfections and really recognize what a journey truly looks like. I think it is nice that my chapbook reflects that state of society as a queer person. I’m more interested in changing the mindsets in the present than changing that perception of the past. I want to change the current perspective of queerness in the Dominican Republic. I think showcasing that story and showcasing my experience as a writer that was gay growing up and has now come so far as to have a book about it presents a way that provides hope to a reader. It provides perspective and an opportunity for somebody to find the chapbook and find both the similarities and differences of that experience. I think those conversations are so important. It’s necessary to look back not necessarily to relive the past, but to examine it from where we’re standing now.

This collection is full of the power of sensory memory and metaphor. How did this develop in your writing?

As we write, we all develop our writer’s voice, and I think mine has always been about taking you on this journey with me as opposed to the more omnipresent narratives. I’m more interested in inviting the reader to go on this adventure together. This allows me to narrate in these camera angles which plays into the comic aspect as well. It’s like sometimes the camera is looking down on the story. I’m interested in like angling on the level of the story. Inherently, you will miss some of the parts of the story, but it allows you to be much closer to the particular moment.

I also preface the fact that it’s nonfiction with creative because I recognize that I’m not 11 anymore. I understand intrinsically that I am speaking for my 11-year-old self as an adult. I think that also changes the perspective as opposed to if somehow at 11 years old, I had the presence of mind to write this down. I think it melts into that part of the voice and allows it to be real and raw and sort of confusing at times, but with intention. We can teach ourselves so many skills as writers, but I think some parts of our voices are just intrinsically ours. And this is mine.

How do you balance cultural commentary with appreciation in your work?

I’m glad that aspect of the chapbook came through. That’s always nice to hear. When it comes to my creative writing practice, I just speak from the heart. I am not trying to romanticize the job, but there is definitely a part of you that when you truly just open yourself to the opportunity to present things how they need to be presented, things just sort of fall into place. The social commentary here comes in glimpses. You have the aspect of me taking public transportation, or my family getting robbed in the middle of the night. I don’t necessarily feel like we were losing sleep over it. We weren’t focusing on that one time we got robbed and making our house safer or something like that, but it was the indent it made on me to consider things. It was something that just like happened in a flash and it happened at one time, but it still felt like it was a story I could tell that gave context to that period of time. Especially because the chapbook takes a perspective of that younger age and I feel like that’s a nice way to sort of put the lens where it needs to be. I wouldn’t necessarily present it from the side of the robber. I’m not really interested in like, speaking for my parents and what they were going through. That is very different than the little like eight year old that woke up in the middle of night because there was a ruckus outside of her door. I think that is the way that I sort of balance things and feel the social commentary comes in, not necessarily easily, but it definitely comes fluidly when necessary. I think it comes in secondary to speaking to the experience directly.

Now that old darkness seems like paradise, a space where the world went silent and there was peace and quiet, if only as long as I kept repeating words like prayers.

“Studying in the Dark”

What is it like representing your work and perspective at public panels and events?

As a creator, it’s always been really important to me to be forward with my identities. I’m always very straightforward with my queer identity and I think I have seen a return to my Dominican identity in particular in the last few years. I can easily admit that when I came to the United States I felt the need to adapt to the American market, but that was swept over by the Own Voices movement that sort of changed the face of publishing. And I was like, “Ok. I think I can be Dominican.” I can be this thing and also queer and also a writer and it’ll work out. The communities I have found since then, like Yellow Arrow, have been part of that return to saying, “I’m a Dominican writer.” I’m not just a writer, not just a queer writer, I’m a queer Dominican writer. It’s really important to me to lead with that because it allows you to bring that back to where you came from.

I've been talking about being able to turn the mirror back to the island and say, “Hey guys, if anybody wants to be a writer, I’m here.” When it comes to the panels, book festivals, and conventions and all of this, talking about authentic stories is still pretty new because publishing is still largely white. The people that get the opportunities with the big best selling book deals and publishers are still white, while the queer and POC stories are still in the minority. So, me coming to these panels as a panelist and sharing what little experience I’ve had, the things that work for me, allows that opportunity to leave the door open and bring somebody else in. There might be somebody sitting in the audience that’s also queer, also POC, and doesn’t even know where to start. Maybe two things that I say in the panel might give them the spark to finish that story or find out how to submit to their local writing open mic or another publishing opportunity. I think it’s ultimately about visibility and continuing that work to pave the way for others. Yes, I’m writing. Yes, I’m creating. Yes, I’m doing all these cool, awesome things that I’m super excited about. How can I make space for more voices like mine?

What advice do you have for aspiring artists?

Publishing is really nebulous at the best of times. Writers, both new and established, can get really lost in the sauce of like, where do I publish my work? How do I get it to the people? How do people read it and receive it? My advice would be to find the other writers around you. Even if you don’t live in a big metropolitan area, we have access to online communities through discord, Instagrams, whatever social media is your preference. Ultimately, what really started me and kept me going was finding those other writers that were in that moment with me, even if we weren’t talking the same genres. When I was in school, I had a screenwriter friend, a poet, and one other fiction writer alongside me. What matters is those checkins, somebody asking about that manuscript you’re working on, asking if you figured out that plot point or if you were able to talk to whoever you need to talk to get that information you need. That would be my top advice: find those communities.

Are there any future projects you’d like to share?

I’m working on three graphic novels that are coming out in the next couple of years. Right now, immediately in August, I have a new kids graphic novel called Paulina and the Disaster at Pompeii. It’s about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. After that, the story I wrote for Epic, which is the Animal Rescue Friends Tales: A Hard Shell to Crack, is coming out in print in November. Also in November, the third book of The Cardboard Kingdom is coming out. This is like my start in graphic novels and is a project near and dear to my heart. It is about this group of kids that play with cardboard and create this fantasy world. I’m really excited to see what people think of the kids. I created Amanda, the mad scientist, in that cast. We’re introducing a lot of new characters in this new book and a lot of new dynamics that I’m excited to see how people receive them.

You can find updates on Barbara Perez Marquez and her writing at mustachebabs.com and can order your copy of Por la Sombrita (in English or Spanish!) from Bottlecap Press.

Barbara Perez Marquez was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, now she lives in the USA. She’s a queer latine writer with an MFA in Creative Writing and writes short stories and fiction. During her career, she has also been an editor, translator, and even a sensitivity reader for several publications and projects. Her work was first featured in a student collection in the 7th grade, which inspired her desire to become a writer. In her work, Barbara aims to present coming of age and LGBTQ+ themes in both approachable and heartbreaking ways. You can find more of her work at mustachebabs.com.

Melissa Nunez is a Latin@ writer and homeschooling mother of three from the Rio Grande Valley. Her essays have appeared in magazines like Hypertext and Honey Literary. She has work forthcoming in Lean and Loafe, Fahmidan Journal, and others. She writes an anime column for The Daily Drunk, interviews for Yellow Arrow Publishing, and is a staff writer for Alebrijes Review. You can follow her on Twitter @MelissaKNunez.

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Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we AMPLIFY women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.

Kapua Iao 2/6/24 Kapua Iao 2/6/24

Meet a Staff Member: Raychelle Heath

Yellow Arrow Publishing would like to (re)introduce Raychelle Heath, our workshop programming & curriculum manager. Raychelle has been part of the Yellow Arrow community for quite some time as an author and a guest editor for Yellow Arrow Journal and a workshop instructor. She is a poet, artist, teacher, coach, yoga and meditation instructor, podcaster, and traveler. Raychelle holds a BA in languages and an MFA in poetry. She uses her writing and podcast to tell the multifaceted stories of black women in the world. She also explores her experiences with the culturally rich communities that she has encountered in her travels. She has been published by Travel Noire, Yellow Arrow Journal, The Brazen Collective, Locked Horn Press, Community Building Art Works, and others. She also holds yoga certifications for Kripalu Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Mind Body Meditation. She is currently director of curriculum and coaching for the Unicorn Authors Club.

Raychelle says, “My experience working with the Yellow Arrow team as a writer, guest editor, and workshop facilitator has been great. This next chapter just feels like a beautiful next step in our ever-growing relationship. I am looking forward to getting to know the team and working toward getting our workshops out there for more people to be able to experience. I am also looking forward to supporting our facilitators to be able to offer the best workshops they can. And lastly, I’m looking forward to expanding the catalogue of workshop offerings so that we can reach even more writers. It’s going to be a great year.”

Tell us a little something about yourself:

I’m excited to be presenting on my first panel at AWP. I am also really jazzed about my garden; I made three sweet potato pies this holiday season from sweet potatoes that I grew.

What do you love most about where you live?

I live in Ocotal, Costa Rica. I love that I am near the beach, that I can walk everywhere I need to go, and all the beautiful hikes near my house.

How did you get involved with Yellow Arrow and what do you do for us? Why did you want to join the Yellow Arrow team?

I initially became involved with Yellow Arrow as a writer. I then submitted a workshop proposal for a restorative writing workshop. The workshop went well, and I’ve taught the series twice now. I’ll be teaching it again in the summer of 2024. I was also asked to guest edit an edition of the journal, and my issue PEREGRINE came out in fall of 2022. This year, Annie [Marhefka, executive director] approached me about how I could be more involved. We had a wonderful conversation, and my passion for workshops is what was most present. I’ll be coming on as workshop programming & curriculum manager [this year]. I am excited to deepen my work with Yellow Arrow because I’ve really enjoyed working with the team so far and I believe in the work they are doing.

What are you working on currently?

My full-time job is with the Unicorn Authors Club, and I’m currently working on a programming revamp with our team, our second coach training, and getting ready to onboard our first bilingual cohort of writers. I’m also gearing up for a new year of meditation workshops that I’ll be guiding (this is my third year) and, hopefully, finishing up my 500-hour yoga certification. I also have a poetry manuscript that I hope to have ready to send out soon.

What genre do you write (or read if you don’t write) the most and why?

I am a poet though I also write my fair share of prose. Poetry speaks to me because of its musicality, the way it creates tapestries, and the play of language that is possible.

What book is on the top of your to-be-read pile?

I’m currently finishing Nervous by one of our unicorn writers, Jen Soriano. And the book I want to pick up is Michael Harriot’s Black AF History.

Who is your favorite writer and why?

I don’t have a favorite writer at the moment though I have always deeply appreciated the works of Pablo Neruda, Toni Morrison, Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, and Edwige Danticat. I recently read Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu and am so looking forward to reading more of his work. In general, I love writers who challenge what words can do on the page.

Who has inspired and/or supported you most in your writing journey?

I have been supported and held by so many amazing writing communities. I am grateful to them all.

What do you love most about writing?

I love that writing meets me where I am. It doesn’t have to be perfect or pretty. It doesn’t have to be shared or even last. It can hold my heart and be what I need in the moment.

What advice do you have for new writers?

Read widely. It’s awesome to read writers that you love, but it is just as valuable to read other writers that you may love, may learn from, or may see what you want to avoid. And read for form and structure as well as content. Notice how other writers use words on the page. Also, look for other things you can create. Making informs making. In moments when I have felt blocked on the page, I could go to my garden or prepare a new dish and have something be revealed.

What’s the most important thing you always keep near your computer (or wherever/however you work)?

I always keep a pen and paper. As much as I appreciate how technology has offered amazing tools for writing, there is nothing that compares to pen and paper. I use it to take notes, jot lines, record quotes, draw, etc. I have notebooks and pens in a variety of sizes and colors so I can meet every occasion.

What’s your vision for Yellow Arrow in 2024?

