Yellow Arrow Publishing supports women-identifying writers from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes us stronger. Women’s voices have historically been underrepresented in literature, and we aim to elevate those voices and stories through our programs, publications, and support.
Part of our mission in supporting and uplifting women writers is to promote the Yellow Arrow community’s individual accomplishments. We’d like to further expand that support and promotion outside of our Yellow Arrow publications. Twice a month, we’d like to give a shout out to those within the Yellow Arrow community who recently published:
single-author publications
single pieces in journals, anthologies, etc. as well as prizes/awards
You can support our authors by reading this blog and their work, sharing their news, and commenting below or on the blog. Congratulations to all the included authors. We are so proud of you!
Every writer has a story to tell and every story is worth telling.
Author: Joanne Durham
Tell us about yourself: I am a retired educator living on the North Carolina coast. My poem “BABY!” was published in the RENASCENCE issue of Yellow Arrow Journal (spring 2021). I wrote a short piece on the Yellow Arrow blog about revision in May 2022. My first book was To Drink from a Wider Bowl, winner of the Sinclair Poetry Prize (Evening Street Press 2022), and my new chapbook is On Shifting Shoals (Kelsay Books, January 2023). You can find my poems also in Poetry South, CALYX, NC Literary Review, Ocotillo Review, Whale Road Review, and many other journals and anthologies. I consider myself incredibly lucky to be retired, living by the ocean with time to write and explore poetry with many poets I’ve met online.
Where are you from: Prince George’s County, Maryland
What describes your main writing space: expansiveness, ocean, immensity
Tell us about your publication: On Shifting Shoals (Kelsay Books, January 2023) includes 24 poems I’ve written over the past decade of living by the ocean. It explores my experiences of life in a southern beach town—the amazing beauty and sense of renewal of the ocean, environmental concerns in a time of climate change, and the sometimes humorous, sometimes uneasy relationships among the people who live there.
Why this book? Why now? How did it happen for you: When I moved to the North Carolina coast a decade ago, I started walking on the beach or riding my bike around my small town almost every day. I would take photos and started writing poems from those snapshots. The ocean, the people, the seasons—everything changes and invites new connections. Pretty soon I had a collection and I hoped it would appeal to anyone who never gets tired of the ocean.
What is your writing goal for the year: Erik Campbell once wrote, "I write poetry because I have a soul that needs a periodic tune-up." My goal is always that tune-up.
What advice do you have for other writers: Write as much and as often as you can, even if it’s just jotting thoughts in a journal. Take workshops if possible from poets whose work you admire and you will meet other poets with similar tastes to yours and they will be invaluable for supporting your writing and giving you honest feedback.
What else are you working on/doing that you’d like to share: I just keep writing. Lately it’s a lot about my concerns for the world we live in, how to live with the immense beauty and the immense cruelty that is everywhere.
You can find Joanne on Twitter @DurhamJoanne and Instagram @poetryjoanne.
Yellow Arrow (past and present) board, staff, interns, authors, residents, and instructors alike! Got a publication coming out? Let us help celebrate for you in Her View Friday.
Single-author publications: here.
Single pieces and awards/prizes: here.
Please read the instructions on each form carefully; we look forward to congratulating you!
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Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we SPARK and sparkle this year: purchase one of our publications from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, join our newsletter, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.