Philosopher's Closet

Crisp pungent lavender drifts forth when I open the closet door. I lovingly collected the blossoms last year, and competed with the bees for the flower’s purple treasures. Lavender is a clean, timeless scent. It speaks to me of freshness and reminds me of my childhood – the good parts, anyway. Sometimes I close my eyes and lean in, deeply inhaling its aroma. Its bouquet reminds me to slow down, that Time truly does not exist – that what I’m hurriedly preparing for will be there when I arrive.

If I’m patient, my nose catches whiffs of other bouquets…Red cologne, captured on the collars and necklines of my clothing, and the faintest trace of cigarette smoke. When the room is warmed by the afternoon sun, I recognize the heavy wool smell of my soft brown jacket. And there’s always the scent of the sea that clings to a couple of my cotton dresses.

Eternal, timeless, passionate, sometimes unwise, practical and comfortable, always renewing myself – re-establishing my place on the beach -- my closet smells like me.

Transita Call For Manuscripts

http://www.transita.co.uk/index_sub.htm

Transita - Great Books For Grown Women

Submission Guidelines

We’re looking for contemporary women’s fiction that reflects the lives of women aged 45 – 75.We are looking for 80-85,000 words but otherwise we are not prescriptive. The books can be as varied as women themselves are at this time of life! We are seeking what is most relevant to the lives of other women out there who are facing the challenges and opportunities of the exciting but often difficult later time of life.

Transita’s aims

We’re starting Transita to fill a void in current literature that effectively mirrors the experiences of modern middle-aged women; to publish new voices that speak for a generation of under-represented readers in this opportunity-rich area of fiction. Our aim is to provide insight, validation, inspiration and encouragement for women in their middle age. The books should crystallise the challenges and opportunities, lives, loves and losses which face so many middle aged women today.

The market for Transita

Our core book buyer is around 45 and over, seeking new challenges, learning new skills, taking risks and stretching themselves beyond previous limitations.

Submitting work

If you feel that your work reflects that outlined above, we would be pleased to receive a synopsis and three sample chapters from you.

Please send submissions to: The Editorial Director at Transita Ltd at the following address;

Transita Ltd, 3 Newtec Place, Magdalen Road, Oxford, OX4 1RE

Antietam Review

Antietam Review will accept submissions beginning September 1st.


Antietam Review is the award-winning literary and photography magazine published annually by the Washington County Arts Council with additional funding from the Maryland State Arts Council. AR publishes short fiction, poetry and black-and-white photographs, which have not been previously published. Submissions are accepted from September 1 through December 1.



GUIDELINES FOR WRITERS


FICTION:

Contributors may submit ONE entry for fiction. Editors seek high-quality fiction with fewer than 5,000 words. Short stories are preferred; however, a novel excerpt is considered if it works as an independent piece. Non-fiction, essays, interviews, memoirs, and book reviews are also accepted. Approximately seven works of prose are published in each AR issue. Selected authors receive $50 plus two copies of Antietam Review upon publication.



POETRY:

Contributors may submit up to three poems for the poetry category. Editors seek well-crafted pieces of no more than 30 lines (inspirational verse, doggerel and haiku are discouraged). Approximately 24 poems are published in each AR issue. Selected poets receive $25 per poem plus two copies of Antietam Review upon publication.



GUIDELINES FOR PHOTOGRAPHY~ PHOTOGRAPHY ACCEPTED FROM JANUARY 1ST THROUGH MARCH 31ST


Photographers may submit up to three black & white prints. All subject matter is considered. Approximately 24 photos are published in each AR issue. Selected photographers receive $25 per photograph and two copies of AR upon publication. Complete guidelines and submission forms are available via our website: www.washingtoncountyarts.com or by requesting via e-mail at antietamreview@washingtoncountyarts.com


Address for all submissions:

Antietam Review
41 South Potomac Street
Hagerstown, MD 21740

To obtain status of submitted works, contributor must include a #10 SASE ~ Materials are not returned unless requested and sufficient postage is included. Response is approximately 2-3 months from receipt of submission. Contributors may submit simultaneously; however, prompt notification is requested if work is accepted elsewhere.

AR--2005

Current issues are available for $8.40 and a limited number of back issues are available for $6.30. Please send your request along with check or money order payable to Antietam Review to the above address.

Finding Myself

Lately I've been feeling a little lost. Call it a midlife crisis if you want, but I don't know exactly who I am any more. I know I'm a wife, and a mother. I know I'm a slave to a finicky guinea pig and four cats, and I realize I'm the heart and soul of my family. But I'm also a writer. In fact, at my core, I'm a writer more than any other role. But what do I write? That is where the threads start raveling and the labels fail me.

What do I write?

I used to think I was a humor writer. Then I expanded my labels to include satire and politcal satire. I mostly wrote nonfiction. I was satisfied writing nonfiction until I stumbled into the Zoetrope Virtual Studio. It turns out Zoetrope doesn't really have a section for nonfiction, and I wanted to take advantage of the benefits of membership, so I tried my hand at fiction.

I haven't stopped any trains with my fiction writing, but I feel I've slowed a few down. I like fiction. It's powerful and interesting to write. And I think I do a decent job when I set my mind to it.

Fiction demands further labeling. "What sort of fiction do you write?" Oh, how I hate labels, yet they're a necessary evil at times. So I thought a good while about what sort of fiction I write.

My Southern fiction has been well-received by Southern journals, so I suppose I can claim that I write Southern fiction. I've written some stories that are lauded by other women, not so much by men; so I suppose I can claim I write fiction for women. But I don't write romance, and I rarely write happy endings, so I can't claim to write traditional women's fiction. I'm not a true feminist in the commonly accepted sense of the term. And I'm interested in the plight of my black brothers and sisters -- intrigued by how different their lives are from those of white people -- so I'm not exclusively a traditional Southern writer either. I'm more of a every-person-is-valuable-in-their-own-right type of writer.

So far, I've decided I'm not a traditional fiction writer. I knew that much when I started trying to figure out what kind of writer I am. So I'm still lost.

I'm keeping this blog as a sort of journal to try and work it out. Maybe you can help me find an appropriate label, or maybe you will just read along silently and observe. Whichever you choose, welcome to my blog. -- GHC