Thank you for the video, G.K. It gives me a much better understanding of Ink & Ribbon and, yes, it certainly helps to see and hear you speak so clearly and thoughtfully about the project. It deserves to succeed. 18 months ago I would have been doubtful, but the strength and variety of the Substack poetry community tells me that Ink & Ribbon should be well supported.
I have just been reading the submission guidelines and I may submit a manuscript myself. Is it acceptable to submit work which has been published elsewhere as individual poems, so long as I still hold the copyright?
Yes, you can submit the manuscript as long as you hold copyright (and I look forward to reading). The only way we succeed, in my mind and heart, is through the generosity of the community and patrons. I have so many elements to figure out and it is a steep but wonderful learning curve. The good news is I am not aiming for mass sales, I am looking for the press to fund itself - so if we raise $25k in Y1, Y2, then we can produce wonderful work. That's the simple goal (and of course no salary, just the passion of building something unique for the world)
Yes indeed, Substack has been a refreshing change of pace as regards the online world. I used to dread the thought of having to run (or have other people or automated bots run) multiple social media channels - you know the ones - they say you just have to have nowadays as an author or any sort of creator. "It's just what you have to do nowadays, no way around it," I would hear, with resignation and a lame sense of inevitability. But no more! Substack is enough for me, and it is proving to be an excellent funnel for just the sort of people who support and appreciate genuine authorship and earnest creativity, where the other platforms, for the most part, seem cheap and insincere, a bit like selling your soul to engage on them.
I am putting my manuscript together for Ink and Ribbon now :)
Thanks for the great presentation! I’ve admired your mission since you first launched, but hearing more about it today really deepened that admiration. I’m excited about the opportunity to collaborate in the future.
Thanks Sam, would love for you to submit when ready. Your note that mentions “Poetry that leaves blanks for the reader to fill in." was coincidentally a lot of the feedback I received when I started my MFA, so much so I wrote this Ode to Joseph Millar (who was my mentor last semester) - and you might appreciate the sentiment. Here's the draft link https://crow.gkallum.com/p/77d705b6-dd85-46fd-b728-4ce8c5cca3b3
I just submitted my second manuscript to a journal for editing services. I won’t have it back until sometime in February, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m also looking forward to the Lemonlight Prize.
This stanza reminds me of a poetry course I took with Sam Sax, where we wrote a poem every week based on a specific poetic style. The class would then critique each piece, and the feedback was always brutally honest. Many comments were things like “too familiar” or “I knew the ending halfway through the poem.” It was hard to hear at first, but that rigorous critique really helped shape me as a poet.
"When I finish, he waits, says kindly I confuse explanation with generosity
that I tell the reader what the poem is thinking,
and the room nods in a way that this has been true for some time."
This idea inspired me to reach for a longer manuscript and dust it off. It won't be ready for your February deadline, but your efforts reminded me why I began the project in the first place: the pursuit of beautiful, well-crafted lines. Thanks! Looking forward to Ink & Ribbon's success.
Please consider The LemonLight Prize as a more gentle way to submit and support when we launch https://inkandribbon.org/lemonlight-prize - and we'll have a 2nd open reading period in Autumn 2026 for more manuscripts
Being in the UK, and fast aleep ergo whilst you were all listening/chatting, all I can do is say thank you for starting I&R. Substack indeed is a refreshing space, though I worried at one point the nitwits were invading. I think they fell away crestfallen.
More importantly, I slowly got my head round open reading and which contest was which. At this stage, my literary career vaunts mere inclusions annd favourable comment -I found that careful targeting avoids rejection but it's a long story. So chucking an MS of 90+ pages as a book feels like a kind of experiemnt - to see where I end up on the pile we might call achievement.
The paper quality etc might seem imaterial - but having run a commuunnity magazine, I can say that it's actually importannt. Look at Vogue magazine against some low budget thing. I git funding for a quality periodical - but those holding the strings insisted we simply use a copier and staples. I quit the project in disgust - and it folded in weeks. Anyway, I've just been hollered for dinner so best note be late.
Looking forwards to everything and nice to see others are commenting and joing in.
Thank you for the video, G.K. It gives me a much better understanding of Ink & Ribbon and, yes, it certainly helps to see and hear you speak so clearly and thoughtfully about the project. It deserves to succeed. 18 months ago I would have been doubtful, but the strength and variety of the Substack poetry community tells me that Ink & Ribbon should be well supported.