When I think about AMPLIFY, as it pertains to the workshops, I’m really excited about amplifying the amazing offerings that Yellow Arrow has and also amplifying the workshop space to bring in new ideas and new facilitators. There is so much potential for the growth and making a beautiful connection with our ever-expanding community.

*****

Kapua Iao 2/1/24 Kapua Iao 2/1/24

Yellow Arrow Journal (IX/01) ELEVATE Submissions are Now Open!

Yellow Arrow Publishing is excited to announce that submissions for our next issue of Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. IX, No. 1 (spring 2024) is open February 1-29, providing a platform for authors to embrace and amplify their own voice. Guest editor, Jennifer N. Shannon, contemplates about her voice by reflecting on The Color Purple:

“I am proud of my becoming, as a mother and writer and friend and daughter and partner. I am also excited about the honesty I am searching for even when it’s scary. The Color Purple did that. The latest version of this masterpiece still does that for me. It makes me want to be brave, live in my truth, evolve into who I will become, and share my voice as loudly as I can. It makes me want to help other women do the same, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do just that, with my curatorial work and with Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. IX, No. 1.”

This issue’s theme is ELEVATE

: to improve morally, intellectually, or culturally
: to lift up or make higher
: to raise the spirits of

1. What story do you want to tell but haven’t found the words for? How will the story affect those who read or hear your truth? What will it do for you to share this story with the world?

2. What has guided you along your journey? What actions have elevated you? Are there any themes that show themselves to you repeatedly and if so what do you think they mean?

3. How are you moving forward in your writing, in your life, in your job, in your relationships, within your passion(s)? What is expanding and evolving you? Is your mindset growing? What scares you about your progression? What brings you joy? What’s stopping you?

Yellow Arrow Journal is looking for creative nonfiction, poetry, and cover art submissions by writers/artists who identify as women, on the theme of ELEVATE. Submissions can be in any language as long as an English translation accompanies it. For more information regarding journal submission guidelines, please visit yellowarrowpublishing.com/submissions. Please read our guidelines carefully before submitting. To learn more about our editorial views and how important your voice is in your story, read about the journal. This issue will be released in May 2024.

ELEVATE’s guest editor, Jennifer N. Shannon, has self-published three books: Silent Teardrops, for the LOVE, short stories and poems, vol. 1, and for the LOVE, short stories and poems, vol. 2. Her poetry, short stories, photographs, and essays have been in lit magazines such as North Dakota Quarterly, Yellow Arrow Journal, Deep South Magazine, Auburn Avenue, and others. In 2022, she curated the six-month artist exhibition “Black Joy Is My Protest,” which featured 12 artists from across the country and was showcased at Busboys and Poets in Baltimore. Jennifer was also a 2022 Baker Artist Awards finalist, a poetry fellow at The Watering Hole, and in 2023, she was selected as a Maryland State Arts Council Triennial Artist for Literary Arts. Jennifer is a proud South Carolinian and Gamecock who now lives in Maryland with her son and partner. Visit Jennifer’s website jennifernshannon.com or follow her @writerjns on Instagram and Facebook. Jennifer previously served on the Yellow Arrow board as marketing director and her poem “We Smile” was included in Yellow Arrow Journal RENASCENCE (Vol. VI, No. 1). We are excited to work with Jennifer over the next few months.

The journal is just one of many ways that Yellow Arrow Publishing works to support and inspire women-identifying creatives through publication and access to the literary arts. Since its founding in 2016, Yellow Arrow has worked tirelessly to make an impact on the local and global community by advocating for writers who identify as women. Yellow Arrow proudly represents the voices of women from around the globe. Creating diversity in the literary world and providing a safe space is deeply important. Every writer has a story to tell, every story is worth telling.

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Kapua Iao 1/30/24 Kapua Iao 1/30/24

Podcast Spotlight: We Can Do Hard Things

By Samantha Pomerantz, written November 2023

Have you heard the We Can Do Hard Things podcast? With over 500K monthly listeners and multiple appearances at the top of the Apple Podcasts chart, this is one for the books! The world of We Can Do Hard Things is one that inspires hope and community. It is a safe place for sensitive souls and all curious human beings to dive into the recesses of the daily hard things and the macro, worldly hard things that we face in our 21st-century lives. Author Glennon Doyle converses with cohosts Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle, as the three bring their hard questions, and those of the community, to expert seekers who have figured some of these hard things out. From interviews with author and clinical psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy to author and First Lady Michelle Obama, the WCDHT podcast offers a way to engage with the pain and the pleasures of our world.

My to-read list is mostly padded with books written by WCDHT podcast interviewees. These episodes offer a way to get to know the author behind their best-selling work and allow you to feel like a part of the conversation. They are human, they are advocates, they are activists, and listeners get to fight for a freer world alongside them as we ask ourselves the hard questions together.

Here are four must listen to episodes (descriptions taken directly from the podcast) and the inspiring books written by their interviewees.

Episode 74. ALOK: What makes us beautiful? What makes us free?

On the podcast: “‘The days that I feel most beautiful are the days that I am most afraid.’ ‘What feminine part of yourself did you have to destroy in order to survive in this world?’ ‘Why have we been taught to fear the very things that can set us free?’”

ALOK (they/them) is an internationally acclaimed writer, performer, and public speaker. As a mixed-media artist their work explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition. They are the author of Femme in Public (2017), Beyond the Gender Binary (2020), and Your Wound/My Garden (2021). They are the creator of #DeGenderFashion: a movement to degender fashion and beauty industries and have been honored as one of HuffPo’s Culture Shifters, NBC’s Pride 50, and Business Insider’s Doers.

Instagram @alokvmenon; website alokvmenon.com.

Episode 168. Sonya Renee Taylor: What If You Loved Your Body

On the podcast: “Sonya Renee Taylor—author of The Body is Not an Apology—explores the personal and global promise of Radical Self Love:

1. Examining the way we talk to our bodies – and how to change negative self-dialogue.

2. How to shift from a relationship with our body based on dominance and control to a relationship based on trust.

3. The pitfalls of ‘body positivity.’

4. Recognizing this global moment we are in as a gift inviting us to collective Self Love.

5. The full life that is possible only if we stop believing our body is our enemy, and start seeing our body as a teammate.”

Sonya Renee Taylor is a world-renowned activist, award-winning artist, transformational thought leader, author of six books including The New York Times best-selling The Body is Not an Apology (2018), and founder of the international movement and digital media and education company of the same name whose work has reached millions of people by exploring the intersections of identity, healing, and social justice using a radical self-love framework. She continues to speak, teach, write, create, and transform lives globally.

Instagram @sonyareneetaylor; website sonyareneetaylor.com/about.

Episode 92. Chanel Miller Promises: We Are Never Stuck

On the podcast: “Chanel Miller discusses—

1. Thinking of depression as a way of seeing the world . . . through toilet paper roll binoculars.

2. Why healing might actually just be permission to go.

3. Chanel’s definition of success: refusing to succumb to perfection or exhaustion–and showing up as herself in every moment.

4. The healing moment when Chanel returned to Stanford and was held in sound–which set her free.”

Chanel Miller is a writer and artist who received her BA in Literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her critically acclaimed memoir, KNOW MY NAME, was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times Book Review Notable Book, and a National Book Critics Circle Award winner, as well as a best book of 2019 in Time, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, NPR, and People, among others. She is a 2019 Time Next 100 honoree and a 2016 Glamour Woman of the Year honoree under her pseudonym, “Emily Doe.”

Instagram @chanel_miller; website chanel-miller.com.

See also The Ultimate Barbie Reading List blog by Cecelia Caldwell that included Know My Name. Find the book here.

Episode 239. Why Are We Never Satisfied? with adrienne maree brown

On the podcast: “Are you capable of being satisfied? Today, adrienne maree brown helps us uncover: How to find beauty and connection in the everyday; How to stop wasting your time on things that don’t feel good; Why the greatest risk of life is also where its preciousness comes from; How, through the discipline of pleasure, we can ALL be satisfied.”

adrienne maree brown is a pleasure activist, writer, and radical imaginist who grows healing ideas in public through writing, music, and podcasts. adrienne has nurtured Emergent Strategy, Pleasure Activism, Radical Imagination and Transformative Justice as ideas, frameworks, networks, and practices for transformation. adrienne’s work is informed by 25 years of social and environmental justice facilitation primarily supporting Black liberation. adrienne is the author/editor of several published texts including Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds; Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good; Grievers; and Maroons. After a multinational childhood, adrienne lived in New York, Oakland, and Detroit before landing in her current home of Durham, North Carolina.

Twitter @adriennemaree; Instagram @adriennemareebrown. Find Emergent Strategy here.

Happy listening and reading! Find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audacity, and Spotify.

Samantha Pomerantz (she/her) is a writer and a lover of stories. She is studying English and creative writing at Elon University until mid 2024. And then she will do other things that will likely also involve reading and writing. She is the poetry editor of Colonnades literary and art journal and the second-place recipient of the 2023 Frederick Haartman poetry prize. Samantha has spent most of her life in Germantown, Maryland, hugging trees and learning how to be a person.

*****

Yellow Arrow 1/26/24 Yellow Arrow 1/26/24

Her View Friday

Yellow Arrow Publishing supports women-identifying writers from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes us stronger. Women’s voices have historically been underrepresented in literature, and we aim to elevate those voices and stories through our programs, publications, and support.

Part of our mission in supporting and uplifting women-identifying creatives is to promote the Yellow Arrow community’s individual accomplishments. We’d like to further expand that support and promotion outside of our Yellow Arrow publications. Twice a month, we’d like to give a shout out to those within the Yellow Arrow community who recently published:

single-author publications
single pieces in journals, anthologies, etc., as well as prizes/awards, book reviews, and podcasts/interviews

You can support our authors by reading this blog and their work, sharing their news, and commenting below or on the blog. Congratulations to all the included authors. We are so proud of you!

Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling

“Embracing the Darkness” by Michelle Levy from Smallwood, New York

Genre: creative nonfiction

Name of publication: Discover Magazine

Date published: August 2023

Type of publication: print and online

Find the publication here or at discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/how-to-embrace-the-benefits-of-darkness

Meet Michelle on Instagram @michellesydneylevy or Facebook @originalprint.

“Stripped” by Kay Smith-Blum from Seattle, Washington

Genre: flash fiction

Name of publication: Heathentide Orphans anthology from Zoetic Press

Date published: December 2023

Type of publication: print

zoeticpress.com/heathentide-orphans-2023

Connect with Kay on Instagram @discerningKSB, Facebook @kay.smithblum, LinkedIn @kay-smith-blum-3877273, and Twitter @kaysmithblum.

(you can find other Yellow Arrow authors included in the anthology!!)

“What I Learned About Writing From Donkey Kong” by Wendy Swift from Farmington, Connecticut

Genre: nonfiction

Name of publication: Brevity Blog

Date published: December 15, 2023

Type of publication: print

brevity.wordpress.com/2023/12/15/donkey-kong

Find Wendy on Facebook @wendy.swift.902819 and Instagram @wendyjswiftauthor.

Yellow Arrow (past and present) board, staff, interns, authors, residents, and instructors alike! Got a publication coming out? Let us help celebrate for you in Her View Friday.

Single-author publications: here.

Single pieces as well as prizes/awards, book reviews, and podcasts/interviews: here.

Please read the instructions on each form carefully; we look forward to congratulating you!

