Missives of Publication: Flint & Fire Enters the World

On July 31, 2018, I received notice that my first book of poems, Flint & Fire, had been selected for publication.

Mind you, this was after earning a Masters in English, a Master in Fine Arts, and sending the collection out to a dozen or more open reading periods and contests over a number of year.

Admittedly, I struggled with feelings of low self-esteem during those years (which still plagues me at times) and was timid about sending out work, which needlessly slowed the entire process, yet I still felt overlooked each time a friend or colleague won a book award or landed a book publication.

When the notice came, I was a astounded that the struggle had finally come to a close, and equally excited. I wanted very much to call my mother to tell her the news, but she had passed away the week before.

So, though my search for a publisher had come to a close, the process of culling through the poems and revising, reordering, and editing what remained had just begun–as had grieving for my mother.

Dear Lisa,

I am delighted to inform you that Jericho Brown has chosen Flint and Fire for publication by The Word Works in this year’s HiIary Tham Capital Collection. Congratulations! I’m editor for the series. I too really loved this manuscript, especially for its geographical and emotional range, for it’s voice, and for its moving engagement with the meaning of devotion to people and place.

My first question is this: is the manuscript still available? If it is, and if you accept this offer of publication, we will send a contract by email and get the publication process underway. Our publication timeline (a question all authors have) is dependent on the length of the editing process, but our goal is to have the book ready for AWP (Late March in 2019) in Portland, Oregon. The Word Works will have a booth and a good presence there. 

As a final note, should you accept this offer of publication, we will be informing all our submitters for this year in the next week, so if you wouldn’t mind waiting until we’ve done so to announce the good news far and wide, we would very much appreciate it!

I’m currently traveling, but I will be available by both email and phone for any questions. I can be reached at ************, or at *************. Would you also send us your phone number? We don’t seem to have it as part of your application file. 

Many congratulations! Jericho is writing a blurb for each poet, and I will share yours with you as soon as he sends it.