A junior from Rutgers University has succeeded in publishing two poems in the literary magazine South Jersey Underground.
Amanda Litchkowski, 20, wrote poems – entitled “Know This” and “Bed, 221 AM” – that were published in the August/September issue.
The literary magazine runs loosely once a month, and each issue contains works of poetry, fiction and visual arts.
The publication is fairly new, with only five issues hosted on its web site. Litchkowski wrote the two poems late spring and early summer.
She sent them to various literary publications in New Jersey over the summer, she said. Within a month and a half, South Jersey Underground contacted her and said that it would publish her.
She said when she found out, “I was in my girlfriend's kitchen, about to make pancakes, probably, so she was the first person I told.”
“I screamed like a little girl and she thought I hurt myself because I'm really clumsy,” she said.
Litchkowski believes this experience helped her to realize that there are many opportunities available for young writers who want to get their work published.
She advises that writers should be confident in their work, and try to reach out to as many different outlets as possible.
“I felt extremely excited, proud, and accomplished when I found out I was going to be published,” she said.
However, she also believes it was beginner's luck because she was published by the first place she contacted. The two poems were inspired by the theme of “romanticism attributed to being young, untouchable and dangerously attracted to the beauty in all,” she said.
She believes that summer, in particular, carries these themes and emotions, especially in young adults. Her greatest influence and the subject of both pieces is her girlfriend.
“My girlfriend, Becca, is such a beautiful person,” Litchkowski said, “One of the first things I noticed about her is her inherent goodness."
"Becca is completely aware of the world...and she still chooses to be a good person. It's rare to find an intellectual who isn't a cynic,” she said.
She also drew inspiration from poet E. E. Cummings. “Although I've always had a passion for poetry, after discovering him, my interest peaked because he has a strikingly different style that plays with syntax,” she said.
Litchkowski said she always has had a love of writing. She first experimented with prose, but found she could not express all the ideas she wanted to in a single short story.
She eventually turned to poetry, which allowed her to try out variations in style, words, syntax and punctuation.
Unlike many writers though, Litchkowski does not believe in revision. “Know This” took her a total of 2 hours to complete, while “Bed, 221 AM” took only 45 minutes.
She believes that, with poetry, revising one's work detracts from the message that is originally being conveyed and interferes with one's “mental energy.”
Poetry plays a large role in Litchkowski's life. She said that sometimes she cannot concentrate on anything else if she has a poem in her head. “Know This,” for example, was written during the week of finals last semester.
Litchkowski had a 20-page paper due, but could not focus because she was struggling with a poem. After two hours of staring at the screen, she only wrote one sentence.
She decided to put the paper on hold to work on her poem. After she was done, she was able to write her paper with ease, she said. Litchkowski expresses some concerns about writing poetry over the semester.
She writes regularly, and is worried that she will not have as much time to dedicate to her craft as she would like. Even though her top priority is school, she still takes every opportunity she can to get her work published.
“I might submit to them again, but only if i cannot find any other publications to take my work,” she said.
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