*****

Kapua Iao 1/23/24 Kapua Iao 1/23/24

Meet a Staff Member: Jill Earl

Yellow Arrow Publishing would like to introduce editorial associate Jill Earl. Jill is a writer based in Maryland. As a past member of the Maryland Writers Association, she served as a proofreader then later editor of the membership publication Pen in Hand. She was a contributor and newsletter editor for WOW! Women on Writing, an online magazine for women writers. She was published in Pen in Hand, Topology (formerly catapult magazine), WOW! Women on Writing, and on the website Your Tango.

Jill says, “I’m looking forward to getting to know the staff as we work together to help women publish and gain recognition for their writing, enhancing and improving my own writing skills as I get back into writing myself, and continuing to learn about the publishing industry.”

Tell us a little something about yourself:

I’m an avid reader continuing the tradition inherited from my mom of having stacks of books and magazines in the living room and bedroom. I’m a major fan of film and the arts, enjoy traveling, cooking, baking through my massive collection of recipes, learning Spanish, and seeing what develops as I continue to learn photography. I’m also learning about the ins and outs of chinchilla sitting. Not all at the same time, of course.

What do you love most about Baltimore?

I like living in Catonsville, which is right outside of Baltimore City. There’s something about the small town/village feel of the area that’s resonated with me.

How did you get involved with Yellow Arrow and what do you do?

I became involved with Yellow Arrow when I was hired for the editorial associate role.

What are you working on currently?

I [was] working on a Christmas-related latch hook rug. Pretty sure it won’t be finished in time.

What genre do you write (or read) the most and why?

I’m noticing it’s a tie between nonfiction and cookbooks. With nonfiction, there have been so many book releases in the last several years regarding historical events and authors that I want to learn about. As for cookbooks, I love learning about different cuisines, culinary traditions, and techniques and the reimagining of them all. On top of that, I love to study the images in those books because I’m interested in food photography. Finally, making recipes helps hone my skills, as well as keep me fed.

What book is on the top of your to-be-read pile?

Right now, it’s Susan Cain’s Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole. I’ve followed her since she released Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking a number of years ago. Her extensive research on introversion continues to help me understand how I see and interact with society as an introvert and how embracing sorrow and longing can be healing.

Who is your favorite writer and why?

I’d have to say Kathleen Norris. She’s a poet and memoirist based in Hawai’i but much of her work is about her life in South Dakota. My favorite book of hers is The Cloister Walk, which recounts her two extended residencies at a Benedictine abbey in Minnesota. It was fascinating that I found her experiences, which could be considered outdated by today’s standards, relevant. I was even inspired to do a weekend retreat at a local convent, which I enjoyed a lot.

Who has inspired and/or supported you most in your writing journey?

My first inspiration was my mother who nurtured me for as long as I can remember. She saw that I had a vivid imagination and encouraged me to use it. Our library held numerous books in a range of topics and genres, and I spent hours learning and writing about various topics, authors, and genres. She always supported me, cheering me on as I competed in my first writing contest as a child and that continued into adulthood as I took on a number of writing roles as an adult.

What do you love most about writing?

Being able to lose myself in the process of using thoughts, ideas and imagination to create characters, scenarios and alternate worlds for fiction; or presenting facts, perspective and lived experience for nonfiction. I also appreciate that now writers can veer off to create work that doesn’t fall under established genres.

What advice do you have for new writers?

Regardless of age, we live in a world where there’s a plethora of resources available to explore. Read about that author or genre you’re curious about. Practice your writing. Take that class or workshop. Go to that conference. Have coffee or a meal with that author you’ve been following if you can—not in a stalkerish way, because who wants that? Enter that competition. Then rinse and repeat because it’s a never-ending process.

*****

Kapua Iao 1/16/24 Kapua Iao 1/16/24

The Color Purple: Still Evolving After 40 Years

Yellow Arrow Publishing would like to announce the next guest editor for Yellow Arrow Journal, Jennifer N. Shannon. Jennifer will oversee the creation of our Vol. IX, No. 1 issue.

This next issue of Yellow Arrow Journal gives creatives who identify as women the opportunity to be their authentic selves by exploring and embracing their voices within its pages. With this issue, we want our authors to reach higher — move forward — live proudly. To learn more about this idea, read Jennifer’s words below. Mark your calendar! The theme will be released next week. Submissions open February 1 and the issue will be released in May.

Jennifer N. Shannon has self-published three books: Silent Teardrops, for the LOVE, short stories and poems, vol. 1, and for the LOVE, short stories and poems, vol. 2. Her poetry, short stories, photographs, and essays have been in lit magazines such as North Dakota Quarterly, Yellow Arrow Journal, Deep South Magazine, Auburn Avenue, and others. In 2022, she curated the six-month artist exhibition “Black Joy Is My Protest,” which featured 12 artists from across the country and was showcased at Busboys and Poets in Baltimore. Jennifer was also a 2022 Baker Artist Awards finalist, a poetry fellow at The Watering Hole, and in 2023, she was selected as a Maryland State Arts Council Triennial Artist for Literary Arts. Jennifer is a proud South Carolinian and Gamecock who now lives in Maryland with her son and partner. Visit Jennifer’s website jennifernshannon.com or follow her @writerjns on Instagram and Facebook. Jennifer previously served on the Yellow Arrow board as marketing director and her poem “We Smile” was included in Yellow Arrow Journal RENASCENCE (Vol. VI, No. 1).

Please follow Yellow Arrow on Facebook and Instagram for the theme announcement. Below, you can read more about Jennifer’s perspective on the importance of amplifying one’s own voice. We look forward to (re)working with Jennifer over the next few months.

By Jennifer N. Shannon

I recently started reading the beautiful hardcover book Purple Rising: Celebrating 40 Years of the Magic, Power, and Artistry of The Color Purple. It’s about The Color Purple, a book written by Alice Walker who won a Pulitzer Prize for her work. Purple Rising celebrates The Color Purple’s 40-year journey from the written piece to the 1985 film, its reinvention as a musical on Broadway, and finally to its latest transformation as a musical movie.

There is so much about Purple Rising that I already love . . . finding out more about Alice Walker’s motivation for writing what is one of my favorite books (the 1985 film is also a favorite), the photographs that span decades and capture the evolution of each iteration of The Color Purple, and the paths of all who have been involved in the various projects.

“If it is true that it is what we run from that chases us, then The Color Purple (this color that is always a surprise but is everywhere in nature) is the book that ran me down while I sat with my back to it in a field.” – Alice Walker, preface to the 1992 edition

In 2021, I gave birth to a baby boy. Nothing could prepare me for the bevy of emotions I’ve felt since that moment. I’ve doubted myself as a mother and questioned who I was becoming as a woman. Not to mention feeling as though I had lost my voice as a writer and poet. That has been one of the most difficult things about transitioning into motherhood; the losses I’ve felt even though I have gained so much. However, the process of rediscovering who I am at this moment, during this time, has brought me to hidden places. Watching my son’s curiosity, his zest for all things “Christmas,” such as Elmo and Tango’s Nutcracker, and his fearlessness, pushes me to be more fearless in my writing. To explore my entrance into this world, my family history, and the stories that I’ve been reliving in my head—real and imagined. As I journey through my past, there is a reckoning that’s happening which is making me face what has been chasing me.

“I was dealing with some skeletons in the closet in the family, wanting to bring light to very murky corners.” – Alice Walker from Purple Rising

My paternal grandmother was physically abused by her husband for 30 years. Many years ago, she told me about it, matter-of-factly, as I sat with all the wonder in the world at how she survived and why she didn’t leave sooner. Although I didn’t realize this before, in many ways she was Celie from The Color Purple. And like Celie, she found her way out of that marriage and forged ahead making a life for herself. She wasn’t bitter and she’s still one of the nicest people I have ever met.

The Color Purple is a revelation of what women, Black women, have been experiencing since forever. It is an example of what it is to be courageous—to bellow out for the world to hear. Back when it was first published, it brought to light so much about women’s concerns, abuse, mistreatment, and beauty while showcasing love and tenderness. That’s what makes it timeless and inspiring. It is gentle but harsh, truthful yet fictitious. It is the epitome of vulnerability. And it is an example of the type of writer and artist I aspire to be.

I am proud of my becoming, as a mother and writer and friend and daughter and partner. I am also excited about the honesty I am searching for even when it’s scary. The Color Purple did that. The latest version of this masterpiece still does that for me. It makes me want to be brave, live in my truth, evolve into who I will become, and share my voice as loudly as I can. It makes me want to help other women do the same, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do just that, with my curatorial work and with Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. IX, No. 1.

*****

Kapua Iao 1/9/24 Kapua Iao 1/9/24

Amplify: Reinforcing Women’s Voices with Yellow Arrow Publishing’s 2024 Yearly Value

By Nikita Rimal Sharma

“We are fighting misogynists in every culture. My solution is to listen to the women in each community and amplify their voices.”
~Mona Eltahawy

Choosing one word to exemplify 2024 for Yellow Arrow Publishing is a ritual we have followed since 2020. I think of it as being an intentional way to reflect on the past year and take those experiences forward with a new energy.

Previous yearly values include REFUGE for 2020, EMERGE for 2021, and AWAKEN for 2022—watchwords that trace not only Yellow Arrow’s experience of the last few years but the culture as a whole. Last year we chose the word SPARK to rekindle our fire. We used that flame and that sparkle to light a flame. We hosted 39 workshops, published three chapbooks and two journal issues, released our second edition of Yellow Arrow Vignette, organized two fundraisers, one in-person in our home town of Baltimore and one online, represented Yellow Arrow in four local and one national conference, and the list goes on.

The root that we established in our beloved Baltimore City is growing, spreading its branches and leaves to so many more writers beyond borders. We are proud of the growth while remaining committed to our home base and are ready to capitalize on what we have created. For 2024, we are ready to AMPLIFY, to get women-identifying voices out loudly and proudly into the ethos.

When I think of amplify, I think of taking what we have and going to the next level: supporting more women-identifying writers to bring their creation to the world through publications; inspiring seasoned and aspiring writers to take up more space and share their stories without any inhibition through our workshops. As we work on our mission and bring beautiful morsels of writing into life, we find that each piece we publish or showcase brings us and our humanity together and helps us nurture our emotions with vulnerability and grace. There is so much power in creation.

Our 2024 will be about amplifying women-identifying authors with our biannual Yellow Arrow Journal, our chapbook series, and our online publication Yellow Arrow Vignette. We can’t wait to introduce you to our first guest editor in the new year and open submissions to Vol. IX, No. 1 in February, release our first 2024 chapbook Beyond the Galleons by Isabel Cristina Legarda, or find new voices to showcase with Vignette. With 2024, we also look to strengthen the voices of women-identifying authors (those taking and those teaching the workshops!) with our 2024 workshop offerings, such as, for the spring, the revamped Poetry is Life, The Written Womb, Write Here Write Now, and Ekphrastic Poetry (SOLD OUT!). And finally, we’re using 2024 to intensify our presence within the Baltimore community and beyond with more in-person and virtual events, festivals, and get togethers.

The word AMPLIFY fills me with a sense of pride and gratitude. It is a sign that we have come a long way fighting through adversities, changes, and challenges to a place where we can dream a little bigger. I am truly thankful for every staff member on the team who has continued to work tirelessly for women-identifying authors. And all of this would not be possible without our readers and supporters. Your faith in the power of creativity, storytelling, and writing was our spark in 2023 and will be our energy to amplify in 2024.

Now, let’s go!

