The 2025 submission cycle is closing in the next couple of weeks. Considering how strong the submissions came in early, I really thought I’d need to close it early this year, but I still have SIX spots left! If you’re on the fence about putting in your first submission, don’t hesitate; get it in. And if you’re waiting until the last minute, don’t!
This will be the last reminder. If I don’t get the submissions to post for the entire year, it will unfortunately have to be that way. I will be incredibly sad then. You don’t want me sad, or?
What great news to wake up to this morning—can’t wipe this grin from my face! You’ll see the first one on February 14th.
Pure Haiku is special to me, and having many of my pieces accepted this go around AND being short-listed is such a great honor! I’ve become so fond of Freya over the years, proud to call her a friend from the poetry realm, and I look forward to a long, long friendship with her. Thank you so much, Elisa Ang, for creating the incredible image that inspired me, and thank you, Freya, for your love and support!!
Can you believe it – we’ve got about ten weeks left in this year?!? It’s amazing how quickly the time has flown by since I opened the latest submission cycle. While I don’t have the roster completely filled for next year yet, I’m about one submission away from reaching the single digits of how many I still need. I encourage anyone who wants to participate in The Short of It this year to submit their entries! If you wait until the last minute, I may have reached capacity. I really don’t want to turn anyone away. Don’t dilly-dally!
I’m thrilled to share and feature the new talent and hope you are as impressed as I have been so far. The work of our past loyal supporters of The Short of It is also exquisite. So much talent out there! You all knock my socks off. :)
“Natures Discovered ed Susi Bocks 5/5 Natures Discovered lives up to its title as Bocks includes an eclectic mix of writers and different poetical forms. The poems capture different aspects of human nature, in particular; love, death, family, obligations unmet passion, memories and how we interact with nature.”
For all you fiction, fantasy, dystopian futures, vampire, and other genres, you can read all the other books she recommends on her new blog – Freyan Rites.
If you haven’t gotten your copy of Natures Discovered yet, click HERE!
And if you are a fan of writing haiku or just enjoy reading good pieces, get on over to Pure Haiku. The theme for this October is Encircling. The latest submission cycle is now open and will close on 10/31/25! For more information on how to submit, click here.
The October submission cycle is now open! Yay! I am always excited to see the new themes as they open. This one runs through the entire month, so don’t wait and get your submission in.
Please read the guidelines here so you can put your best foot forward towards acceptance. I look forward to seeing the contributions of the new and old poets. They are always soooo good! So, we’ll see you at Pure Haiku. Let the latest beautiful image guide and inspire you!
Just a reminder – if you know how to make a big impression with a few words – I WANT YOU to submit your original work to The Short of It!
I’m accepting creations through the end of December, but will close it when we have reached 52 accepted submissions. So you are aware, I have already received roughly 60% of the features for next year’s publications. Do not dally in getting in your work!
Please feel free to share this with anyone and everyone you know who is interested in creating micro-poetry or short pieces of writing. More information about the submission guidelines can be found by clicking this link.
Allow me to introduce you to the lovely Chica, who kept me company while I house-sat in Isla de la Piedra, Mexico, for the past six weeks! Not only did I get to see new places and make new friends, but I also experienced many new adventures.
Everything started off as one would typically expect. Chica and I warmed up to each other quickly, becoming bedmates every night, almost right from the beginning, until the last few weeks, when she fell in love with my husband. She is an incredible snuggle-buddy.
Within the first week of my arrival, I fell ill, likely contracting a germ on the flight, and had to let it run its course. It wasn’t anything too severe that acetaminophen couldn’t handle for a few days. I was thankful to recover quickly. Fun resumed!
I never knew I had it in me, but I instinctively crab-wrangled two that entered the home I was staying at. Chica brought one in, and the other one crawled in by itself. Talk about some heart-pumping going on! However, in the end, I was able to remove both of them from the premises. Thank goodness! Here you can see the first one that was trapped behind the bookcase. Those pinchers were about 2″ wide!
Chica also had a habit of bringing me other gifts – lizards! Like almost daily! Unfortunately, they didn’t survive her batting them about, and I would find them and have to dispose of them. :(
Another scary situation, I unfortunately locked myself out of the residence at one point. However, with the help of Google Translate, the local people were able to understand what had happened and assisted me in getting back in. I cannot express how grateful I was for their kindness and support.
But let’s talk about some better things – like the food! I have a favorite restaurant called Carmelita’s. The service is wonderful, and the staff are a lot of fun. They helped me learn more Spanish, and I, in turn, helped them with English. If you happen to ever visit here, please look them up and ask for Alex and Marcos. Tell them I said hi! :)
I never tired of the freshness, flavors, and colors of the wonderful food there! Yum! I feel like I’ve probably lost a little weight, eating this healthily.
The other wonderful things were certain stretches of beach. You know how I love the beach!
That last pic was the view from Carmelita’s while I was waiting for my food.
I got around primarily in this golf cart, and if I wanted to ride a horse, I could do that too! :)
Some more interesting shots – a random religious image on the side of a mountain, my street after a violent thunderstorm that knocked out our power for almost 24 hours, and a beautiful hummingbird capture from the kitchen window.
As every year, the month off has done me good! I’m feeling refreshed and rested. I look forward to reviewing The Short of It submissions and starting next year’s features again.
Freya Pickard, an ardent fan and supporter of The Short of It since its inception, has posted her thoughts about Volume 3 – Nature’s Discovered. Please take a few minutes to read it here, where she showcases some brilliant pieces from the book, and gives her readers a look at what The Short of It provides. I am proud to call you my friend, and so happy that you have been with me not only from the very beginning of I Write Her, but also since the start of The Short of It. Thank you, Freya, for your love and support! I treasure it! <3
It’s that time again. :) During August, I will not be posting to my blog at all, nor will I be reading the August posts of the blogs I follow. And I will take a break from social media. I’ve found this does so much for my mental health every year. What I will do is catch up on reading the books on my Kindle and finish any of the July posts from the blogs I follow.
I look forward to immersing myself in The Short of It Submissions. As I was last year, I’m very pleased with the response from both previous poets featured and new ones who have chosen to participate. It’s not even the end of July, and I’ve received close to fifty percent of what I’ll need to feature next year! WOW! I will be forever happy about starting The Short of It! You are all such a wonderful addition to my world! As was the case last year, I will likely have to close the submission cycle early again if the response has been this well-received already. Submit your work as soon as possible, before the deadline closes.
Additionally, this year, I will be turning off all commenting, even on older posts. When I return on September 1, I will turn them back on! Feel free to reach out via email (it’s on my contact page), if you need to get a hold of me.
See you after my much-needed rest! :)
Here is last week’s prompt. I hope you enjoy these wonderful contributions to SenHai Saturday as much as I did!
I’ve been waiting for this one, so I’m happy to finally announce that Lisa and her team have produced another wonderful anthology!!
This is a timely publication as we are all experiencing “a time of heightened uncertainty and distress.” Editor Zaneta V. Johns addresses the need for the “betterment of our global community.” These pieces, I’m sure, will leave us feeling more hopeful about our future.
Can’t wait to read the works of all the talented poets who grace these pages!
You can purchase it directly from the Prolific Pulse website at a discounted rate or get it from Amazon.
I Write Her 