Writing Instruction – OLD SCRATCH PRESS

The Struggle of Choosing the Perfect Title

Published on August 1, 2026July 28, 2026 by Nadja MarilLeave a comment

A founding member of Old Scratch Press

A few years ago a short creative nonfiction essay of mine, titled “Lipstick” was published in Hare’s Paw Literary Journal. It took many attempts to find a home for this particular essay. On reflection, part of the difficulty was in deciding on an appropriate title.

In contemplating “writer’s notes” about this particular piece of writing, I remember thinking about how titles set up certain epectations.

During that lull, after I’ve sent out my work and for several months while waiting for a response, always there is self-doubt. Is the essay too short, too long. Did I mess up the tenses again. Is is too negative? Will readers find it disturbing? Will editors opposed to any type of make-up be turned off? Yes, a lot of weird thoughts were whirling around in my mind, and several of them centered on the title I’d chosen. I’d started to question my choice . Did I give I it the right title?

I felt I’d written something good. I’d workshopped it with some colleagues and received some positive feedback from editors who ”couldn’t find space for this particular piece in our upcoming issue, but please send us more work…” so I sensed I’d written something powerful, but had I chosen the right title?

Titles are hard. At least they are hard for me. I know they are important. As a former journalist, I know it is the headlines ie titles that people read first and maybe the only thing they read. Maybe if they see the title “lipstick,” I thought, they will literally think it is an essay about lipstick. Maybe I should have chosen a title that indicated it was about a fraught relationship between a mother and a daughter.

If a piece has been submitted to a magazine and it’s anonymously sitting in the slush pile, a reader/editor might barely read the work, if they decide they don’t like the title. After all, they’ve got a whole bunch of other stories waiting to be read. Maybe they shouldn’t even bother. Perhaps they are asking themselves, will this particular story interest me?

As a writer, not as an editor, I want my title to be appropriate. When I put on my editor’s hat, I’m thinking I want a title that will draw readers in and how does one do that?

As a writer, I try to draw on advice from other writers, who suggest choosing a poignant line from your piece and taking that line as your title, or as an alternative approach, selecting a moment that will evoke surprise as your title. For surprise I could have chosen, What I did when I Found Her on the Floor. For an evocative line I could have chosen, “The silence grows longer and longer.”

Often I start writing and I do not know what I’m truly writing about until my journey is coming to a close. Selecting a title can help me clarify what are the most important aspects ot the story.

I’m wondering whether this desire of mine to find the perfect title could be turned into a writing prompt. As the hot summer days seem longer forcing us to spend more time indoors and fellow writers are all looking for fresh approaches, here is an idea. Try writing your title first and specifically focus on a scene in the story that will create tension.

WRITING PROMPT: Think of a scene from your past, full of tension and conflict. Maybe it was the moment your boss handed you a pink slip or you were standing in the cafeteria line and realized you’d forgotten your voucher or wallet. What made this situation tense? How did you feel at the time? What were you thinking about? What were your physical responses?

You can do this with fictional characters and situations as well. The title, “The Moment My Boss Handed Me a Pink Slip” is obvious or maybe not. Perhaps the title will change depending on the actions that ensue. But it’s a beginning.

Picture the scene in your mind. Select a few important details that stand out. Try writing the same scene again for ten minutes with a different variation. Did you learn anything?

Thank you for reading and for your feedback. If you have a favorite technique for titling your work, please share. We’d love to post it.

Submissions are scurrently open for the final 2026 issue of Instant Noodles Literary Magazine. Check it out.https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/instant-noodles-O0jFm

What’s in a Title? Naming Your Poems Like It Matters

Published on July 18, 2026July 18, 2026 by Beatriz F.Leave a comment

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

~ Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, spoken by Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

Today I am writing about a subject dear to my heart—choosing titles for poems.

The opportunity to name something you created should not be wasted. You’d think people would give this more attention than they actually do.

Back in the 80s, there was a best-selling book called The Name Game and its main premise was that your name was your destiny. If you wanted your child to be popular, excel in school and marry well, you had to be very careful what you named that little baby in the bassinet.

It would seem to follow that naming your poem merits some consideration as well!

To be clear, I’m no expert and I’m not denigrating any method you may be in the habit of using to choose your titles (or name your children!). But I have a keen interest in this subject and it seems to be a somewhat neglected area of discussion in poetry.

Just to see if maybe something on this subject was buried in books about writing poetry, I checked out a few classic poetry craft books: Ted Kooser’s The Poetry Home Repair Manual and Robert Pinsky’s Singing School. Kooser devotes a few pages to the subject. Pinsky mentions nothing about titles but does provide lots of examples of classic poem titles to peruse.

I then checked in the library catalog of a library of 2 million+ volumes, and only ONE book comes up under the LC classification subject heading: Titles of poems, it is a book called The Title to the Poem by Anne Ferry. She explores the subject in depth, asking questions like “Who gives the title? Who has the title? Who “says” the poem? Who “hears” the poem? What genre does the poem belong to? What is the poem “about”?” and considers the deeper aspects of titling poems: “There are complex relationships between what titles purport to tell and what they actually tell, and this is true not only of titles so worded that they demand interpretation, but also of those that appear straightforward.”

A title can anchor a poem in space and time, giving the reader some necessary context with which to begin reading and enjoying it. For example, a recent poem I wrote I entitled:

“Native, Antilles High School, Ft. Buchanan, Puerto Rico”

I could have just named it “Native” but the place and the time were very relevant to understanding the background of this poem, so the title’s subtitle in this case was very important.