Nikita Rimal Sharma (she/her) currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with her husband, Prashant and dog, Stone. She works at B’More Clubhouse, a community-based, mental health nonprofit organization focused on psychosocial recovery. She graduated with a master’s in public administration from Wichita State University, Kansas, which is where she landed when she first moved to the U.S. in 2013. When she is not working, Nikita is busy reading, writing and reflecting, hiking, or spending time with family and friends. She has been involved with Yellow Arrow Publishing through the Poetry is Life workshop, her first poem ever published in Yellow Arrow Journal, and her first chapbook publication, The most beautiful garden. She loves being a part of this amazing women driven creative community. Nikita is on Yellow Arrow’s board as director of fundraising. Find her on Instagram @nikita.playwithwords.

*****

Yellow Arrow 12/29/23 Yellow Arrow 12/29/23

Her View Friday

Part of our mission in supporting and uplifting women writers is to promote the Yellow Arrow community’s individual accomplishments. We’d like to further expand that support and promotion outside of our Yellow Arrow publications. Twice a month, we’d like to give a shout out to those within the Yellow Arrow community who recently published:

single-author publications
single pieces in journals, anthologies, etc. as well as prizes/awards

You can support our authors by reading this blog and their work, sharing their news, and commenting below or on the blog. Congratulations to all the included authors. We are so proud of you!

Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling

“Freight Train” by Emma Gawlinski from the United kingdom (living in spain)

Genre: poetry

Name of publication: Ink Sweat & Tears

Date published: October 2023

Type of publication: online

inksweatandtears.co.uk/emma-gawlinski

Find Emma on Twitter @EClinski.

PRIZES/AWARDS

“The Perseids” by Nancy Hugget from Ottawa

Genre: creative nonfiction

Name of award: Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize

Winner of last year’s American Literary Review’s essay contest

americanliteraryreview.com/2023/03/27/nancy-huggett/

Connect with Nancy on Twitter @nancyhuggett, Instagram @nanhug, or Facebook @huggett.35.

Yellow Arrow (past and present) board, staff, interns, authors, residents, and instructors alike! Got a publication coming out? Let us help celebrate for you in Her View Friday.

Single-author publications: here.

Single pieces and awards/prizes: here.

Please read the instructions on each form carefully; we look forward to congratulating you!

*****

Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we SPARK and sparkle this year: purchase one of our publications from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, join our newsletter, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.

Kapua Iao 12/19/23 Kapua Iao 12/19/23

2023 Year in Review: We Belong Here, and You Belong Here, Too

Dear Yellow Arrow Community,

It is hard to believe I have only been a part of this incredibly warm community of writers for just a few years when it often feels like I have always belonged here. This year, I had the great honor of representing Yellow Arrow Publishing at many conferences and literary festivals in Baltimore (and beyond!) and every Yellow Arrow writer and reader I meet tells me the same thing: Yellow Arrow made me feel like I belong here. Friends: you do belong here. We are so incredibly grateful to have you on this journey with us. Let’s take a moment to look back at all we have done in our 2023 Year in Review.

Each year we select a yearly value that embodies the energy we want to bring into our work, and this year, we selected SPARK. Yellow Arrow Vignette managing editor Siobhan McKenna reflected on what spark means to her and to Yellow Arrow when she introduced the focus for Vignette SPARK this summer:

“When an idea arrives, sparks are vital—they are the lifeblood for creativity. Yet, sparks sometimes fade when it comes to the nitty-gritty, the long hours that must be undertaken in order to have an idea come to fruition. It is then, within the drudgery of labor, when faced with self-doubt and fear (who even wants to hear what I have to say?), that it is essential to remember the spark that drove you to begin your journey.”

The words and stories we published this year all orbited around this idea of why we write, what stories we have to tell, and who is listening? I can tell you, Yellow Arrow community, we are listening. We love reading your submissions, and though the final selection process is often difficult, and we can’t publish everyone, know that your words stay with us. Vignette SPARK authors used the theme to take on a variety of forms of the word from literal to the meta, exploring the influences in their lives that have ignited their creative pursuits.

With Yellow Arrow Journal this year, we first explored the theme of KINDLING with guest editor Matilda Young. Our KINDLING cover artist and contributing poet Violeta Garza captured the theme of the issue perfectly: “I see kindling as the grouping of individual pieces that, with enough chemistry and action, create an explosion.” What a stunning metaphor she has articulated for just how we feel about the work we do here at Yellow Arrow! Then, our second release of Yellow Arrow Journal Vol. VIII, EMBLAZON, focused on life’s fleeting moments and how we make them last. Guest editor Leticia Priebe Rocha shared, “What is writing and creating if not an attempt to emblazon those moments on the page? And are we not all simply stumbling around, feverishly trying to emblazon ourselves onto this world?” We are so honored to emblazon and kindle the stories of our contributors onto the page in Yellow Arrow Journal. (P.S. If you don’t have copies of either issue yet or want to gift them to someone for the holidays, you can buy them at a discount of $25 here). We published 77 incredible writers in Yellow Arrow Journal and Yellow Arrow Vignette this year and are so happy to have had the chance to hear so many diverse, rich voices.

In addition to these creatives, we published three incredible poetry collections: Lifecyle of a Beautiful Woman by Ann Weil, Black girl magic & other elixirs by shantell hinton hill, and Swimming in Gilead by Cassie Premo Steele (you can share in the happiness of these three authors as they saw their books for the first time on YouTube!). We enjoyed meeting with these chapbook authors in a cohort this year to collaborate on how to share their stories. For the remainder of 2023, you can support Ann, shantell, and Cassie by purchasing a bundle of all three 2023 chapbooks for a discounted price. Note that we recently announced our 2024 chapbook authors and are eagerly looking ahead to their publications next year and can’t wait to support them.

With our Writers-in-Residence program, we are able to build community amongst local writers by offering access to our workshops, one-on-one meetings with team members, and more. We were also able to add a stipend and a gift card to Bird-in-Hand to our Writers-in-Residence program this year and were thrilled to have Kat Scott and Tramaine Suubi join us on their creative journeys this fall. Stay tuned for information about an in-person reading featuring their work in early 2024!

We were also (finally) able to get out and about in Baltimore and beyond this year! In March, board president Mickey Revenaugh and I took a trip to Seattle to check out the AWP (Association of Writers & Writing Programs) conference for the first time, and wow, were we blown away by the presence of so many amazing small presses and writers! And beyond that, we were overcome with the feeling that we, the Yellow Arrow Publishing team, belong there, too. That we were finally able to really spark and sparkle. We are delighted to share that we’ve decided to attend AWP as official participants with a Yellow Arrow table in the book fair in February 2024. We hope to see writers from our community in Kansas City! We also spent a lot of time connecting further with our Baltimore-area community at the Washington Writers Conference, the Waverly Book Festival, The Lost Weekend Festival, and the Baltimore Writers Conference. It is truly inspiring to see the love for reading and writing so present across so many thriving local arts neighborhoods. Now that we can transition many of our programs from fully virtual to in person (hooray!), we are excited to solidify our Baltimore-area presence in 2024. Our roots are in Baltimore; Baltimore is where we belong, even if we are supporting writers beyond our region (which we love to do!). Stay tuned for exciting updates about how you will be able to engage with us locally. If you know a Baltimore creative who isn’t connected with us, please encourage them to subscribe to our newsletter for updates!

Finally, this year, we had a goal of expanding our workshops and are so thrilled that we were able to host a total of 39 workshops on craft writing topics! One workshop participant shared, “I enjoyed the instructor’s blend of reading poems for inspiration, sharing her unique thoughts on the subject, and allowing time for writing and sharing. I felt connected to the other workshop participants and appreciated the diversity of thought and writing styles represented.” We just released our 2024 winter workshop schedule which includes four incredible workshop series: Ekphrastic Poetry, Poetry is Life, The Written Womb, and Write Here Write Now. You can sign up for sessions one at a time or buy the full series at a discounted price. We also introduced the Gift of Writing Card so that you can prepay for workshops (or gift them!) and choose which ones to attend as your schedule allows. This is a great way to kick off the new year by honoring your writing intentions in our supportive community! Our writing workshops are accessible, affordable, and foster a sense of community and support among writers in all stages of their creative journey. No matter where you are on your writing path, we welcome you to our workshop community. You belong here, too.

We could never do this incredible work without our tremendous team that collaborates so diligently behind the scenes. Every single team member, whether volunteer, staff, workshop instructor, intern, guest editor, or board member, is focused on supporting and empowering women-identifying writers at every stage of their artistic journey. We are excited to be expanding our amazing team in 2024 and look forward to sharing more information about our new team members with our community in the coming months.

We are ever so grateful for your continued support of women-identifying writers. We always welcome donations that support our mission, especially as we wrap up the year and begin planning for 2024 (get ready for the release of our 2024 theme in January!). Donate today to support our 2024 initiatives!

Yellow Arrow depends on the support of those who value our work; your continued support means everything to us. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@DonateYAP), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, MD 21209). You can further support us by purchasing one of our publications from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or subscribing to our YouTube channel.

Once again, thank you for supporting independent publishing and women writers. See you in the new year!

Warmest Wishes,

Annie Marhefka and the Yellow Arrow Publishing team

Kapua Iao 12/18/23 Kapua Iao 12/18/23

Please Tell Me: Write Here Write Now with Yellow Arrow Publishing

By Kerry Graham

Granted, I don’t know what it is. When it happened. Where.

But I know you have a story—many stories, in fact. I know the world will be made better (more whole, more hopeful) when you tell what only you can tell.

No, I don’t know who was there. Who wasn’t. How, or how much, what happened affects you. I just know that it’s a story we’re eager for you to share.

Maybe you’ve heard this before, this urging to tell your truth. Maybe you’d like to but are worried you won’t do your story justice. Maybe you don’t know where to start—or where to end.

Please don’t let that stop you from trying.

I am a seasoned writer of creative nonfiction; I write personal essays and vignettes, offering my readers glimpses of what and who matter to me. This genre shows me, time and again, that what appears to be the most unique is also often the most universal; narrating the nuances of our lives can be how we best connect to others.

I am also an instructor of creative nonfiction; I lead virtual workshops to support fellow writers—or fellow humans, folks with stories simmering within, whether or not they know how to tell those yet—in creating a narrative out of their lived experience.

I write creative nonfiction because it’s one of the most reliable ways to share what I find most precious. I teach creative nonfiction because I want as many people as possible, especially those with the least amount of experience, to have the option to do the same.

My quickest advice to anyone interested in writing creative nonfiction is to use the same level of imagination and intention to write as you would in other genres: a piece of fiction. Poetry. The fact that you’re recounting something that actually happened doesn’t change that it’s art. Your words are the color and shape of the scene unfolding on the page; you just need to know how to wield them. How to use your words to show. Evoke.

Starting in January, I will teach a monthly workshop series with Yellow Arrow called Write Here Write Now. Each session will be a new opportunity, a chance to work with a different skill, to craft creative nonfiction. We’ll discuss, practice, and have the opportunity to receive feedback on character development so that your readers will come to love or loathe the people in your story just like you do. In another session, we’ll cover setting—what it contributes to a scene and how. We’ll also travel through time, playing with flashbacks and flash forwards to figure out the most compelling way to reveal what it is that you have to say.

Write Here Write Now is designed for anyone eager to share their truth, regardless of previous writing experience. The first three sessions are on January 9, February 13, and March 12, which you can sign up for at yellowarrowpublishing.com/workshop-sign-up/whwn2024. While each session stands alone, they’ll be most valuable if you attend all three; you’ll see the cumulative impact of the skills, as well as how they can be used alongside one another to make your words even more resonant.

