Write Bloody has long been my dream publisher. They are an independent publisher whose poets I read and admire and fan girl over. Most years they run a contest, seeking new poets to add to their publishing roster. This year, like last, I chose five poems and sent them in with fingers crossed. Last week I got my rejection letter from Write Bloody’s annual poetry contest. I wasn’t surprised but still took a screenshot and sent it to my poet friend Kristin.

She replied with her own letter from Write Bloody…except she was selected as a finalist!

To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement. I was, and still am, so happy and excited for my friend. I am disappointed that I’m not a finalist but this absolutely does not dampen my excitement for Kristin’s finalist status. Here’s the thing – we creatives need to support one another. We need to sing each other’s praises and hold one another up. Because a win for Kristin in no way means a loss for me. It just means I’ve got to dig a little deeper, write a little harder, push a little further. It means I’ve got to keep writing and submitting and hopefully next time I’ll be a finalist too. And I believe it’ll happen one day. But until then I’m going to hold my friend up, I’m going to sing her praises and I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that she’s selected by Write Bloody because I’ve read her manuscript and it’s amazing and the world needs her words.

So this year I’m not a finalist but maybe next year will be my year. I’ll keep writing and I’ll keep submitting and I’ll keep getting my poetry into the world. In the meantime, please peek at Kristin’s video and support her by giving it a thumbs up.