Similarly, a poem entitled “An Evening Encounter at the Arecibo Observatory” gives the reader a lot of information, the time, the place, and the sense that this encounter is not going to be an ordinary one, given the nature of the place!

A title can lend specificity and a sense of fun at the same time:
For example, “At the Mayan Monkey Mijas Chocolate Factory” (and yes, this place really exists!)

First of all, how can you visit a place called the Mayan Monkey Mijas Chocolate Factory and NOT write a poem about it and use that name in the title?? However, I later thought I really should have called it “Touring the Mayan Monkey Mijas Chocolate Factory” and that would have conveyed even more relevant information because I was a tourist, not someone who worked there or a local who regularly visited, for example.
This title conveys a specific place (Mijas, Spain), history and culture (Mayan), fun (monkeys!) and sensory detail (the aroma of chocolate) and opens all sorts of questions in the reader’s mind, such as: What does a chocolate factory in Mijas have to do with Mayan monkeys?

Bridget Kriner’s article: Making It Work: Five Jobs for Poem Titles — The Poetry Lab helps you think about how to title your poem by thinking of what you want that title to bring to the poem.

“…titles are hard to get just right and do really important work–namely, a great title shows the reader how to read a poem.

A poem’s title is where the reader is introduced to a poet, an invitation from the poet into the depths of a poem’s magic. This is, essentially, the main job description of a title: to welcome its readers at the doorway of the poem and to draw them inside. However, the specific function titles perform can vary.”

In The Power of Titles: Strategies for Choosing the Right Title for Your Stories & Poetry, Emily Harstone makes a powerful argument against giving poems what she calls “placeholder” titles.

“As a poet, I haven’t always put as much emphasis on titles, but working
as a reader and then an editor for a literary journal really changed that
for me. When I was in that role I had to read about a thousand poems
over the period of two months. This is not an uncommon experience
for editors or readers.
I had to pick around ten poems out of all these poems to share with
others. But after reading so many they all started to merge together in
my mind. It didn’t help that a number of them had the same title.
Sometimes I’d try and remember a poem I liked, but then ended up not
finding it because while I remembered part of the poem I didn’t
remember the title.”

This problem would be exacerbated during the judging of a poetry contest, for example, and could keep your poem from winning an award! Imagine a judge reading dozens of poems called “A Dream” for example and trying to remember which one they liked best!

I think the approach of giving memorable titles to poems helped me when, after winning the 2nd annual Writer’s Digest poetry award with “Respiratory Tech at the Vietnam Memorial, 1989,” (which conveyed the speaker, place and time) I followed it up several years later with “The Menopausal Mermaid Takes Medical Advice” which came in at #36, I think. If you keep in mind that the first contest had ~4200 entries, and was only in its 2nd year, so the entries probably ballooned afterwards to even higher numbers, the importance of a memorable title becomes all the more obvious.

I think the saddest thing I see is “Untitled” as a title. I’m sure there are many brilliant poems by that title (though I can’t think of any off hand), and of course many poets just use the first line of their poem as a title, as per Emily Dickinson (but then again, most of her poems were not meant for publication.) But I feel like not giving your poem a title is a lost opportunity to engage with your reader on a different level.

Rodney Wood gives several techniques to find the right title for your poem: Why poem titles matter more than you might think | Write Out Loud

He does warn that any technique used too often can quickly become monotonous, though.

His final advice should resonate with any poet: “A title doesn’t have to be clever, poetic, or punchy — but it should be deliberate. It’s the invitation, the signpost, the spell. It’s the first poem the reader reads, even before the first line. So give your poems the names they deserve.”

Thank you for reading and please follow us here and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OLDSCRATCHPRESS/

Beatriz F. Fernandez is a Miami area poet and University Reference librarian. She is the author of three poetry chapbooks, the most recent of which is Simultaneous States (2025) by Bainbridge Island Press. In 2025, she became a member of the Old Scratch Press short form and poetry writing collective.

Her upcoming poetry book, Stone & Star: Poems in Voices Across Time will be published this fall by Old Scratch Press.

READ ONE OF OUR MEMBERS’ LATEST POETRY COLLECTION:

HOWLING INTO THE VOID

BY R. DAVID FULCHER

buy on amazon

How Weather Shapes Our Lives and Stories

Published on July 1, 2026July 1, 2026 by Nadja MarilLeave a comment

By Founding Collective Member Nadja Maril

In polite conversation, unlike politics and religion, the weather is a safe topic. Love that sunshine. Do you think it’s going to snow?

The weather, however, is anything but safe. It’s lack of consistency affects all of us in one way or another. We may think it’s going to be another hot humid summer, but an unexpected chill might ruin a farmer’s crops.

From a practical standpoint, the weather impacts the type of shelter we need, our household budget and our mode of transportation. It’s an indication of our moods. Whether we are suffering through a drought or an artic blast, the weather affects our daily lives.

In polite conversation, unlike politics and religion, the weather is a safe topic. Love that sunshine. Do you think it’s going to snow?

Weather Can Create Conflict and Provide Comfort

Setting, that catch all word for the description of where and when a story takes place, usually includes references to weather. A bright sun, the need for a warmer coat, parched grass are clues a writer might provide to set a scene. The mention of a light rain may seem small, but ultimately the rain in some way will impact at least one of the characters.