I don’t know your story, but I want to. And if you’ll have me, I’d be honored to help you tell it.

Kerry Graham is a Baltimore-based writer, book coach, and former high school English teacher. Her newsletter, Real Quick, offers solidarity with, and strategies for, the writer ready to become more confident and capable in their craft. Kerry is a Creative-in-Residence at The Baltimore Banner.

*****

Kapua Iao 12/12/23 Kapua Iao 12/12/23

Where to Submit: Spring Edition

Part of our mission in supporting and uplifting women writers is to promote those around the Yellow Arrow community with like-minded missions. We’d like to show our support by highlighting submissions open by sister presses throughout the year. This blog will list spring submissions from January to April, 2024 for:

journals/anthologies/zines
chapbooks
full-length manuscripts
online publications

We searched for submissions that have similar beliefs about inclusivity and diversity; they don’t necessarily only publish women but advocate for women-identifying authors in their own way. All listed are for poetry, creative nonfiction, and/or hybrid work.

If you think we missed something, please send the information in an email to editor@yellowarrowpublishing.com. We hope you find the list useful and good luck!

Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling.

Journals/Anthologies/Zines

Archetype (online and print): accepts essays, poetry, fiction, interviews, reviews, impassioned musings, photography, and art; submissions open from November 1 to January 7 for the spring issue, June 1 to August 6 for the fall issue; no reading fee; no payment

humana obscura (online and print): accepts poetry, prose/short fiction, and art; submissions open until end of February, no payment

Lavender Review (online and print): accepts poetry and art by lesbians; submissions open year round; no reading fee

Levitate Magazine (online and print): accepts fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual arts on the theme of Insomnia; submissions open until end of February; no payment

Yellow Arrow Journal: accepts poetry, nonfiction, and cover art by creatives who identify as women (theme TBA); no reading fee; $10USD payment

Chapbooks

Backbone Press: accepts poetry chapbooks of 20-40 pages for competition; submissions open from January to March; $20USD reading fee; winning prize of $250USD

Game Over Books: accepts novels, novellas, short story collections, poetry chapbooks, hybrid; prose submissions open March 1 to 22, poetry submissions open May 1 to 31; no reading fee; 30% royalties paid

Kelsay Books (Alabaster Leaves Publishing): accepts chapbooks and full-length manuscripts; submissions open year round; $12USD reading fee, 12% royalties paid

Full-length manuscripts

Apprentice House Press: accepts manuscripts of a variety of genres (not poetry or children’s); submissions open now until January 30

BlazeVOX [books]: accepts poetry and fiction manuscripts (and actively developing a book series that promotes the work of women); submissions are currently open; 10% royalties paid

Game Over Books: accepts novels and full-length poetry manuscripts; prose submissions open March 1 to 22, poetry submissions open May 1 to 31; no reading fee; 30% royalties paid

Kelsay Books (Alabaster Leaves Publishing): accepts chapbooks and full-length manuscripts; submissions open year round; $12USD reading fee, 12% royalties paid

She Writes Press: accepts manuscripts of a variety of genres (not children’s books); submissions for spring 2025 publication is open; $35USD reading fee

Online Publication

ARTWIFE: accepts literary art, visual art, and video art; submissions open year round; no reading fee; no payment

Black Sun Lit digital vestiges: accepts poetry, prose, essays, translations; submissions open monthly (up to 100 accepted per month); no reading fee

Decolonial Passage: accepts essays, creative nonfiction, short stories, flash fiction, and poetry engaged in the decolonial project; submissions open for poetry in January, March, May, July, September, and November, all other submissions rolling; no payment

diode: accepts poetry, book reviews, interviews, and essays on poetics; submissions open year round; no reading fee

Five South: accepts poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, flash, and humor; submissions open year round; reading fees vary by genre

Glint Literary Journal: accepts fiction, nonfiction, poetry, hybrid, review, art, audio, and video; submissions open from November to April; no reading fee; no payment

Literary Mama: accepts fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction from self-identified mothers; submissions open year round; no reading fee; no payment

Minerva Rising Press’ The Keeping Room online magazine: accepts short stories, essays, free writing, and photo essays; submissions open year round; reading fee unknown; $25.00 payment

NELLE: accepts poetry, short fiction, nonfiction written exclusively by women; submissions open January 1 to September 1; $3USD reading fee

Raising Mothers: accepts experimental and traditional fiction, flash fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, interviews, book reviews, photo essays, and comic/graphic narratives from BIPOC people exclusively; see website for open call periods; payment a small honorarium

Text Power Telling Magazine: accepts memoir, plays, poetry, nonfiction, and art; submissions open January 3, 2023 to January 3, 2024

Waxing & Waning (online and print): accepts poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, plays, art, graphic stories, and short films; submissions open year round; reading fees vary by genre

Willow Springs: accepts fiction, poetry, nonfiction; submissions open September 1 to May 31; $3USD reading fee; payment varies by genre

Wrong Turn Lit: accepts fiction and creative nonfiction; submissions open year round; no payment

*****

Yellow Arrow 12/5/23 Yellow Arrow 12/5/23

Meet the 2024 Yellow Arrow Publishing Pushcart Prize Nominees

The Pushcart Prize honors the incredible work of authors published by small presses and has since 1976. And since then, thousands of writers have been featured in its annual collections—most of whom are new to the series. The Pushcart Prize is a wonderful opportunity for writers of short stories, poetry, and essays to jump further into the literary world and see their work gain recognition and appreciation.

The Prize represents an incredible opportunity for Yellow Arrow to further showcase and support our authors. Our staff is committed to letting our authors shine. Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling. We are so proud of everyone we publish at Yellow Arrow. Without further ado, let’s meet the 2024 Yellow Arrow Pushcart Prize Nominees!

SHANTELL HINTON HILL

“i’m every woman”
from *Black girl magic & other elixirs*
~ it was third grade
when i finally discovered
the lyrics of my favorite song
were an incantation
to ward off evil
pale-faced women. ~

shantell hinton hill is the ultimate Renaissance woman. An engineer turned pastor, shantell situates her work at the intersections of social justice, public theology, and Black feminism/womanism. A native of Conway, Arkansas, shantell is married to Rev. Jeremy Hill. They recently welcomed their first child, Sophie June, to their growing family. shantell obtained a master of divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School. She also earned a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University and a master of science in electrical engineering from Colorado State University.

She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the National Society of Black Engineers. She is also an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Her vocational experiences include work as a process control engineer, a Bible teacher, and as Assistant University Chaplain at Vanderbilt. At Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, shantell focuses on community engagement, faith-based coalition building, and narrative change to imagine more just communities in Arkansas. In her spare time, shantell is also a freelance writer/author and curates digital content that centers on wholeness and thriving.

shantell’s chapbook Black girl magic & other elixirs was released in July 2023 and can be found in the Yellow Arrow bookstore.

SARAH JOSEPHINE PENNINGTON

“Myths and Lore”
from *Yellow Arrow Journal* Vol. VIII, No. 2 **EMBLAZON**
~ We told tall tales and fish tales and jack tales and dog tails, too, family lore we called little dead dog stories, stuffed full of wonder and padded with big lies that came natural in the dark country night. ~

Sarah Josephine Pennington (she/her) is a queer, disabled writer and artist currently living in Louisville, Kentucky, though her roots are in Appalachia. She studied creative writing while attending Bellarmine University and the University of Louisville, as well as through the Appalachian Writer’s Workshop and the Carnegie Center in Lexington. Recently her writing has been included in Still: The Journal, and she has been awarded a 2023 writing residency through the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Her art, which includes ceramics, printmaking, and fiber arts, can be frequently found in venues throughout Louisville.

Sarah contributed her piece, “Myths and Lore,” to Yellow Arrow Journal’s Vol. VIII, No. 2 issue, EMBLAZON and can be found in the Yellow Arrow bookstore.

CASSIE PREMO STEELE

“Volcano Woman”
from Swimming in Gilead
~ Proud, out, loud,
Fire, feisty, you
Woman of waves. ~

Cassie Premo Steele is an accomplished American writer celebrated for her profound contributions to literature and ecofeminism. Her extensive body of work encompasses evocative poetry, insightful essays, and explorations of ecofeminist philosophy. Cassie’s writing resonates with readers by intertwining themes of women's experiences, spirituality, and nature, forming a tapestry of thought-provoking narratives. As an advocate for environmental consciousness and gender equality, her words bridge the gap between the personal and the ecological. Her acclaimed works, such as We Heal from Memory and Earth Joy Writing, reveal her deep-rooted connection to the natural world and her commitment to inspiring change. Her latest books are the novel, Beaver Girl, and the poetry collection, Swimming in Gilead, from Yellow Arrow Publishing. Find her at cassiepremosteele.com.

Cassie’s chapbook Swimming in Gilead was released in October 2023 and can be found in the Yellow Arrow bookstore.

JANNA WAGNER

“Sun City: Témoignage”
from *Yellow Arrow Journal* Vol. VIII, No. 1, **KINDLING**
~ It is a place known to Haitians as the worst place to live in the country, a place described by locals and outsiders alike as a human tragedy, a place where poverty is feral ~

Janna Wagner has been a nurse with Doctors Without Borders since 2014 and writes from her home base at the end of the road in Homer, Alaska. Janna's essays exploring humanitarian work, grief, and body image have been published or are forthcoming in The Forge Literary Magazine, Spectrum Literary Journal, Yellow Arrow Journal, Exposition Review, and others. She recently won joint first place in The Letter Review Prize for Poetry and The Letter Review Prize for Short Stories. She can be reached at janna.e.wagner@gmail.com.

Janna contributed her creative nonfiction piece, “Sun City: Témoignage” to Yellow Arrow Journal Vol. VIII, No. 1 issue, KINDLING and can be found in the Yellow Arrow bookstore.

ANN WEIL

“Lifecycle of a Beautiful Woman”
from *Lifecycle of a Beautiful Woman*
~ Sixty-one.
I used to be what I no longer am. The switch—no, the electricity—
that lit the room. Powered the whole damn city. ~

Ann Weil is a former special education teacher and professor of education who now writes with the squirrels of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the manatees of Key West, Florida. Her most recent work appears in Maudlin House, Pedestal Magazine, DMQ Review, 3Elements Review, and The Shore. Her chapbook, Lifecycle of a Beautiful Woman, debuted in April 2023 from Yellow Arrow Publishing. Read more of Ann’s poetry at annweilpoetry.com.

Ann’s chapbook Lifecycle of a Beautiful Woman can be found in the Yellow Arrow bookstore. Ann also contributed her piece “The Unraveling” to Yellow Arrow Vignette AWAKEN, which can be found on the Yellow Arrow website.

*****

Kapua Iao 11/28/23 Kapua Iao 11/28/23

Gratitude is a Divine Emotion: Yellow Arrow Interns

By Kapua Iao

“Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.”

from Shirley by Charlotte Brontë

One of the many ways Yellow Arrow Publishing encourages women writers and women in publishing is through inclusion within the organization itself. We welcome (and thrive with) our volunteers and interns, not only for our own benefit but to also (hopefully) provide a prospective future publisher with some necessary tools and knowledge about the publishing world. And even if a volunteer/intern does not plan to continue within the publishing world, the tools and knowledge of working in a women-led, collaborative organization. One that champions the different and the unique. One that looks for partners and allies rather than simple connections (see our growing list of partners here).

