Category: garden of neuro

call for submissions, Celebrations, garden of neuro, napowrimo, national poetry month, poetry, prompts, short story, workshop, writing

What now?

Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld
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First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! If you participated in any way for National Poetry Month, BRAVO to you!

Do you have a stack of poetry to read, edit, scratch your head over? Where do you go from here?

There nothing quite like a critique group to help you sort this out. Do you have such a group? They are out there. Check with other poets to find out where they go. In this area of North Carolina there is an excellent group via Living Poetry. Here’s a link to check it out! https://www.meetup.com/living-poetry/events/305658373/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=share-btn_savedevents_share_modal&utm_source=link

Poets and Writers AKA PW.org has a variety of groups, including online critique groups. You can check them out here: https://groups.pw.org/browse-all-groups

There are others, I have no doubts. Just ask around and I bet you find a group. Anything I have worked on via a critique group has been published and rather quickly.

Poetry Editors can also be helpful. You will have the advantage of 1:1 feedback. It takes a bit of time to find that right match. This is often a paid service unless you work out a mutual feedback relationship.

Meet others in common at Poetry Workshops. Chances are that if you put it out there that you would like a writing partner, you will find someone or a group to work with. I participate in a weekly prompt workshop. In this it’s up to you to be prompt centric or to veer off. I tend to veer off. It’s a PW.org group called The Time is Now. It only last about 30-45 minutes and it helps to interact with others.

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You have polished your work and now is the time to publish. There are multiple journals accepting submissions. Where do you find them? I use Duotrope. because I like the feedback feature in which you can determine if the publisher is a good match. There is also a tracking feature for all your submissions. As one who runs a Facebook group, I share when I find what sound like good matches. I especially focus on paying publications, preferably ones who don’t charge.

Submittable is another option for finding a variety of places to submit.

As an editor for FineLines.org I recommend this journal, which has been around for 35 years, for submissions of poetry, art, essays, short stories, and photography.

There are also several calls for submissions from poets and writers of which I regularly have contact. Here they are:

Feed the Holy

Chewers by Masticadores

Masticadores USA

Latinos USA

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Have you found that National Poetry Month has helped you with all the prompts? Check out the options for regular prompts.

Living Poetry has regular prompts and you can even share your work on their blog.

Metaphor Dice are fun for creating metaphors. You can make a game of these.

Garden of Neuro Institute has frequent poetry prompts and events in their Poetry Group. There are also regular workshops and open mics.

Wordsmith Weekly is a Saturday group in which attendees work with prompts and share.

If you are interested in a special Call for Submissions with a specific theme, you might want to check out this one: https://www.gardenofneuropublishing.com/

I hope this is helpful. There is a lot more information out there, but I thought I would open up the discussion.

Happy Writing!

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If you have a completed manuscript, feel free to submit to ProlificPulse.com We are reviewing submissions for 2026.

Announcements, call for submissions, garden of neuro, non-fiction, writing

The Talk – The Walk – Every time you leave home words to live by

Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

The Talk – The Walk – Every time you leave home words to live by

Last night, I watched the first episode of the Emmett Till Documentary for the second time. It’s the true story as told by people who knew this young man. Emmett Till was born in 1941. At this time in 2022 he would be celebrating 81 years of life. Instead, at the young age of 14 her was lynched in what Martin Luther King stated that it “might be considered one of the most brutal and inhuman crimes of the twentieth century.”

This incident resulted in a short-lived life because of prejudice. I believe that if a white child had whistled, it would have been laughed off as cute. In 2022 it would have been plastered all over social media as funny.

Therein lies one of many differences. The very most a white child would have gotten was a reprimand, or a talking to, but never a lynching. Never have his life taken.

So, let’s do that fast forward to today. I was talking with a black mother of two yesterday. One is an adult son and the other is an eleven-year-old daughter. I was telling her about The Talk project we are working on in the Garden of Neuro. She thought it was a great idea and offered more input. She informed me that this is about more than a talk but a whole life, day-by-day, when your child is reminded about how to hold up their character in society. When her children walk out the door, they have rules to live by. The rules that black children follow are not the same rules that white people tell their children. I know. I am a white parent.

The white parent says, look people in the eye to show confidence. The black parent says, be cautious about looking white people in the eye as they may say you are threatening to them.

The white parent says, offer your hand to shake a man’s hand. The black parent says, don’t be the one to offer a handshake, but shake the hand if it is offered.

The white parent says, stop by the store on the way to school and pick up a treat. The black parent says, stop by the store on the way to school, get your treat quickly and take it to the register. And be sure to keep your hands where they can be seen.

Emmett Till went into a store and whistled. It cost him his life. It was not his fault.

Flash forward to Trayvon Martin, who is 2012 lost his life at the age of 17. He was walking down the street, an innocent young man— shot because he was walking while black.

What is the difference between these two young men? One death was 77 years ago and the other was ten years ago. Another has and will continue to happen until things change.

Did you know that Emmett Till had “The Talk” given to him? Yes, he did. His own cousin spoke about it in the documentary. That’s the point. The talk about how to conduct oneself when walking out the door, and add social media indoors today— It is, as my friend stated yesterday, more than a talk, but a life you have to live and breathe each day.

Some may wonder why this white woman wants to hear about a talk that BIPOC have with their family members and friends. Anyone who truly knows me knows that my life has never been about black and white. It has always been about people. It has always been about my study of people and concern that people learn to get along. It is important – and I will speak from my own sociologist experience – that we understand what is going on in others’ lives, so we can be more compassionate, so we can make this a better place to live, so that we can be a part of the warm, love-filled environment that was meant to be. And if I appear to wear rose-colored glasses, so be it. Give me ones with purple frames.

I want to read these stories that I cannot tell. I want to know what people of color are dealing with day by day. I want to be inclusive in this life. And this is why I want to read these stories.

Do you have a story to tell? Please send it to the Call for Submissions for The Talk. This is open to BIPOC and their families and friends who have experienced the talk, the way of life, the rules for living. We want to hear them.

By the way, my friend also said something that I have been saying for a long time. The young people these days are going to change the world, and it will be a better place where we will get along. Let’s start with the talk and let’s be a part of that change.

Click here to go to Garden of Neuro Call for Submissions for The Talk

garden of neuro

Garden of Neuro

Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

I am pleased with what the Garden of Neuro offers for empowerment, connections, support and more.

Recently, I participated in the Garden of Neuro Anthology of Poetry and Art, called “A Safe and Brave Space.” It will be available soon. We worked as a team to bring this anthology to life. It’s been an amazing adventure. I even received a badge.

Are you feeling the need to connect with others in a Safe and Brave Space? Come check out the Garden of Neuro.