Poeaxtry's Prism

Spell. Stone. & Sparks that Ignite Change

Tag: author spotlight

  • Things are Changing for Poeaxtry Community Collaborations

    Things are Changing for Poeaxtry Community Collaborations

    Shifting the Prism’s Collaborations Into a Quarterly Publication

    The why behind Collaborations

    I launched community collabs with one goal to create publications for marginalized voices to be heard. (I wanted to help their art be seen too, of course, and their business be found.) To be read by others would then be able to find voices similar to their own. Themed calls gave structure, that I thought would help. However, I like art when the creator feels compelled to create it, not when it’s created per a submission theme.

    Why I’m Changing the Model

    It became clear that themes sometimes act as invisible boundaries. They shaped not only what people created, but who felt comfortable submitting. Themes feel a bit too much like gatekeepers, for my comfort. Hear me out, you had to fit the art, poem, or essay in like a key based on theme.

    That contradicts who I am or whom I want to be. I want this space to belong to the creators themselves. I want to invite people to bring what’s real. What’s needed, even if it doesn’t fit.

    So I decided: no more themes. Instead, I’m opening Poeaxtry up to open‑theme quarterly magazines. I was already planning a Quarterly & this fits the bill.


    Any suggestions on names? Guesses welcome!

    This change isn’t a retreat. It’s expansion. By removing themes, the door stays open wider for more voices, more art, more perspectives. By increasing frequency, I can amplify more people across time.

    What’s Changing: The New Quarterly Model

    Open‑theme submission calls:
    poetry, prose, art,or essays


    rights stay with creators:
    you keep your work. Poeaxtry curates and publishes but does not claim ownership or restrict distribution.
    Contributor bios, links, and photos welcome!

    Free ads space to minority‑owned shops, indie authors, small businesses to support community visibility.

    Digital magazine format means no forced downloads
    Eliminates 4 bulky PDFs a year.
    Always Viewable online
    Readers & Contributors now can share by link

    2026 Quarterly Schedule

    (Submission + Publication Dates may change slightly!)

    Q1 2026 (First Edition)

    Taking submissions: now– Feb 12, 2026

    Launch: Mar 8–15, 2026

    Q2 2026 (Second Edition)

    Taking submissions: March 9-May 5th

    Launch: Jun 5–12, 2026

    Q3 2026 (Third Edition)

    Taking submissions:Jun 5 – Aug 5, 2026

    Sep 5–12, 2026

    Q4 2026 (Fourth Edition)

    Taking submissions: Sep 5 – Oct 31, 2026

    Launch: Dec 5–12, 2026

    Note: The first edition will include existing submissions from the original themed collabs. It will also include any new open-theme submissions received during the submission window. Future editions will be fully open‑theme. The last quarter is stretched out because of holidays, birthdays, and death days.

    What This Means for Contributors & Community

    You’re free to send your work when you feel ready. This includes poetry, art, essays, and prose, just like before, just no need to match a theme. The spotlights from the website will be shared in the quarterly as well. The magazine lives online, shareable by link. More frequent releases = more opportunities for visibility, community building, connection.

    What Happens to the Original Themed submissions?

    Their submitted work will be included in the first quarterly edition as long as they consent.

    No more waiting.
    Just art, voices, visions.

    Your Voice Matters, Always

    Poeaxtry was born from a belief that the best art comes from the darkest places. That minority voices of every difference have stories and voices that matter. Lastly, to build a community for all of us to share our creations with each other and the world.

    This shift isn’t a change of heart, it’s evolution. As the world shifts, as art shifts, as voices shift, we must too…

    Shift.

    If you’re a minority artist, an ally writer, a survivor turned storyteller. Send in your voices or visions to Poeaxtryspoetryprism@gmail.com or submit this form.

    Small business owners, entrepreneurs, indie-creatives, communities, etc. send your ads to the above email or form as well!

    To have a Spotlight post on the website fill out this form or email Poeaxtry@gmail.com
    To review ebooks and other digital items in exchange for honest reviews, use this form

    Thank you for being here. Let’s start building community.

    Axton N. O. Mitchell

  • The good die young- book spotlight.

    The good die young- book spotlight.

    Poetry that heals & reveals

    by: Shela brown.

    A good writer is one who pleases themselves.

    Every voice carries a story worth hearing. At Poeaxtry’s Poetry Prism. We shine a light on those stories. The raw, real, and resilient. Our Book Spotlights celebrate independent authors and poets who speak truth through art. Today, we’re honored to feature The Good Die Young by Shela Brown — a powerful, vulnerable collection that transforms pain into poetry and healing into art.