As Editor-in-Chief, it would be impossible to organize, create, and publish without the incredible help of our volunteer staff and interns. They provide the thought process behind each journal by picking each issue’s theme and reading/voting on each submitted piece. They then read through the chosen submissions and edit them carefully and thoughtfully, not to change the voice of the author but to ensure that the voice flourishes. They provide continuous feedback and proofread the final product before release. And the same goes for our published chapbooks; the process of forming something for publication is thoughtfully long but fulfilling, nonetheless.

We try to find each volunteer, each intern, space in our organization to grow and flourish in the area they are most interested in (and of course where we need the most help!). Past staff members have worked at our live events and at Yellow Arrow House. They hand bound our publications and put as much love and tenderness into each copy as we could hope. Now that we are a mostly virtual publishing company, they focus on copyediting and proofreading as well as writing blogs and press releases. They create promotional material and images for our authors and create marketing campaigns. They help at live and virtual events and readings. And above all else, they support. Not only me but our authors as well. I am so thankful to have had them with me on this journey.

So let’s introduce the fall 2023 interns. Each has my appreciation.

Adhithi Anjali

From California
*What do you do*? I primarily work on developing and executing our social media fundraiser: Blazing the Path Forward. Working with Yellow Arrow’s other fall interns, we figured out a concept, contacted authors, and created posts to go out during November with the hopes of attracting more donors and followers to Yellow Arrow. I also research and contact potential donors and look into various arts grants that Yellow Arrow can apply for in the coming year. Aside from these financial tasks, I draft various graphics for upcoming publications and provide some additional copyediting help.
*Where do you go to school*? I am currently studying at the University of California, Davis, and I am expected to graduate by June 2025.
*What are you currently working on*? I am developing an independent study in medieval Telugu literature with one of my professors. Also, I am working as the undergraduate assistant to the Medieval and Early Modern Studies program at my university.

Adhithi Anjali is a third-year student at the University of California, Davis, majoring in English and comparative literature. She is inspired by nearly everything she reads to channel her own creativity through the pen. In the future, she hopes to continue working with literature and other writers to help them bring their creativity to light.

Why did you choose an internship with Yellow Arrow?

Yellow Arrow stood out to me because of its clear mission and how it understands the benefits of a small press. I think Yellow Arrow attempts to fill in the gaps that larger publishing houses do not care about, or at least provide meaningful attention to. But Yellow Arrow helps to allocate resources to a smaller community of writers and artists who do not want to publish extensive novels. Yellow Arrow helps women who choose to write alongside their current responsibilities, allowing a space for shorter, but intensely meaningful, publications.

Samantha Pomerantz

Currently lives in Elon, North Carolina (for school), but from Germantown, Maryland
*What do you do*? I work with Kapua Iao, Yellow Arrow’s Editor-in-Chief. I am also working with the other fall 2023 interns, Adhithi [Anjali] and Beverly [Yirenkyi]. My role has involved copyediting for *Yellow Arrow Journal* **EMBLAZON**, creating the Her View Friday and .W.o.W. posts, and running the October National Book Month/Diversity Awareness Month campaign. I am also working with the other interns on a fundraising project.
*Where do you go to school*? I am a senior at Elon University. I will graduate in the spring of 2024.
*What are you currently working on*? I am working toward my bachelor of arts degree in English in creative writing. For this, I am working on a portfolio of creative work. When I am not in class, work, or interning, I am likely in the ceramics studio, learning how to turn claybody into vases, plates, mugs, and boxes.

Samantha Pomerantz (she/her) is a writer and a student at Elon University, class of 2024. She is working on a degree in English with a concentration in creative writing, while minoring in psychology and women, gender, sexuality studies. Samantha is an award winning poet, and a lover of stories. She spends the nonacademic part of the year in Germantown, Maryland, usually hanging out with trees. She is grateful for the opportunity to intern with Yellow Arrow.

At this point, her future plans remain to be seen. She would like to find something where she can engage with and uplift stories in the world and add healing value. Samantha plans to move to the west coast and figure out how to live life without the identity anchor of being a student for the first time ever.

Why did you choose to do an internship with Yellow Arrow?

I was struck by Yellow Arrow’s commitment to putting writers first and celebrating diverse writers who identify as women. I wanted to be part of an independent organization that is working to share and celebrate the stories that have been historically underrepresented. I resonate deeply with Yellow Arrow’s tagline, “Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling.”

Beverly Yirenkyi

From Maryland

*What do you do*? Create monthly Yellow Arrow newsletter content, support with workshop administration as needed, create social media graphics in Canva for events and publications, write social media captions and plan/schedule posts, and create events for our website calendar on Squarespace and Facebook.
*Where do you go to school*? Towson University, class of 2023.
*What are you currently working on*? I have two other jobs: one at Towson University’s Writing Center and the other as a Resident Services Coordinator at an apartment building. I am currently working on graduate school applications.

Beverly Yirenkyi is a current honors undergraduate student at Towson University, majoring in philosophy. She is from the D.C. metro area. Beverly is planning to continue her education with a JD/PhD in philosophy in the fall of 2024. She has loved reading and writing since she was in sixth grade and hopes to help marginalized voices be amplified in this field. You can find her on LinkedIn @beverlyyirenkyi.

Beverly hopes to be enrolled in the JD/PhD in the philosophy program next fall. In the meantime, she will be hopefully working full-time remotely and traveling to increase her conversational fluency in Spanish, Twi, French, and Japanese.

Why did you choose to do an internship with Yellow Arrow?

I wanted to dip my toes in the publishing world.

*****

Thank you to everyone who supports these women and all writers who toil away day after day. Please show them some love in the comments below or on Yellow Arrow’s Facebook or Instagram. If interested in joining us as an editorial associate or intern, fill out an application at yellowarrowpublishing.com/internships.

Yellow Arrow 11/24/23 Yellow Arrow 11/24/23

Her View Friday

single-author publications
single pieces in journals, anthologies, etc. as well as prizes/awards

You can support our authors by reading this blog and their work, sharing their news, and commenting below or on the blog. Congratulations to all the included authors. We are so proud of you!

Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling

“At the Corn Maze, I Wait—” by Rebecca Brock from Leesburg, Virginia

Genre: poetry

Name of publication: THRUSH

Date published: November 2023

Type of publication: online

thrushpoetryjournal.com/november-2023-rebecca-brock.html

Find Rebecca on Instagram @rebecca_brock.writer and on Twitter @wordsbyRB.

Yellow Arrow (past and present) board, staff, interns, authors, residents, and instructors alike! Got a publication coming out? Let us help celebrate for you in Her View Friday.

Single-author publications: here.

Single pieces and awards/prizes: here.

Please read the instructions on each form carefully; we look forward to congratulating you!

*****

Kapua Iao 11/21/23 Kapua Iao 11/21/23

Emblazoned with Love: Reflecting on the EMBLAZON Issue

By Leticia Priebe Rocha

I stumbled upon Yellow Arrow Journal as a writer submitting my work. I officially joined the Yellow Arrow family when my poem “Lost In” was selected for the PEREGRINE (Vol. VII, No. 2) issue. A few months later, I was featured on the March 2023 edition of the .Writers.on.Writing. series. Then, in the early warmth of June where everyone starts coming alive, I was asked to be guest editor for Yellow Arrow Journal’s fall 2023 issue. I was equal parts thrilled and confused. I knew nothing about editing a journal. I had only ever been on the writer’s side of things—a constant stream of rejections interrupted briefly by acceptances at merciful intervals. Despite my initial doubts, excitement won out as I pondered the possibilities of a theme that would do the incredible mission of Yellow Arrow justice.

This opportunity came at a point in my life where I often found myself meditating on the self, all the versions of myself and what I had lived that created them. I could easily identify big catalysts, like my family’s migration from Brazil. What truly interested me, though, was digging deeper into those catalysts and beyond to find the parts of a whole, all the fleeting moments that make up a life. Being overcome with wonder at the waterfalls near Santo Antonio do Pinhal. Witnessing my baby sister sit up and sway to the theme music of a novela on the TV for the first time. Hugging a dear friend when he gifted me a graduation stole with the Brazilian flag on it. Watching a lover make us mouthwateringly perfect banana walnut pancakes to the tunes of Grant Green. A myriad of ephemeral instants colored with people, places, images, and sensations that are irrevocably inscribed into my being—this is how EMBLAZON emerged.

It was a daunting task to capture the entire spectrum of the human experience in a single journal issue. As I began working alongside the amazing Yellow Arrow team to mold EMBLAZON into all its glory, my fledgling fears dissipated entirely. It was profoundly heartening to see the level of care that was invested at each step of the process by every member of the team. I knew that as long as I treated every submission with that same level of care, EMBLAZON would take the shape it was meant to. One of the most important lessons I learned during this process was that when an editor tells you they had to make very difficult and incredibly subjective decisions, they are not simply trying to spare writerly feelings—it’s the truth!

In the issue’s introduction, I describe every piece in EMBLAZON as a testament to writing as an act of love. I struggle to find the words to articulate what an honor it has been to be let into such vulnerable and quintessentially human expressions of love and aliveness. EMBLAZON opens with Alli Tervo’s gorgeous “The Field,” its last line “Love is to stand in the sun where the risk is” echoing throughout the issue as it takes us through a journey of the most precious aspects of living. There are vividly tender celebrations of the people and places that raised us, like in Sarah Josephine Pennington’s “Myths and Lore”: “The feel of that hateful winter with its insistence on freezing, the snow piling in drifts against the river rock my daddy had pulled from the lake and mason’d onto the house, stays engraved into my bones, a permanent mark saying this is who and where yer from.”

The poet in me simply could not shy away from depictions of the transformative power of romantic love, like in Emma Conlon’s “GENESIS: revision”: “two fallen angels laughing as we slipped / from the precipice, a silver moon of sky / on the eve of our damnation / I’ve never felt closer to heaven.” EMBLAZON is also a monument to resilience and the journey toward one’s most radiant self, exemplified perfectly in Elizabeth Birch’s “Bloom”: “It may take [a cactus] forty years to bloom a flower. / I’m in my mid-thirties now. The New England sky is gray, / but I’m pointed toward the sun, waiting.”

The issue closes with K.S. Palakovic’s stunning “If I had two hours to live,” the piece’s last line encapsulating what we all strive to make of the brief time we have in this life: “and it would be enough.” I am ardently proud of EMBLAZON, our contributors, and the Yellow Arrow team. Above all, I am deeply grateful for the gift of leading the curation of such a glowing tribute to the transient nature of our time on this earth. If you haven’t snagged your copy of EMBLAZON, I sincerely hope you do. It is so incredibly special to encounter a collection of work that not only moves and inspires but radiates love. May this love be emblazoned (I couldn’t resist . . .) in your life and memory.

Paperback and PDF versions are available from the Yellow Arrow bookstore. Discounts are also available (here) if you would like to purchase copies for friends and family (minimum purchase of five). You can also search for Yellow Arrow Journal on any e-book device or anywhere you purchase books, including Amazon and most other distribution channels.

I will see you all alongside many of our phenomenal contributors on November 29 at 8:00 p.m. EST for the official EMBLAZON reading! Find out more information at yellowarrowpublishing.com/calendar/emblazon-live-reading. Let us know you will join us at fb.me/e/14zRYBxCi.

Leticia Priebe Rocha earned her bachelor’s from Tufts University, where she was awarded the 2020 Academy of American Poets University & College Poetry Prize. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, she immigrated to Miami, Florida, at the age of nine and currently resides in the Greater Boston area. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in Salamander, Rattle, Pigeon Pages, Protean Magazine, and elsewhere.