Depending on the narrative, a weather event may create the obstacle a character must overcome. Gale winds, high waves and rain cause a small vessel to sink and its passengers to fight for their lives. A tornado destroys someone’s home, causing them to seek shelter with family in another state and changes the trajectory of the protagonist’s future.

Last month I was reading a piece written by a writer friend and I was reminded that something as basic as a winter storm, can become a character. How strongly setting interacts with the various protagonists in a narrative is the writer’s choice. Anything—A animal, vegetable or mineral—can become a component of a well-crafted story.

Examples of the use of Weather in Narrative

A classic story I often think of as an example of weather as a character, is Jack London’s short story, ‘To Build a Fire,”

While many discussions of the story focus on the protagonist’s arrogance and his inability to fully comprehend his limitations, it is the cold weather that serves as his antagonist. The dog understands the situation, but must follow his master’s lead.

A reader unfamiliar with survival in extreme weather may assume the human will have the upper hand. Gradually as the story unfolds, the power of the artic is revealed.

In the twenty-first century, humans are faced with new challenges. Survival on a rapidly warming planet is the subject of climate fiction titles that include Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson, and Weather by Jenny Offill. Weather has inspired many best-selling novels.

But maybe as a writer you’d like to start small. A piece of flash fiction, where the weather plays a strong role in the storyline, can make for a compelling read.

Most likely, if you’ve been writing for a while, you already think about setting, tone and mood when you begin writing a scene. I used to participate in theater productions both onstage and backstage. I remember the director choosing different lighting combinations, using colored gels to cover the spotlights, to emphasize the emotional tone of a scene. Yellow and orange were associated with warmth and happiness while the color green denotes nature and serenity. Red might be used to amplify the intensity of a fight scene.

WRITING PROMPT:

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com

Imagine a day in someone’s life. What kind of day is it? What color would you associate with this day? Imagine the weather and focus on one part of the day. Perhaps it is the morning of a warm summer’s day, a day that heat and humidity will build in intensity, lightening will flash, thunder will sound and a heavy rain will follow. What role does this thunderstorm play in your story?

Imagine a different kind of day, a brisk but sunny day. Maybe the main character has been too cold to leave their home, but the beauty of the day entices them to step outside.

Or take the concept of “To Build a Fire” but substitute the fire with something else. Maybe the protagonist is trying to set up a tent but the wind is blowing too hard. Or inspired by the summer conditions in europe write about an individual without air-conditioning trying to survive in extreme heat. Create a weather-related challenge and see if the protagonist can solve the problem.

Writers if you have a story you are working on, read it with a particular thought towards how the environment in your setting helps convey the mood. I close with a link to a story I wrote a few years ago called “Winter Solstice” on page 8 of the pdf. Courtesy of Atlantic Northeast Magazine. I chose the setting of a small cabin on a Maine lake in winter to emphasize the chill and isolation felt by the protagonist who is valiantly trying to buoy his spirits. Weather is a useful tool. Use it wisely.

Thank you for reading and feel free to share your comments and any questions. Don’t forget to follow Old Scratch Press on Facebook. Every few days we post blogs and share writing news. You can learn about all the wonderful little books we’ve published here.

If you enjoyed this post and want to support my writing, consider purchasing my little chapbook filled with short essays and poems, RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN and check out some of my other books. Thanks again.

https://www.amazon.com/Recipes-My-Garden-Memoir-Poetry/dp/1957224347/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Crafting the Perfect Poem for Father’s Day

Published on June 1, 2026June 1, 2026 by Nadja MarilLeave a comment

By Nadja Maril

June, the start of summer and the month of graduations and weddings has begun. It’s a month of beginnings and endings.

I’m someone who likes to plan ahead, particularly if gift giving is involved. The holidays this month are Flag Day, Juneteenth, Father’s Day, and Summer Solstice.

This year Father’s Day falls on Sunday June 21^st. I’ve been hearing advertisements for barbecue grills, power tools, personalized mugs.

But Father’s Day isn’t a day that has to be just about your father or the father of your children. And it doesn’t have to involve giving expensive items. It can be a good time to recognize the men in your life who have inspired you, as well as male friends and neighbors who have been helpful and caring.

As for gifts, the best gift is often a phone call, a card, the gift of time. From a writer, the best gift can be a story or poem.

Do not wait until the day before Father’s Day. I always find that my best work needs to sit for a while and undergo revisions before it is ready to be shared.

How to start. Everyone has their own technique. If I am writing a poem specifically to laud someone, I usually begin by listing everything about them I admire. We all notice different things. Details are important.

Or you can share an important memory and write it in prose or in verse. It can be serious or funny. Make someone laugh and you are halfway to penning something they’ll treasure.

You are writing your piece for one person. It does not have to be a masterpiece. One poet, who was popular in his time, was widely published in newspapers. His name was Edgar Guest and he was an English poet who lived a long life, 1881-1959. His poems definitely make me laugh. Here are two.

Father

By Edgar Guest

My father knows the proper way 
   The nation should be run; 
He tells us children every day 
   Just what should now be done. 
He knows the way to fix the trusts, 
   He has a simple plan; 
But if the furnace needs repairs, 
   We have to hire a man. 


My father, in a day or two 
   Could land big thieves in jail; 
There's nothing that he cannot do, 
   He knows no word like "fail." 
"Our confidence" he would restore, 
   Of that there is no doubt; 
But if there is a chair to mend, 
   We have to send it out. 


