Let’s be honest. There’s a no-man’s land between writing and publishing poetry.

No, you aren’t imagining this gap. 

Most poetry publishing advice out there is vague almost to the point of gaslighting: “Send out as many submissions as you can, as often as possible, and eventually you’ll get published. That’s what I did!” “Just spread the poems out on the floor and you’ll see how they fit together.”

I know. I got the same vague advice, and I had to learn how to publish poetry the hard way—through trial and error. Now I know: Getting poetry published isn’t easy, but it’s much easier when we get clear about what matters. We can approach publishing … dare I say? … strategically.

I’m Radha Marcum, author of two award-winning poetry collections—Bloodline (New Mexico Book Award, 2018) and Pine Soot Tendon Bone (Washington Prize, 2023). Along the way to getting those books out, I’ve kept a presence in journals like FIELD, West Branch, Pleiades, Gulf Coast, Bennington Review, Notre Dame Review, and Poetry Northwest—and the list keeps growing.

Honestly, it took longer than I wanted to reach that first big publishing milestone. But the process taught me a lot. My second book took just three years from the time I started drafting poems to when the manuscript was accepted for publication.

I’ve taught poetry and manuscript development part-time at colleges, community writing programs, conferences, and privately for 10+ years. Since 2017, I’ve coached writers working to publish in journals, or on poetry or hybrid-genre manuscripts. In 2021, I launched Poet to Poet, a newsletter and private community, and in 2023 I launched the Complete Manuscript Course.

Join me to learn what I wish I’d known earlier—and chart your path to publication.