*****

Kapua Iao 11/14/23 Kapua Iao 11/14/23

Meet the Yellow Arrow Publishing 2024 chapbook authors

By Kapua Iao

From 2020 to 2023, Yellow Arrow Publishing has had the privilege of publishing 11 poetry chapbooks. In 2020, we released our first two chapbooks: Smoke the Peace Pipe (Roz Weaver) and the samurai (Linda M. Crate). Learning how to navigate the world of single-author publications and getting to know the authors was truly rewarding. Roz and Linda were and are fantastic writers and fantastic women. In 2021 we published three more incredible collections, No Batteries Required (Ellen Dooling Reynard), St. Paul Street Provocations (Patti Ross), and Listen (Ute Carson). And in 2022, as we formalized our chapbook submissions process, we had the privilege of working with three local, Baltimore authors with their collections The most beautiful garden (Nikita Rimal Sharma), when the daffodils die (Darah Schillinger), and What is Another Word for Intimacy? (Amanda Baker). This year, we found three more amazing poets who published Lifecycle of a Beautiful Woman (Ann Weil), Black girl magic & other elixirs (shantell hinton hill), and released last month, Swimming in Gilead (Cassie Premo Steele).

With 2024, we wanted to spark and sparkle and made some changes to our submissions process. First, we opened submissions to not only poetry chapbooks but also creative nonfiction and hybrid chapbooks. And second, we added a sliding scale fee so that we could better support and promote our authors while remaining accessible to all writers. We are thrilled to use the fees collected to pay our 2024 chapbook authors and to give a stipend to our creative director, Alexa Laharty, who designs each of our beautiful covers.

In two rounds over several months, we read through the beautiful submissions we received, first creating a longlist, then shortlist, and eventually selecting the three authors we would love to publish in 2024. It was difficult to email submitters to let them know our decision (writing an acceptance email is as hard as a decline as you never know how either message will be received), but the process is done, and we are so excited to work with the three chosen.

So, without further ado, let’s meet the 2024 Yellow Arrow chapbook authors!

**Isabel Cristina Legarda**

*Beyond the Galleons*
coming April 2024

Isabel Cristina Legarda was born in the Philippines and spent her early childhood there before moving to Bethesda, Maryland. She holds degrees in literature and bioethics and is currently a practicing physician in Boston. She enjoys writing about women’s lived experience, cultural issues, and finding grace in a challenging world. Her work has appeared in America Magazine, Cleaver Magazine, The Dewdrop, The Lowestoft Chronicle, Ruminate, Sky Island Review, Smartish Pace, Qu, West Trestle Review, and others. Find Isabel on Instagram and Twitter @poetintheOR.

Beyond the Galleons is a meditation on Filipino experiences of colonization, language conflict, loss of homeland, finding footing in new homes, ancestral connection, family, alienation, cultural agility, and the ghosts that haunt people living in geographic or psychologic diasporas. The poems within contemplate longing and resilience, and the need to hold fast to memory even while moving forward beyond pain. It is Isabel’s hope that this small collection can become part of the diasporic voices and joined multicultural histories that are not currently so well known or talked about.

What sparked your interest in writing?

Reading! My elementary and middle schools had wonderful libraries and librarians, and my parents actively modeled and encouraged a love of books, so I contracted bibliophilia at an early age. My father also recited poetry by heart, not infrequently, and between that and the word-centered liturgical traditions I grew up with, I was surrounded by reverence for language. Finally, I was fortunate to have had teachers who helped me find ways to channel some of that love of words and story into creative writing pretty early. (Thanks, Mrs. Riederer, for the journals you made us keep!)

What sparked your interest in Yellow Arrow Publishing?

When I found Yellow Arrow’s website, I was immediately drawn to [its] woman-centered ethos and active valuing of underrepresented voices. I felt a real sense of writerly community reading through the blog posts and the .Writers.on.Writing. section. I was also so impressed by the quality of work showcased in the journal. Yellow Arrow felt like the kind of safe space so many women writers are looking for.

**Candace Walsh**

*Iridescent Pigeons*
coming July 2024

Candace Walsh is a PhD candidate in creative writing at Ohio University. She holds an MFA in fiction from Warren Wilson College. Recent/forthcoming publication credits include for poetry, Sinister Wisdom, Vagabond City Lit, and HAD; for fiction, The Greensboro Review, Passengers Journal, and Leon Literary Review; and for creative nonfiction, March Danceness, New Limestone Review, and Pigeon Pages. Her craft essays and book reviews have appeared in Brevity, descant, New Mexico Magazine, and Fiction Writers Review. She coedits Quarter After Eight literary journal. Find her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @candacewalsh.

Queer love, so often mischaracterized, contains multitudes. The poems within Iridescent Pigeons represent it in romantic, maternal, filial, platonic, symbiotic, erotic, and sylvan modes. They also hold love and loss in cupped hands. We are mortal; so is love. We have life spans; so does love, whether measured in dog years, golden anniversaries, or the number of hours of a tryst that will expire at dawn. Amid the loss, retrieval and rebirth stir within the included poems that inhabit and annex traditional and endangered forms, such as a [William] Wordsworthian ode, an homage to Gerard Manley Hopkins’ “Pied Beauty,” a cento composed of phrases from Virginia Woolf’s Jacob’s Room, and a triptych of Sapphic stanzas.

What sparked your interest in writing?

Before I could read and write, I scribbled in a marble composition notebook and proclaimed it writing. In first grade, I asked my teacher for an “empty book” so I could write a story in it and illustrate it. My guess is that listening to and reading stories sparked my interest in writing; my mother read to me every night from birth on. I wonder if architects, as children, look at buildings the way I looked at books: without a barrier between the object and one’s admiration, enjoyment, and the desire to create. A thread that has unspooled alongside me my whole life is at the root of writing as resistance: to make an indelible record of what has been ignored, diminished, gaslighted, or stonewalled in the form of conversation—or seems too volatile to say aloud.

What sparked your interest in Yellow Arrow Publishing?

I happily stumbled across Yellow Arrow’s call for submissions when I was researching poetry chapbook publishers while procrastinating finishing my novel. One of the best things about being a writer is that you can procrastinate very fruitfully if you put that energy toward another writing project. I also noticed a sense of readiness in the poems—that they were talking to each other and would be amplified in each other’s company. Yellow Arrow’s mission of supporting women-identified writers and honoring poets’ voices really landed with me, as I hold those values dear as well.

And, after receiving [the Editor-in-Chief] Kapua Iao’s wonderful, dream-come-true email, I learned that one of my dear friends and writing colleagues, Cassie Premo Steele, is also one of Yellow Arrow’s authors. I published Cassie’s gorgeous essay “Pregnant with Myself” in Greetings from Janeland: Women Write More About Leaving Men for Women (2017), a Lambda Literary finalist. Cassie and I are both queer women writers who are also mothers. We have a special bond.

I didn’t want to marginalize my mother self as a poet any more than I’d want to marginalize my queer self as a poet, and I feel so affirmed that Yellow Arrow Publishing enthusiastically accepted Iridescent Pigeons in an iteration that unabashedly reflects the ways motherhood and mother love are muses.

**Julie Alden Cullinane**

*Ghosts Only I Can See*
coming October 2024

Julie Alden Cullinane is a poet, author, neurodivergent, and mom in Boston. Her first publication was a poem in The Boston Globe at age 8; she has been writing ever since. After raising a family and working full time for many years as a young mom, she was able to return to her graduate studies later in life and earned her master’s in 2021, during the pandemic. Under the guidance of many amazing and supportive female professors, she began submitting her work for publication. She has published poems and short stories in 20+ literary magazines since 2020. She currently works in academia full time when she is not writing. Julie’s focus of writing is often on the untold seasons and shades of a woman’s life. She loves to highlight the dichotomy of the modern pressures on women and mothers, between having a successful career and an expected perfect domestic life. Her favorite writers are Eavan Boland and Anne Enright. When she is not writing she enjoys long naps on the couch with her beloved dog. She is currently knee-deep in a midlife crisis. It takes up all her time. She will definitely be writing about it. Find Julie at julie.wildinkpages.com/poetry or on Instagram or Threads @HerLoudMind and Twitter or Blue Sky @AldenCullinane.

Ghosts Only I Can See is a look back into the past, present, and future of women’s lives. It focuses not on literal ghosts, but the ghosts of our former selves as we navigate the world as women. Growing up in a world filled with many amazing, strong women, I was an avid spectator of their lives, their passions, and their trauma. Only when I was older and began experiencing life myself did I realize the tender weaving of women’s lives and the multitude of shared experiences that often do not get told because of societal shame and the pressures of perfection put upon them. But women have universal yet intimate experiences that are better understood when shared, which is why this collection of poetry and creative nonfiction peeks back in time to my younger self, the ghosts through time that only I can see. Ghosts Only I Can See unites and shares the painful and wonderful experiences of what is means to be a modern woman.

What sparked your interest in writing?

As a woman in the literary world and the real world, I am trying to tell my stories about the personally felt struggles that are uniquely experienced by women of all ages, colors, shapes, sizes, and economic backgrounds. As modern women, we often strive to do it all, have a career, be a great mom, be healthy and thin, be a good spouse, be a writer and a friend. The limits as well as the expectations put on women are exhausting, confusing, and rarely exposed in literature. I feel these stories often don’t get told because of fear of shame of not being perfect. In my chapbook, I examine many pivotal moments in a woman’s life that often get overlooked. Women who are going through postpartum depression, women who are grieving, women who are fighting their own bodies, and women who love, think, and are passionate. Living in the world as a grown woman is such a beautiful, colorful, and often heart-wrenching experience, reading each other’s stories about shared experiences with existence, pain, and love can only unite us and make us stronger. This is the ultimate goal of putting my stories out into the world. To let women know they are not alone in all the magnificent, strange, and painful things that happen in their lives.

What sparked your interest in Yellow Arrow Publishing?

I was immediately drawn to the message that Yellow Arrow believes in and posts on its website. Their support of woman-identifying authors and under-represented female voices perfectly aligns with the stories I am trying to tell in my chapbook. As I was looking for a press to send my work to I couldn’t have found a better fit for submission than Yellow Arrow.

We can’t wait to work with Isabel, Candace, and Julie next year but would like to acknowledge all the incredible collections we received in the summer. In particular, we would love to give a shout out to both our longlisted (part of the top 20) and shortlisted authors (part of the top 10).

Meet our shortlisted authors:

Elizabeth Crowell

Michele Evans

Laura Foley

Pauline Joyce Lacanilao

Francesca Moroney

Lore Nissley

Beth Oast Williams

Meet our longlisted authors:

Keidra Chaney

Nicole Friedman

Jessica Gregg

Wendy Kagan

Inna Krasnoper

Thomasin LaMay

Kathryn Paul

Amanda Russell

Terry Sann

Shizue Seigel

Thank you to everyone who took the time to send your words to us. Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling. We are so proud of everyone we publish at Yellow Arrow.

Kapua Iao 11/7/23 Kapua Iao 11/7/23

Emblazing a Path of Love: Yellow Arrow Journal (Vol. VIII, No. 2) EMBLAZON

It is with . . . love that I strive to move about the world.

According to Leticia Priebe Rocha, guest editor of just released Yellow Arrow Journal Vol. VIII, No. 2 EMBLAZON, the pieces within this issue are steeped in love. Love for the people that adorn our lives as family, lovers, friends, and strangers. For the land that cradles our bodies. For the places and moments that inevitably carve themselves into our essences. For the self, ever reaching for radiance. For aliveness, and beyond. They explore those fleeting moments in life that anchor the human experience and make us who we are.