All public questions that arise, 
   He settles on the spot; 
He waits not till the tumult dies, 
   But grabs it while it's hot. 
In matters of finance he can 
   Tell Congress what to do; 
But, O, he finds it hard to meet 
   His bills as they fall due. 


It almost makes him sick to read 
   The things law-makers say; 
Why, father's just the man they need, 
   He never goes astray. 
All wars he'd very quickly end, 
   As fast as I can write it; 
But when a neighbor starts a fuss, 
   'Tis mother has to fight it. 


In conversation father can 
   Do many wondrous things; 
He's built upon a wiser plan 
   Than presidents or kings. 
He knows the ins and outs of each 
   And every deep transaction; 
We look to him for theories, 
   But look to ma for action.

Only a Dad

By Edgar Guest

Only a dad with a tired face, 
Coming home from the daily race, 
Bringing little of gold or fame
To show how well he has played the game; 
But glad in his heart that his own rejoice 
To see him come and to hear his voice. 

Only a dad with a brood of four, 
One of ten million men or more 
Plodding along in the daily strife, 
Bearing the whips and the scorns of life, 
With never a whimper of pain or hate, 
For the sake of those who at home await. 

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud, 
Merely one of the surging crowd
Toiling, striving from day to day, 
Facing whatever may come his way, 
Silent whenever the harsh condemn, 
And bearing it all for the love of them. 

Only a dad but he gives his all
To smooth the way for his children small, 
Doing with courage stern and grim, 
The deeds that his father did for him. 
This is the line that for him I pen: 
Only a dad, but the best of men.

The famous English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1806-1861, was encouraged by her father to write poetry, and thus it is no surprise that she wrote poems especially for him. Here is one penned for his birthday.

To My Father on His Birthday

By Elizabeth Barrett Browning


Amidst the days of pleasant mirth,
That throw their halo round our earth;
Amidst the tender thoughts that rise
To call bright tears to happy eyes;
Amidst the silken words that move
To syllable the names we love;
There glides no day of gentle bliss
More soothing to the heart than this!
No thoughts of fondness e’er appear
More fond, than those I write of here!
No name can e’er on tablet shine,
My father! more beloved than thine!
‘Tis sweet, adown the shady past,
A lingering look of love to cast—
Back th’ enchanted world to call,
That beamed around us first of all;
And walk with Memory fondly o’er
The paths where Hope had been before—
Sweet to receive the sylphic sound
That breathes in tenderness around,
Repeating to the listening ear
The names that made our childhood dear—
For parted Joy, like Echo, kind,
Will leave her dulcet voice behind,
To tell, amidst the magic air,
How oft she smiled and lingered there.

Now it is time to write a poem or story of your own, in your style.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning may not be your style. The birthday poem to her dad was written when she was 20 years old. It captures her feelings at the time and was published in her 1826 poetry collection. Eventually she and her father had a falling out. He disowned her when she married the poet, Robert Browning.

Sometimes the memory or experience of something special, can help to inspire you. Remember you are writing for just one person, or maybe in this case two people, yourself and the recipient. Let your ideas flow and don’t start editing until you’ve written down all your thoughts.

If you’d like to create a card and a poem at the same time, here is a prompt on how to create Collage Poems. Whatever you come up with, if you consider it successful in capturing the essence of your dad, check out this opportunity to be published in the upcoming issue of Instant Noodles Literary Magazine,

THANK YOU FOR READING. FOLLOW US AT FACEBOOK AT https://www.facebook.com/OLDSCRATCHPRESS

How About Another Free Generative Workshop?

Published on May 28, 2026May 26, 2026 by diannePLeave a comment

INSTANT NOODLES LIT MAG is seeking contributors for our upcoming issue, Al Dente — and we want your work

If you’re an indie writer, poet, or artist, join us Saturday, June 13, at 5 PM Eastern (2 PM Pacific) for a free online workshop to spark your creative energies and learn where to send completed submissions.

Hosted by Robert Fleming of Old Scratch Press, Instant Noodles Lit Mag, and the Rehoboth Beach Wrier’s Guild.

Seats are free, and limited. Three lucky participants will win a signed copied of an Old Scratch Press book!

Why Every Poet Needs a Guide: Poetry and Mentorship

Published on May 18, 2026May 18, 2026 by Beatriz F.Leave a comment

If you’ve never had a writing mentor, you may not realize you need one. If you’ve had a mentor, you probably know what an impact they’ve had on your writing.

A mentor’s role can be complex, encompassing the roles of teacher, editor, advisor, parent, friend, coach, cheerleader, critic, judge, proofreader, and sounding board.

As such, they are an invaluable resource at any stage of your career, but especially so at the beginning, whatever your age.

Many poets go it alone at first, but almost no one significantly improves alone. A good mentor shortens the time and distance between where you are and where you want your writing to be. They help you see the habits you repeat without noticing, the strengths you underestimate, and the opportunities you’d never spot on your own.

In a field where progress can feel slow and uneven, the guiding hand of a mentor gives you structure, accountability, and a clearer path forward. If you want your work to grow better with intention—not just luck—mentorship is one of the most effective tools you can invest in.

If you are lucky enough to find a mentor at the right stage in your writing life, then you will be ahead of the game in more ways than one.

Reasons You Need a Mentor

This article by Shane Manier makes a great case, among many other excellent points, for hiring a mentor as a time and money-saving move.