I have just been reading the submission guidelines and I may submit a manuscript myself. Is it acceptable to submit work which has been published elsewhere as individual poems, so long as I still hold the copyright?
Sincere thanks
Dave
Yes, you can submit the manuscript as long as you hold copyright (and I look forward to reading). The only way we succeed, in my mind and heart, is through the generosity of the community and patrons. I have so many elements to figure out and it is a steep but wonderful learning curve. The good news is I am not aiming for mass sales, I am looking for the press to fund itself - so if we raise $25k in Y1, Y2, then we can produce wonderful work. That's the simple goal (and of course no salary, just the passion of building something unique for the world)
Sincere thanks G.K.
And best wishes for the New Year. May Ink & Ribbon be a source of light in a rather dark world.
Best Wishes - Dave
Yes indeed, Substack has been a refreshing change of pace as regards the online world. I used to dread the thought of having to run (or have other people or automated bots run) multiple social media channels - you know the ones - they say you just have to have nowadays as an author or any sort of creator. "It's just what you have to do nowadays, no way around it," I would hear, with resignation and a lame sense of inevitability. But no more! Substack is enough for me, and it is proving to be an excellent funnel for just the sort of people who support and appreciate genuine authorship and earnest creativity, where the other platforms, for the most part, seem cheap and insincere, a bit like selling your soul to engage on them.
I am putting my manuscript together for Ink and Ribbon now :)
I am glad you found your home, and I really look forward to reading your work when you submit. Best of luck!
Thanks for the great presentation! I’ve admired your mission since you first launched, but hearing more about it today really deepened that admiration. I’m excited about the opportunity to collaborate in the future.
Thanks Sam, would love for you to submit when ready. Your note that mentions “Poetry that leaves blanks for the reader to fill in." was coincidentally a lot of the feedback I received when I started my MFA, so much so I wrote this Ode to Joseph Millar (who was my mentor last semester) - and you might appreciate the sentiment. Here's the draft link https://crow.gkallum.com/p/77d705b6-dd85-46fd-b728-4ce8c5cca3b3
I just submitted my second manuscript to a journal for editing services. I won’t have it back until sometime in February, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m also looking forward to the Lemonlight Prize.
This stanza reminds me of a poetry course I took with Sam Sax, where we wrote a poem every week based on a specific poetic style. The class would then critique each piece, and the feedback was always brutally honest. Many comments were things like “too familiar” or “I knew the ending halfway through the poem.” It was hard to hear at first, but that rigorous critique really helped shape me as a poet.
"When I finish, he waits, says kindly I confuse explanation with generosity
that I tell the reader what the poem is thinking,
and the room nods in a way that this has been true for some time."
No worries about it being outside of our opening reading period, I'd be interested in reading when it's ready.
This sounds an amazing thing to do. I really love your approach and what you will be doing in 2026. I look forward to following the journey.
This idea inspired me to reach for a longer manuscript and dust it off. It won't be ready for your February deadline, but your efforts reminded me why I began the project in the first place: the pursuit of beautiful, well-crafted lines. Thanks! Looking forward to Ink & Ribbon's success.
Please consider The LemonLight Prize as a more gentle way to submit and support when we launch https://inkandribbon.org/lemonlight-prize - and we'll have a 2nd open reading period in Autumn 2026 for more manuscripts
Loved this.
Thank you, Dwight
Being in the UK, and fast aleep ergo whilst you were all listening/chatting, all I can do is say thank you for starting I&R. Substack indeed is a refreshing space, though I worried at one point the nitwits were invading. I think they fell away crestfallen.
More importantly, I slowly got my head round open reading and which contest was which. At this stage, my literary career vaunts mere inclusions annd favourable comment -I found that careful targeting avoids rejection but it's a long story. So chucking an MS of 90+ pages as a book feels like a kind of experiemnt - to see where I end up on the pile we might call achievement.
The paper quality etc might seem imaterial - but having run a commuunnity magazine, I can say that it's actually importannt. Look at Vogue magazine against some low budget thing. I git funding for a quality periodical - but those holding the strings insisted we simply use a copier and staples. I quit the project in disgust - and it folded in weeks. Anyway, I've just been hollered for dinner so best note be late.
Looking forwards to everything and nice to see others are commenting and joing in.
Alex