[David Rosenthal]

I just got my copy of Rattle #40. The Spherean presence in Rattle continues with poems by Charlotte Innes and Wendy V. Congrats.

David R.

[Charlotte Innes]

Ah, thank you, David!

Keep sending in your poems, Sphereans. Let's see if we can make every issue!

Charlotte

[Jeanne G]

I love Rattle. My kind of poetry and one day, I'm sure the type of poetry I write (a friend summed it up as having the magical quality of being maniacially unpredictable) will fit in there nicely. If I'd only get around to submitting again. I've only ever submitted twice for publication and my friends need a giant shoehorn to get me to do it (well, medium sized giant one, as I'm actually petite, but anyhoo). I just would much rather be conceptualizing, writing, crafting and tweaking it, or critting it, than the bothersome task of submitting it.

But Tim Green, the editor, is a delightfully kind and an endearing compulsive apologizer. We had a little email exchange going on the one time I did submit a set to Rattle. I'd waited a few mths, and sent a feeler email out to see wassup. Right after I sent it, I get the rejection slip. But when he read my query email, he felt bad and didn't want me to think that they'd rejected my poems just because I'd "bugged them". So he sends a personal email, apologizing and explaining this in sweet detail. What a darling. I answer back and thank him, and he replies gain, I think it was to thank me for understanding and to explain some more that my poems were quite good, but sometimes they just get saturated w/ a quota of a certain kind, and to keep submitting.

Even though I have little ambition to publish, when I do, it would be quite special to have Rattle be "my first one". And mainly because of Tim. God bless him. He sure does take the intimidation factor out of submitting anyway. I've read the criteria for some publications, and they are so harsh, you practically feel beaten up and rejected even before you send. Not so w/ friendly, gracious Rattle and the kindly souls who make it all work.


Jeanne

[Janice D. Soderling]

Looking forward to reading my copy then. Big congrats Charlotte and Wendy.

Jeanne is correct about both venue and Tim.

(Belated welcome, Jeanne, you're feeling at home now, but welcome anyhoo.)

[Jesse Anger]

I'd say Rattle's the best journal out there, and although Tim's nice, it's hard as hell to get into. Nice one sphereans.

J

[Cyn Neely]

What Jesse said

[Shaun J. Russell]

Yep...what Jesse said. It remains the only journal I gladly spend money to subscribe to.

Congrats on joining the club, Charlotte and Wendy!

[Adam Elgar]

Congratulations, Charlotte and Wendy - a fine journal to be in.

[Charlotte Innes]

Wow, thanks guys! And yes, a belated welcome, Jeanne! That's a great story about Tim, who is a lovely man.

I also feel honored to be in the same journal as Wendy Videlock.

And: I need to bump up my "Rattle" reading which is this coming Sunday (June 2)!

My best to all,
Charlotte

[Jeanne G]

My own belated congratulations Charlotte and Wendy, for getting into the prestigious Rattle (psst, I hear it's hard to get into). And thanks Janice and Charlotte for your welcoming welcome, looking forward to hobnobbing w/ you more on the board.

Jeanne