5 Reasons Why You Need A Poetry Mentor — Shane Manier

Many writers naturally gravitate toward MFA programs hoping to find that kind of mentorship; sometimes the magic happens and an inspirational teacher becomes a long-time mentor:

Dr. Cody Smith found one in her MFA professor Jonathan Johnson.

What Makes Us Human: On Poetry, Mentorship, and Professional Growth | News Detail

“I remember thinking, This is what it means to be a teacher. Jonathan was a teacher who, instead of teaching you the material, taught you how to love the material.”

But realistically, given the elusive and indefinable chemistry that is involved in the mentor/mentee relationship, and the time constraints, there aren’t enough Creative Writing professors to go around and they have so many students throughout the years, that it can’t always work out.

For those of you outside creative writing programs, there are other places you can search for mentors. In my case, I went searching for mine online. I began looking for the websites of poets whose work I had read and admired. Some of them offered workshops or classes. I found that one poet whose poetry I had never forgotten over the years, Andrea Hollander, offered one-on-one tutorials, so I contacted her.

That fortunate decision led to a years-long series of phone tutorials (no Zoom back then!) with Andrea, who became a friend and mentor as well. We have kept in touch over the years; we share our writing news and she continues to support my work and alert me to publishing opportunities. Even after all these years, every time I write, I hear her voice in my head, guiding me, much as you would remember what a parent would say or advise in certain situations.

You might prefer to meet with your mentor in person, in which case you should attend local poetry events to search for one, as this author did successfully:

“At a poetry open-mic event, I connected and found one of my mentors, having witnessed his performance and interaction with fellow poets and event organisers.”

Poetry Mentoring – Where Do You Start and How Do You Find Your Trusted Advisor

Poetry Mentorship Programs

You may prefer a more formal mentorship relationship, in which case there are various places to find mentorship programs:

Literary Journals:

Some individual journals have mentorship programs:

The Adroit journal:

Summer Mentorship Program — Details & Guidelines – The Adroit Journal

Writing Associations:

The AWP has a mentorship program for members:

Writer to Writer Overview

”The AWP Writer to Writer Mentorship Program is open to all AWP members who identify as emerging writers, but they particularly encourage applications from those writers who have never been associated with an MFA program, and those writing from regions, backgrounds, and cultures that are too often underrepresented in the literary world.”

The Haiku Society of America Mentorship Program

“For more information about joining a mentoring group, please contact the HSA President: Crystal Simone Smith”

Publishing Associations:

Writers Mentorship Program — Latinx in Publishing (all genres including poetry)

”The Latinx in Publishing Writers Mentorship Program offers the opportunity for unpublished and unagented writers who identify as Latinx (mentees) to strengthen their craft, gain knowledge about the traditional publishing industry, and expand their professional connections through work with experienced Latinx authors (mentors).”

Writing Workshops:

Writing workshops can foster mentorship:

POETICS Summer Workshop 2026

POETICS Summer Workshop 2026 – Bainbridge Island Press

“A five-session workshop on the vocabulary of poetics · Taught by Tamarah Rockwood

The heart of the workshop is the mentorship. Starting in Session 2, every participant submits one poem per session for individual written feedback from me, returned by email before the next class. Across the series, that produces forty-eight feedback letters, one for every poem from every poet in the room. This is not a lecture you are buying. It is a writing relationship.”

Writing Conferences:

The Writer’s Digest Annual Conference claims on its website: “you won’t find better mentors and allies for your writing journey.”

Some of you may fear to be too heavily influenced by a more experienced poet’s style in a mentor/mentee relationship and this discussion from New Writing North addresses that issue:

Paul Farley and John Challis on mentoring – New Writing North

“I’ve heard people speak of mentors with concern. The usual fear is usually one of influence – that the mentor’s style and interests will rub off too heavily on their work. Personally, I see it as a dialogue. The chance to speak directly to a writer you admire about poetry in general, and about your poems specifically.”

Pay It Forward

In the end, we all can hope that the advantages outweigh these concerns and the difficulties we have to overcome to find a poetry mentor. In my case, I know I would not be where I am without my mentor’s timely guidance. She gave me confidence to find my own voice and style and helped me learn to distinguish between a promising poem and one that needed more work. She pushed me to challenge my abilities and try poetic forms I had not attempted before. She inspired me to submit my work more widely and to dare to aspire to more discerning markets. But most of all, she taught me how to be a good mentor in my turn. I have tried, in my small way, to emulate her and to encourage budding poets that I have met and give them confidence to send their work out into the world.

Everyone needs encouragement and poets especially operate in a very obscure and underrated field that is not always well received or understood by the general public.

As poet Chloe Yelena Miller says in a Savvy Verse & Wit interview by Serena Agosto-Cox, “May we all find the mentors we need at the right time”!

Thank you for reading and please follow us here and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OLDSCRATCHPRESS/

SUBMISSIONS STILL OPEN FOR OUR NEXT ISSUE: Instant Noodles Lit Mag— THEME: “Al Dente”

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

AL DENTE In cooking, pasta or risotto al dente (/ælˈdɛnteɪ/, Italian: [al ˈdɛnte]; lit. ’to the tooth’) is cooked to be firm to the bite, requiring a brief cooking time. The term also extends to firmly-cooked vegetables. In contemporary Italian cooking, it is considered to be the ideal consistency for pasta.

What does al dente mean to you? To your neighborhood vampire it probably means something different. How about to the prospector mining gold?

