Trapper Markelz’s 2024 Poetry Year In Review
105 poems written, 10 published, lots of learning
I would call 2024 a bit of a transition year for my writing. I was coming off a couple of highly productive years of writing and submitting, as well as the publication of my first chapbook, Childproof Sky, in 2023. Work was more challenging this year. I pulled back from a number of hobbies, including my writing. That said, I produced some satisfying work, took a number of workshops, and finished my next chapbook manuscript!
Yearly Stats
Here is how 2024 ended up:
- Poems In Progress — 71 (down 44 from last year)
- Poems out for submission — 24 (down 24 from last year)
- Published in Journals — 10 (down five from last year)
- Published on Medium — 6 (Way down 15 from last year)
- Poems given as gifts (Unpublished) — 1
- Poems written as part of a contribution! — 9!
- Unpublished Poems I might come back to — 70
- Total Poems Written/Edited in 2024–105 (down 100 from last year!)
Overall, given everything going on, I did much less writing and submitting, but I did enjoy the 10 publications I received. It will also be fun to see the nine poems I wrote as part of a contribution to a special education book come out in 2025. These nine poems are epigraphs on the challenges of special education instruction, and it’s my first non-literary contribution!
Submissions
I continued using ChillSubs to track all my submissions and contests. Here is everything that went down:
2024 Submission Summary
Submissions — 63 (115 last year)
Withdrawn — 5
Waiting/In Review — 6
Acceptances — 2
Published — 10 (down from 15 last year)
Rejections — 50
January 2024
The Meadow (Rejected)
Change Seven Magazine (Rejected)
Last Leaves Magazine (Rejected)
The Good Life Review (Rejected)
Beloit Poetry Journal (Rejected)
Story South (Rejected)
Muzzle Magazine (Rejected)
February 2024
Slippery Elm Literary Review (Rejected)
The Rappahannock Review (Rejected)
THE SPECTACLE (Rejected)
Fugue (Rejected)
Rock & Sling (Rejected)
Where The Meadows Reside (Rejected)
March 2024
Jabberwock Review (Rejected)
Watershed Review (In Progress)
New Delta Review (Rejected)
Seneca Review (Rejected)
Indiana Review (Rejected)
Post Road (Rejected)
Talking River Review (Rejected)
Potomac Review (Accepted!) — Industrial, Mixed Use
April 2024
Red Rock Review (Rejected)
The Cumberland River Review (Rejected)
32 Poems (Rejected)
The National Poetry Review (Rejected)
American Literary Review (Rejected)
May 2024
Swamp Pink (Rejected)
Poet Lore (Rejected)
Sewanee Review (Rejected)
The Laurel Review (Rejected)
Baltimore Review (Rejected)
June 2024
Fine Print Press (Rejected)
The MacGuffin (Rejected)
The Dawn Review (Rejected)
July 2024
The Dawn Review (Rejected) — Duplicate submission, different poems
VERDANT (Rejected)
Sugar House Review (Rejected)
Kitchen Table Quarterly (Rejected)
The Texas Review (In Progress)
Blue Earth Review (Rejected)
Tinderbox Poetry Journal (Rejected)
The Swannanoa Review (Rejected)
Asheville Poetry Review (Rejected)
August 2024
None!
September 2024
Burningword Literary Journal (Rejected)
Beaver Magazine (Rejected)
Seaford Review (Rejected)
Sky Island Journal (Rejected)
Phoebe (Rejected)
October 2024
Southampton Review (Rejected)
Wild Roof Journal (Rejected)
The Minnesota Review (Rejected)
RockPaperPoem (Rejected)
Stone Poetry Quarterly (Rejected)
November 2024
The Bangalore Review (Withdrawn)
Portland Review (Withdrawn)
BarBar (Withdrawn)
The Write Launch (Accepted!) My Entire Packet!
Pangyrus (Withdrawn)
Mantis (Withdrawn)
December 2024
Gramercy Review (In Progress)
Stardust Review (In Progress)
Passionfruit Review (In Progress)
Bodega (In Progress)
Workshops
Since I was having problems finding time to write on my own, I took several workshops this year that were highly generative and led to much of the work I was editing and submitting in 2024. Those workshops included:
Anne Marie Wells — Beginners Guide To Poetry — February 2024
The only thing beginner about this workshop was how welcoming and inclusive it was for poets of all levels. Anne Marie has a way of making everyone feel welcome. Everyone took turns reading the work. Her prompts were on point. Her editing is top-notch — so much so that I had her edit my new chapbook, and I can’t be happier with how it has turned out. I highly recommend seeking her services and workshops to improve your writing! Check out her website to learn more.
Shelly Holder — 30 Poems in 30 Days for April 2024 Poetry Month
I was referred to this by a poetry friend, and I’m so glad I was! Shelly held a writing workshop for an hour at 11 am every day for the month of April. I blocked 30 minutes off my calendar and tried to dial in most days that work would allow it. It was massively generative and exciting to try writing at a different time of the day. Maybe I’ll see you this year? Check out more information on her website.
Button Up: Poetry 101 — Various Poets
Another fantastic find this year is a weekly Thursday night workshop from Button Poetry. They have a tremendous stable of authors who come on to teach a 90-minute class. The diversity of writers is spectacular, and I’ve discovered many amazing new perspectives through this class and am very happy with some of my work. Highly recommend you check it out.
New England Poetry Club
As if I didn’t have enough going, I also decided to get more involved in the local poet scene in the Boston area. I answered a call to volunteer for the New England Poetry Club, one of the nation's oldest continuously running poetry clubs. I joined as the Member News editor (posting things on social media) and also joined the Board of Advisors. If you are looking for a club that celebrates its members' achievements and hosts numerous readings and workshops throughout the year, give us a look!
Summary
Overall, it was a very productive year for me as a writer. This year’s journey of poetry didn’t always involve direct writing. Still, through my creation, editing, involvement, learning, and lots and lots of reading, I continued to progress as an artist and am starting to feel confident about my poetic voice.
I finished my second book, which is now looking for a home called “Off To War, Daughter.” As I’m sure you can guess, it's about being a dad to three amazing daughters, watching them grow up, watching them leave, and hoping that you did an okay job. I can’t wait to share it with the world should I be lucky enough to land a publisher in the coming years.
In the meantime, I’m considering my first full-length collection. We shall see where that leads!
Thank you all for following along. I’ve published much less on Medium lately, but maybe that will change. If you found any of this interesting, I hope you subscribe to my Medium page and sign up to get email notifications about my latest poetry and accomplishments.
Trapper Markelz (he/him) writes from Arlington, Massachusetts. He is the author of the chapbook Childproof Sky, a Cherry Dress Chapbooks 2023 selection. His work has appeared in the journals Baltimore Review, Passengers Journal, Pine Row Press, Wild Roof Journal, Greensboro Review, and Poetry Online, among others. Learn more at trappermarkelz.com
