In the few days of December that we were home, as Sadie slept and we tried to find answers to post-surgical symptoms — I spent a lot of time on the phone with the clinics and hospital we had been at in New Orleans — and seeking second opinions at others. This would lead to Sadie being accepted as a patient at St. Jude soon after, a blessing which we will always be grateful for.
A couple months before Sadie’s diagnosis, they began writing short poems and prose. When they shared them with me, I was reminded of how I also began writing at fourteen, and of how writing had been a way to express my changing emotions and understanding of the world.
I encouraged them and told them that they could be published, and they replied at the time that they would like very much to be published when they grew up. And I told Sadie — you don’t have to wait! There are many journals that publish work by kids and teens.
That day in December as they slept, I edited and submitted their poems to three editors, and soon we were off to St. Jude. Sadie understood through my own submission processes that rejections are the norm for writers, and with this in mind they did not expect an acceptance on the first go-round.
In late January, as we sat in the waiting room of Ophthalmology clinic, we got a big surprise.
One of the three editors replied with those wonderful words that every writer wants to read:
”I am pleased to inform you that your poem…..has been accepted and will be published in our upcoming issue!”
And so, without further ado, I’d like to congratulate Sadie on their first publication! Their poem, titled “It’s okay“ can be found in the February 2023 edition of Ice Lolly Review, Issue XIV.
https://www.icelollyreview.com/issue-xiv-feburary-2023-new
Thank you for visiting my blog and supporting the arts. Be well & creative. Always here — in verses, art & song —
Stacie & Sadie
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