Send us something that you haven’t overcooked!

Submissions close on July 5, 2026; the issue publishes SEPTEMBER 1, 2026.

READ ONE OF OUR MEMBERS’ LATEST POETRY COLLECTION:

HOWLING INTO THE VOID

BY R. DAVID FULCHER

buy on amazon

Embracing Nature’s Beauty: A Morning Reflection

Published on April 1, 2026April 29, 2026 by Nadja Maril1 Comment

by Nadja Maril, a founding member of Old Scratch Press Collective

What a sight on a damp misty morning, a robin perched on a street sign preening its feathers. The orange red of its breast feathers contrasting sharply with the bright green and white lettered sign.

My cell phone was in my back pocket, but I didn’t snap a photo. I watched the bird fly away and listened to the other birds around me. The neighborhood was just beginning to awake. Down the road I spied a few dog-walkers taking advantage of the early hour temperatures.

A plump brown bunny nibbled on clover. I decided to take his photograph, but he didn’t pose for long and took refuge in a flower bed. My gaze shifted to the colors of all those flowers: purple, pink, yellow, blue and red.

The current “tropical rain forest” weather hovering over our region has been a boon to gardeners. Blossoms are lush. It’s been a boon to weeds too, but it’s too early in the morning for me to think about that.

It’s the first day of April and the start of National Poetry Month. I get inspired by nature: birds, new buds, bunny sightings. Other writers are inspired by the hum of machines or the echo of human voices. Whatever gets your mind engaged in the world around you, write it down.

Focusing on the Moment

I’m focusing on the present moment, a difficult task. My mind tends to jump forwards and backwards. I worry about what I need to do and replay what I might have done wrong. I recall happy memories and then remind myself the past is over and if I stay there too long, I’ll miss what is happening in the present.

This balance between present, past, and future is an interesting dilemma. Particularly because all is open to interpretation. What we remember as the past, is most likely different from our neighbor’s recollection. What we prioritize for the future is usually different too.

Politically, socially, environmentally our planet is at a crossroads. Some of us are just struggling to survive. Others of us want to change things for the better, but it can be a challenge to figure out how.

I read and listen to media reports, and hear different versions of the same event. I’ve heard the term “fake news” repeatedly bandied about. I hear leaders speaking outright lies. I hear people being described in ways designed to incite violence and hatred.

Overwhelmed by all the negativity I tune out.

Change happens slowly, in small incremental ways, I remind myself. Small acts of courage. Small acts of kindness. The arts, the federal funding of which is currently under attack, is a way to share beauty and foster connection. Arts in education provides paths for children to develop alternative learning styles that can deepen comprehension. Whether you volunteer your time, donate money, or support the arts by buying a ticket to a museum or a play; you’re doing something positive.

Writers are witnesses. Documenting the good and the beauty you observe is an important job alongside the documentation of injustice and cruelty. Writing a short fable can be one way to start. Remember Aesop’s Fables?

Aesop is thought to have been a storyteller, and possibly a slave, who lived in Greece between 620 and 564 B.C. Translated from Greek and Latin, and available in versions for adults and children online and in print, I share below one of my favorites.

The Bundle of Sticks

A certain Father had a family of Sons, who were forever quarreling among themselves. No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example that should make them see that discord would lead them to misfortune.

One day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual and each of the Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Then handing the bundle to each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it. But although each one tried his best, none was able to do so.

The Father then untied the bundle and gave the sticks to his Sons to break one by one. This they did very easily.

“My Sons,” said the Father, “do you not see how certain it is that if you agree with each other and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are divided among yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick in that bundle.”

In unity is strength.

WRITING PROMPT: Can you write your own modern-day fable? Whether you use animals, plants, or people, think of something simple you observed that taught you a lesson. Brief and to the point, maybe your fable is a piece of flash fiction. Set it aside and read it again out loud two days from now. If you think it is good, share it. Maybe sharing means posting it online yourself, printing it out and sending it to friends by “snail mail,” or perhaps sending it to a literary magazine. Check out Instant Noodles Literary Review. Our current theme for submissions is Al Dente. For more information click here.

Thank you for reading.

Writers and Readers, don’t forget to forget to follow us on Facebook to get the latest news and learn about submission opportunities.

Nadja Maril is an award winning writer and poet who has been published in dozens of online and print literary journals and anthologies including: Lunch Ticket, Spry Literary Journal, Invisible City Literary Review, Instant Noodles and The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts. She is the author of Recipes From My Garden, published by Old Scratch Press (September 2024), a Midwest Review California Book Watch Reviewer’s Choice. An Anne Arundel County Arts Council Literary Arts Award winner, her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and The Best of the Net. She has an MFA in creative writing from Stonecoast at USM.

Check out Nadja’s chapbook below and here.

Exploring E.E. Cummings: Poems That Can Dance

Published on March 1, 2026February 28, 2026 by Nadja Maril2 Comments

by Nadja Maril,a founding member of Old Scratch Press Collective

Many decades ago, I choreographed a dance to accompany a poem. I selected a poem by E.E. Cummings, “In Just—” Which in my mind I titled, “In Just Spring.”

I picked that particular poem for its exuberance. I could imagine myself interpreting the verse with movements that were both fast and slow, languorous and springy. The challenge was to select movements that I could execute while reciting the words.

