For writers at any stage in their writing life, the publishing process can feel daunting and opaque. Whether you’re just beginning to submit and struggling to find information, or you’ve been at it for a while but fight to stay motivated and organized, the road to publication is paved with obstacles. Often, the quirks of this process are imparted through institutional knowledge or mentorship that remains unavailable to those without access.

The aim of this class is to demystify the landscape of publishing and provide tools and guidance to aid in the submission process, while also centering care for the poet and the poem. We’ll cover the basics including: why we publish, where and how to find suitable venues and calls for submission, the finances of submitting, cover letters and bios, and methods for staying organized. We’ll also dialogue about the internal emotional landscape of submitting, and how to navigate and reframe rejection. This will be an information-heavy class, but will also include a generative exercise designed to produce a fresh third-person bio. Come with curiosity and an open mind!

KT Herr (she/her & they/them) is a queer poet, songwriter, and curious person from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They hold an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, where they were the recipient of the Thomas Lux Award and a Jane Cooper Fellowship. In 2019, they were awarded a Pabst Fellowship to attend the Atlantic Center for the Arts. KT’s poems have been selected as finalists in the Frontier OPEN Prize and the Palette Poetry Spotlight Award; as a semifinalist for the 92Y Discovery Contest; and as winner of the 2020 Sweet Lit Poetry Contest. Additionally, their writing has appeared or is forthcoming in SWWIM, Barrow Street 4×2, Anomaly, The Rupture, and elsewhere.

KT has worked as a TA at SUNY Purchase, a teaching artist for the Sunnyside Creative Writing Program, a coordinator for the Right-to-Write program, and a publishing intern with Black Lawrence Press. In a past life, they served beer to a merry band of patrons and played the open mic circuit. They currently reside in the Pacific Northwest, where they work as a ghostwriter, community educator, podcast producer, and full-time plant mom.