.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
W.o.W. #60
Sarah Josephine Pennington
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
There is more to say.
What is a book you wish someone would write?
Whatever is laying on their heart. Something they feel deep in their bones dragging them forward, forcing them to create.
Where do you go to find out about writing submissions opportunities?
I try to comb through the acknowledgments and websites of writers I admire to see their publishing history, and then I visit those journals or magazines to see what their publishing schedule and submission criteria are. I love to write a lot of different things, from creative nonfiction to speculative fiction, to poetry, so I’ve started a separate Google Calendar that alerts me to publishing openings and closings of venues I’m interested in. Since I’ve been out of school for years now, I don’t get the announcements I did when I was in creative writing workshops, so I also try my best to participate in community events and workshops and have found resources that way.
How did you first publish your writing and what was it?
I had a poem published in the program for a middle school honor’s banquet, and I was hooked on writing after that.
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, riddlebird, and the Anthology of Appalachian Writers, and she was awarded a 2023 writing residency through the Kentucky Foundation for Women and placed in the Leo (Louisville Eccentric Observer) annual literary contest. Her art, which includes ceramics, printmaking, and fiber arts, can be frequently found in venues throughout Louisville.
Sarah’s beautiful piece “Myths and Lore” was included in Yellow Arrow Journal EMBLAZON, Vol. VIII, No. 2, fall 2023. We were in such awe of “Myths and Lore” that we nominated it for a 2024 Pushcart Prize.
Learn more about Sarah through Instagram.