Photo by Jimmy Elizarraras on Pexels.com

[in Just-]

By E. E. Cummings (1894-1962)

in Just-
spring          when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman

whistles          far          and wee

and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer
old balloonman whistles
far          and             wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's
spring
and

         the

                  goat-footed

balloonMan          whistles
far
and
wee

This poem was written in 1923, over one hundred years ago.

Cummings was an experimenter who developed his own personal style. Although classically trained, with multiple degrees from Harvard University, he used punctuation as it suited him. Spaces on the page were seen as opportunities to spread out the pacing or to combine several words into one breath. Conjunctions were sometimes nouns and selected words might take on additional assigned meanings.

Hailed as one of the most influential and important poets of the 20^th century, Cummings embraced the concept of Visual Poetry. Words were placed on the page to create shapes and images that serve to reinforce the mood of the verse.

You can read more about E.E. Cummings in this article published on the Poetry Foundation website. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/e-e-cummings

It was easy for me to dance the role of the goat-footed balloon man, after seeing the words establishing his presence “skip” across the page.

The line “whistles far and wee” is spread out, which enabled me to say the individual words with enough time to run from one side of the stage to the other side.

In writing poetry, thought is often devoted to line breaks and capitalization. Traditional or avant garde, the last word in a line typically takes on greater importance. By choosing not to capitalize the first word of a line, emphasis is softened.

Try changing the line breaks on a poem you are working on. How do your changes impact the poem? Try adding extra spaces between words or merging them together. Once again, how do these changes reshape a poem’s texture and meaning?

In contrast, when you write a prose poem using sentences, it is the order and sound of the words that must create the poetry. No one approach is better than another. It all depends on what you are trying to achieve.

Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels.com

In a few more weeks it will officially be Spring, here in the Northeast USA where I live. I look for birds returning from the winter vacation in the south and I hear “in-Just” recited inside my head. Crocuses begin pushing up through the muddy soil. Bicycles are pulled out of storage and pastel chalk pictures are drawn on the sidewalk. No balloon man, but it is the start of outdoor birthday parties.

The idea of adding movement to your recitation of a poem, may inspire you to choose different words when writing verse.

WRITING PROMPT: Try writing a poem about a season, place, or time. Maybe your piece is about a mood such as anger or maybe it is about a feeling such as being satiated. Often a poem focuses on the visual, but instead think about movement. Use active verbs. In Cummings short poem the wind and the balloon man whistle. The children run and dance.

What did you create? Maybe you’re on to something you like. Keep playing with the concepts and see where they lead you. Part of the enjoyment of writing, is discovering what works and what doesn’t work.

Read the work of other poets, and as March is Women’s History month, I am going to suggest three women poets:

Rae Armantrou ( B. 1947).

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/rae-armantrout

Mina Loy (1882-1966)

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/148476/love-songs-5bec636568b82

Gertrude Stein (1874-1946)

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/gertrude-stein

Writers and Readers, don’t forget to forget to follow us on Facebook to get the latest news and learn about submission opportunities.

Check out Nadja’s chapbook below and here.

Explore Themed Writing Calls: Get Published!

Published on February 1, 2026January 30, 2026 by Nadja MarilLeave a comment

by Nadja Maril, a founding member of Old Scratch Press Collective

You’re looking for something to read and you go online and start googling. You enter words that describe what you find entertaining.

This is what editors and publishers do when they solicit submissions by selecting a theme. They try to narrow the number and types of submissions to zero in on what they’re seeking, based on what they think their readers will enjoy.

They choose a word, WATER, for example, and they announce their next issue theme will be WATER. Or maybe they choose a more specific description such as CHILDHOOD MEMORIES ABOUT BASEBALL. They request that writers submit pieces specifically related to the theme. If you send something outside the theme, it will be automatically rejected

Seize the Opportunity

The call out can be very specific. For example, this month Screams and Wails Anthology( deadline 2/28/2026) Screams and Wails Anthology is looking for “Horror stories with music or music culture as a predominant theme.”

A part of you may be thinking, I love the music scene but I don’t write horror stories. Or maybe you write horror stories but you have very little inside information on music culture. Are you going to give up that easily? A call out for a specific theme narrows the competition, if you are willing to do the homework. Plus, you may learn something new and have fun.

Here’s another theme call-out. Tokyo Poetry Journal https://www.topojo.com/

is looking for submissions for Volume 18 for their “Gather ‘Round Children—a special issue celebrating oral-tradition poetry and the timeless power of stories carried by the human voice. Specifically they ask for poems that “feel as if they could be shared around a fire: lyrical, narrative, rooted in memory or myth, and crafted to live strongly on the page.”

Maybe you do not consider yourself a poet but you love to sing to your children. Perhaps this call-out might inspire you to try writing a poem that you imagine as a song.

The quarterly online journal Way Words https://www.writersworkout.net/waywords

Is looking for stories, essays and poems that associate with the theme Habits. The Editor’s tip: Habits are things you do the same way every time, usually with the hope of a positive outcome.

We all have habits. Some we do to make us healthier, for example, I take a walk each morning. What is a habit you’d enjoy writing about? As a bonus you could write about someone else’s habit that you admire and your poem or could be a special gift to them, even if it doesn’t get published.

Taking a walk each morning is a habit you might want to write about.

Dragon Soul Press https://dragonsoulpress.com/shortstorycalls

is putting together an anthology of short stories and the theme is
Splash. The word splash provides a good deal of latitude. I can think of stories related to swimming, waterfalls, and jumping into puddles as well as the use of the word as a term for making an impressive and immediate impact. If you enjoy word puzzles, the challenge of all the different ways the word Splash can be used should yield impressive results.