    The Good Die Young (TGDY) is a 91-page digital poetry collection and memoir, evoking raw, unfiltered emotion. These poems follow a young woman navigating heartbreak, identity, and the depths of mental health struggles—depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

    Through each verse, TGDY explores how innocence transforms, how pain shapes us, and how expression becomes survival. This project is more than poetry; it’s reflection, release, and rebirth. A right of passage and a pivotal part of the author’s healing journey.

    “The Good Die Young”
    KELSO volume- 2

    🛒 WHERE TO FIND THE GOOD DIE YOUNG:

    Buy on Gumroad

    Instagram: @_babysham1

    TikTok: @__babysham

    💫 WHO IT’S FOR:

    For the art lovers. For the healers. For anyone who has ever felt deeply and quietly at once.

    For those still finding themselves after the storm. This is a safe space …soft, heavy, and honest.

    The Good Die Young reminds us that art is survival, and that writing can be a home for every emotion we’ve been told to silence.

    Through The Prism, we continue to uplift voices like Shela Brown’s . The voices that turn pain into power, and vulnerability into strength.

    If her story resonates with you, share it forward. Every share helps another poet, author, artist,or creative be seen. And another story be heard.

    I created Poeaxtry’s Poetry Prism because too many voices were told they weren’t enough. Either too soft, too loud, too different, too much. And I wanted to build a space where “too much” becomes exactly right.

    Every spotlight, every poem, every project under Poeaxtry_ exists to remind creators that their stories matter. The goal isn’t fame or followers … it’s community visibility, validation, and connection.

    I do this for the ones who never saw themselves on the shelf. For the ones who were told to edit out the truth. For the ones still healing, still creating, still daring to speak.

    Because when one of us is seen, we all shine brighter.

    — Axton, Founder of Poeaxtry_

    Portfolio Links

    Discord

  • A Lesson in Indie Promotion: When Paying Doesn’t Guarantee Priority

    A Lesson in Indie Promotion: When Paying Doesn’t Guarantee Priority

    Where it started:

    As indie authors, we’re constantly looking for ways to get our work seen, and sometimes we pay for services that promise exposure, listings, or spotlights. I recently had an experience that reminded me how important it is to know exactly what you’re paying for and, how things can still go sideways, even when you follow the rules.

    Here’s the full story:

    I paid for a premium promotion service that promised to list and feature my books. On the first day, I submitted all of my materials: titles, synopses, blurbs… exactly as instructed.

    Initially, the platform’s owner told me to submit via messages, but it turned out the correct process was to submit on their website.

    Honestly, if I’d been given the correct instructions from the start, I would have submitted everything on the website that first day, and this entire situation could have been avoided. Instead, I was given wrong directions & I ended up waiting, checking the site multiple times, and ultimately being the one who suffered

    I didn’t know this at the time. Over the next month, I waited and followed up checked the sight multiple times to see if anything had gotten posted as promised.

    I simply wanted to make sure I wasn’t being left behind while they focused on attracting new paid subscribers. Despite all my patience, silent checks, one actual check in, only one author spotlight, and one book listing went up.

    Frustrated, I reached out after more than a month since having paid. Instead of resolving the issue, the platform issued a refund. I wasn’t trying to cause trouble! I even offered to pay again because my goal wasn’t the refund; it was simply getting the posts I had paid for. Though I was informed that I should have put them on the website not in the chat as i was instructed to just prior.

    Throughout, I apologized if my messages came off as rude and clarified that my only concern was making sure my work wasn’t overlooked or forgotten (I get it) in their push for new paying clients. Because let’s face it it’s easy to forget one thing when focusing elsewhere. I wasn’t even mad I just wanted to make sure all was well.

    Always an advocate, now art is demanding the same.

    -Axton N. O. Mitchell

    The takeaway for indie authors:

    Check the process thoroughly before paying. Make sure you understand exactly how subscribe and listings work. Document everything. Keep a record of submissions, communications, and timelines. Follow up professionally, but be aware of limitations. A refund may resolve payment and I am glad I got at least that , but it doesn’t replace lost exposure or wasted time waiting.

    Advocate for your work. Paid services are tools, and not guarantees. Your work’s visibility still depends on how well you communicate and follow up.

    Paying for exposure is only effective if the platform has a system that honors it. This experience was frustrating, but it taught me to be proactive, organized, and realistic about what paid services can and, can’t do for indie creators.

    It is still rather upsetting I was just attempting to touch base after over a month of radio silence and I get snubbed.

    Poeaxtry’s Links
    Portfolio
    Kofi