And with that beautiful thought, we are excited to release the latest issue of Yellow Arrow Journal and privileged to share the voices included within our EMBLAZON issue. Paperback and PDF versions are now available from the Yellow Arrow bookstore. Discounts are also available (here) if you would like to purchase copies for friends and family (minimum purchase of five). You can also search for Yellow Arrow Journal on any e-book device or anywhere you purchase print and electronic books, including Amazon and most other distribution channels.

The artwork on the cover (cover design by Alexa Laharty), “Cycles” by Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo, was created of acrylic, ink, and glitter on wood. “Cycle” serves to emblazon the interconnectedness of natural life and the place of humanity within the rest of nature. We are part of the cycles of life and nature and should strive to take our place as part of the balanced natural systems—giving as much as we take to the survival of all our sibling life forms on earth.

We hope you enjoy reading EMBLAZON as much as we enjoyed creating it. Thank you for your continued encouragement of Yellow Arrow Publishing and the women involved in EMBLAZON. On November 29 at 8:00 pm EST, please join Leticia, Yellow Arrow, and some of our contributors for the live, virtual reading of EMBLAZON. More information is forthcoming.

*****

Yellow Arrow 11/3/23 Yellow Arrow 11/3/23

Her View Friday

single-author publications
single pieces in journals, anthologies, etc. as well as prizes/awards

You can support our authors by reading this blog and their work, sharing their news, and commenting below or on the blog. Congratulations to all the included authors. We are so proud of you!

Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling.

Author: Angela Acosta

Tell us about yourself: Angela Acosta (she/her) is a bilingual Mexican American poet and Visiting Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies at Davidson College. Her creative and academic work center on imagining possible worlds and preserving the cultural legacies of women writers. Her writing has appeared in Copihue Poetry, Shoreline of Infinity, Apparition Lit, Radon Journal, and Space & Time. She is the author of Summoning Space Travelers (Hiraeth Publishing, 2022) and A Belief in Cosmic Dailiness: Poems of a Fabled Universe (Red Ogre Review, 2023). She has published on female life-writing, poetry, and literary personas in Persona Studies, Ámbitos Feministas, and Feminist Modernist Studies. She has published the poem “A Centennial for Herstory" as part of the Yellow Arrow Vignette SPARK series in July 2023.

Where are you from: Gainesville, Florida

What describes your main writing space: Eraser dust, lamp, simplicity

Tell us about your publication: A Belief in Cosmic Dailiness: Poems of a Fabled Universe is a bilingual English-Spanish collection of Latinx Futurist poetry. Celebrate the dailiness of multilingual and divergent Latinx futures while seated around a campfire. The 26 poems and six translations in this speculative chapbook travel from the solar system to Andromeda to envision coming of age rituals, companionship, and the responsibilities of work and daily life around distant stars. This book is published by Red Ogre Review via a grant from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. The book is available on Amazon; 100% of the proceeds go to the author.

Why this book? Why now? How did it happen for you: When I saw the call for submissions for Red Ogre Review’s speculative chapbook series, I was eager to finish putting together a collection I had been mulling over. After my full-length collection Summoning Space Travelers (Hiraeth Books, 2022), I wanted to put together a chapbook that leaned into possible Latinx futures and the dailiness of life in the future. As I share in my author's note, it was important for me to have this creative outlet while finishing the dissertation. Watching this collection take shape reminded me of the love and support I have received on my journey as a writer and now new faculty member.

What is your writing goal for the year: Right now I'm taking some time off after publishing this chapbook and completing my dissertation this spring. When I do have time to write, I've been honing my craft writing flash fiction and speculative short stories.

What advice do you have for other writers: I’d encourage writers to connect with writing groups. Joining Discord servers and Facebook groups helps newer writers find outlets for their work and hear opinions and options about publishers. I’ve appreciated having space to ask questions and gain an inside look at querying, writing, and editing.

What else are you working on/doing that you’d like to share: My chapbook Fourth Generation Chicana Unicorn will be published by Dancing Girl Press in the coming months!

You can find Angela on Instagram @aaperiquito.

Author: Ute Carson

Tell us about yourself: Ute Carson, a German-born writer from youth and an MA graduate in comparative literature from the University of Rochester, published her first prose piece in 1977. Writing since her youth, by the time she had found Yellow Arrow Publishing, she had widely published books, poetry collections, and essays. In the fall of 2020, Ute published with Yellow Arrow Journal (in Vol. V, No. 3, (Re)Formation) her poem "Risks Around Each Corner" and to her delight the following year her poetry collection Listen (2021) was published by them.

Where are you from: Ute resides in Austin, Texas, with her husband. They have three daughters, six grandchildren, a horse, and a clowder of cats.

What describes your main writing space: I write everywhere I can find space but as shown in the photo (right), I often have to share my desk with one of our cats.

Tell us about your publication: My new poetry collection In the Blink of an Eye has just been released by Kelsay Books. It contains a potpourri of themes from animals to children (grandchildren) and aging. It is available on Amazon and online with Kelsay Books. Signed copies are available from me directly.

Why this book? Why now? How did it happen for you: I am 83 and I won’t publish too many more books, but I will continue to write. I am never at a loss for subjects and images.

What advice do you have for other writers: For new writers, I have only one piece of advice. Believe in your work and if you are satisfied with what you have written share it with an audience. Never get discouraged in your search for a home!

You can find Ute on Facebook @ute.carson or on her website at utecarson.com.

Yellow Arrow (past and present) board, staff, interns, authors, residents, and instructors alike! Got a publication coming out? Let us help celebrate for you in Her View Friday.

Single-author publications: here.

Single pieces and awards/prizes: here.

Please read the instructions on each form carefully; we look forward to congratulating you!

*****

Kapua Iao 10/31/23 Kapua Iao 10/31/23

Blazing the Path Forward with Yellow Arrow Publishing

By Adhithi Anjali

Starting tomorrow, November 1, Yellow Arrow Publishing will fire up our 2023 social media fundraiser: Blazing the Path Forward. Yellow Arrow is a nonprofit organization established to support, inspire, and publish women-identifying writers. Women’s voices have historically been underrepresented in literature, and we aim to elevate those voices and stories through our programs and publications. It is our hope that providing more opportunities for women to participate in the literary arts will stimulate social change by expanding literary norms. For every writer who gets published, there are a hundred more with equally valuable stories to tell.

With Blazing the Path Forward, we will provide writing prompts throughout November about creating, writing, and using poetry and prose to capture movement and growth. Prompts will be posted every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. Just in case you miss any of the prompts, you can find weekly recaps on Fridays. We would love for everyone to share the prompts and, if feeling adventurous, their own responses. Write alongside us in the Comments or in your own posts using the hashtag #YAPForward. Make sure to tag Yellow Arrow as well so we can see what you write.

We hope to bring awareness to Yellow Arrow programs and publications through this initiative and encourage community members to donate to support our mission.

DONATE NOW

If you are unable to donate, please share our posts and prompts to help spread the word about Yellow Arrow. We are so grateful for the continued support from our authors and our community and are especially happy to use Blazing the Path Forward as an opportunity to spark, strengthen, and build our relationships with the writing world, in Baltimore and beyond. We at Yellow Arrow are so excited to see what our community does with Blazing the Path Forward.

Make sure you take advantage of the creative energy of November and write with us. We hope these prompts inspire you to grab your pen (or Google Doc) and write freely and honestly. For yourself, for your friends and family. For your community. Thank you for supporting independent publishing.

Our three Yellow Arrow fall 2023 interns have worked hard on this fundraiser, and we are so appreciative of their time and thoughtfulness. Thank you Adhithi, Samantha, and Beverly for making this happen, and thank you Adhithi for spearheading Blazing the Path Forward.

Adhithi Anjali is the fall business development intern. She is a third-year student at the University of California, Davis, majoring in English and comparative literature. Samantha Pomerantz is the fall publications intern. She is a writer and a student at Elon University, class of 2024. Finally, Beverly Yirenkyi is the fall program management intern. She is a current honors undergraduate student at Towson University, majoring in philosophy. You can learn more about Adhithi, Samantha, and Beverly in another blog later in November.

*****

“Embracing the Darkness​” by Michelle Levy from Smallwood, New York

“Stripped​” by Kay Smith-Blum from Seattle, Washington

“What I Learned About Writing From Donkey Kong​” by Wendy Swift from Farmington, Connecticut

Now, let’s go!

“Freight Train​” by Emma Gawlinski from the United kingdom (living in spain)

PRIZES/AWARDS

“The Perseids” by Nancy Hugget from Ottawa

Journals/Anthologies/Zines

Chapbooks

Full-length manuscripts

Online Publication

SHANTELL HINTON HILL

“i’m every woman”

from Black girl magic & other elixirs

~ it was third grade

when i finally discovered

the lyrics of my favorite song

were an incantation

to ward off evil

pale-faced women. ~

SARAH JOSEPHINE PENNINGTON

“Myths and Lore”

from Yellow Arrow Journal Vol. VIII, No. 2 EMBLAZON

~ We told tall tales and fish tales and jack tales and dog tails, too, family lore we called little dead dog stories, stuffed full of wonder and padded with big lies that came natural in the dark country night. ~

CASSIE PREMO STEELE

“Volcano Woman”

from Swimming in Gilead

~ Proud, out, loud,

Fire, feisty, you

Woman of waves. ~

JANNA WAGNER

“Sun City: Témoignage”

from Yellow Arrow Journal Vol. VIII, No. 1, KINDLING

~ It is a place known to Haitians as the worst place to live in the country, a place described by locals and outsiders alike as a human tragedy, a place where poverty is feral ~

ANN WEIL

“Lifecycle of a Beautiful Woman”

from Lifecycle of a Beautiful Woman

~ Sixty-one.

I used to be what I no longer am. The switch—no, the electricity—

that lit the room. Powered the whole damn city. ~

Adhithi Anjali

From California

Where do you go to school? I am currently studying at the University of California, Davis, and I am expected to graduate by June 2025.

What are you currently working on? I am developing an independent study in medieval Telugu literature with one of my professors. Also, I am working as the undergraduate assistant to the Medieval and Early Modern Studies program at my university.

Samantha Pomerantz

Currently lives in Elon, North Carolina (for school), but from Germantown, Maryland

Where do you go to school? I am a senior at Elon University. I will graduate in the spring of 2024.

Beverly Yirenkyi

From Maryland

Where do you go to school? Towson University, class of 2023.

What are you currently working on? I have two other jobs: one at Towson University’s Writing Center and the other as a Resident Services Coordinator at an apartment building. I am currently working on graduate school applications.

“At the Corn Maze, I Wait—​” by Rebecca Brock from Leesburg, Virginia

Isabel Cristina Legarda

Beyond the Galleons

coming April 2024

Candace Walsh

Iridescent Pigeons

coming July 2024

Julie Alden Cullinane

Ghosts Only I Can See

coming October 2024

Subscribe to the Yellow Arrow Newsletter!

“Embracing the Darkness” by Michelle Levy from Smallwood, New York

“Stripped” by Kay Smith-Blum from Seattle, Washington

“What I Learned About Writing From Donkey Kong” by Wendy Swift from Farmington, Connecticut

“Freight Train” by Emma Gawlinski from the United kingdom (living in spain)

“At the Corn Maze, I Wait—” by Rebecca Brock from Leesburg, Virginia