Instant Noodles Literary Magazine https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/instant-noodles-O0jFm

has a theme call out: Planes, Boats, Cars, Trains. The request is for poems, short essays, memoir and fiction (under 500 words). The pieces are for publication online in Issue One of Volume 6 (Deadline 3/15/2026). The ideas one could conceive of that one could submit are fairly wide ranging. So if you are a writer, how are you going to make you piece of writing stand out from the crowd?

As one of the editors on the project, I thought I’d share what attracted me to this particular theme.

Most humans live a fairly frenetic life, often on the move. In the famous ancient Greek stories surrounding Oedipus, he is asked a riddle by the sphinx in exchange for safe passage and his life, “Who walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three feet in the evening? The answer “Man” has humans crawling as babies in the morning, walking on two legs as adults and needing a cane ( the 3^rd leg) in the evening. Mankind is always on the go. If not walking, we’re in the car, on a train, plane, or boat. (Feel free to include buses, helicopters, and subways).

Many of the best stories and poems involve getting from point A to point B via a car, train, boat, or plane. Are you up to the challenge? LET’S START WRITING….

WRITING PROMPT

Planes, Boats, Cars, Trains

Looking out the window, inside at the passengers or thinking about something? What happens when you’re on the move?

Interesting things can happen when you’re on the move and in a confined space. Plenty of murder mysteries take place on a boat or a train. The number of passengers are limited and there are places to hide.

The passenger looks out a window and see images that may bring joy or dread. They may be stuck sitting next to a stranger they find fascinating or an acquaintance they’d prefer to avoid. Create a scene, write down a memory, convey your feelings about a brief journey.

Then think: What if? What happens if the protagonist has lost their ticket or the car breaks down? Maybe it happened, Maybe you’re imagining it happening.

Here’s the hard part. Make it short. Every word should count. Read what you’ve written out loud. Each phrase/ and/or sentence should provide something essential. Whatever you can eliminate, start crossing stuff out.

Read it again. Let it sit for a week. Do another revision and make certain whatever and whenever you submit to Instant Noodles Literary Magazine or any other publication, you have carefully reviewed your work and it is ready for publication. Check over carefully for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Thank you for reading and please follow us here and on Facebook.https://www.facebook.com/OLDSCRATCHPRESS/

Nadja Maril is an award winning writer and poet who has been published in dozens of online and print literary journals and anthologies including: Lunch Ticket, Spry Literary Journal, Invisible City Literary Review, Instant Noodles and The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts. She is the author of Recipes From My Garden, published by Old Scratch Press (September 2024), a Midwest Review California Book Watch Reviewer’s Choice. An Anne Arundel County Arts Council Literary Arts Award winner, her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and The Best of the Net. She has an MFA in creative writing from Stonecoast at USM.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/recipes-from-my-garden-nadja-maril/1145598579

Collaboration with Who?

Published on January 30, 2026January 30, 2026 by wyn001100Leave a comment

by ROBERT FLEMING, Founding member of OLD SCRATCH PRESS – a poetry/short-form collective | estd. 2023

In January, 2024 I wrote a blog on Hybrid Poetry which is an integration of two or more art forms, where one form is text.

If you create a hybrid work, who should you collaborate with? If you choose another person you will have to coordinate with them and all their peculiarities. Such a Drag! Why not collaborate with yourself? Only have to deal with when you are in a good or bad mood.

My hybrid blog showed my first visual poem, at age 11, I integrated poetry and visual drawing with crayons.

Figure 1.

Do you have two or more skills that can be integrated? Pick them from this list.

writing poetry
writing prose
creating visual art
music: playing an instrument
singing

When you join two skills, it might have been given a name:

prose poetry = writing prose and writing poetry
visual poetry = writing poetry and creating visual art
performance poetry = (playing an instrument or singing) and writing poetry

If you have integrated two skills before:

How did it go?
Would you do it again?
Consider not just the quality of your work but did you enjoy it?

In deciding whether to collaborate with yourself:

Comparatively at what skill level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) are your two skills? Are they at the same skill level or different? My two skills of writing poetry and creating visual art are at the same level.
- If your skills levels are not at the same level (e.g. intermediate in writing poetry, beginner in playing an instrument), can you accept that your work produced is likely to be at the lower skill level?
- What will you do with your work: celebrate it and share it with others, share it with yourself, or trash it?

Mem So CA / Hole in Head Cover – seesaw 2

Cycling between genres: At the current time, what is your inspiration for creating different types of work? I cycle through different time periods where I am motivated to spend a different percent of time on each genre (25% poetry, 50% visual art, 25% visual poetry). In 2022, when I was producing my visual poetry book, White Noir, 75% of my time was in visual poetry.

What’s it going to be?

Collaborate with yourself?

No: stick to one genre
Yes: try it as an experiment

Collaborate with others? Read Robert’s upcoming blog.

Robert Fleming, a contributing editor of Old Scratch Press

OLD SCRATCH PRESS – a poetry/short-form collective | estd. 2023

who published an Amazon best seller visual poetry book: White Noir

an editor of the digital magazine Instant Noodles

About – INSTANT NOODLES

Recent Robert Fleming publications and art

visual poetry

visual art

text poetry

Follow Robert on Facebook

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