Newsletter Vol. 3 — May 12th, 2025
The One Where I Got Published… Thrice.
Dear reader in the wilds of the prism,
You know those months where you blink and suddenly your inbox goes from “we regret to inform you” to “we’d love to publish your work”?
Yeah. That happened.
In the past few weeks, I’ve had three poems accepted, two rejections (because balance, of course), and I officially partnered with Forever with Pride which is a UK-based queer e-magazine and online store that actually gives a damn about uplifting trans and minority voices.
It’s been a surreal stretch. Not in the dreamlike, float-above-your-body kind of way. However, more like I tripped into a publishing alley and somehow hit three bullseyes with a busted pen and a pocketful of trauma.
So naturally, I’m celebrating.
Well, WE are celebrating
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Whether you’re new to my work or have read me sobbing through syllables since the beginning, this is for you. These pieces were written between hormone shots and grief spirals, in hospital parking lots and on trailheads, with shaking hands that still wrote anyway.
Publishing feels weird when you were never sure you were even allowed to speak.
But here I am. Still writing. Still showing up. Still turning my story into spell work and eBooks stitched from leftover bravery.
Maybe you’re reading this because you’re one of the ones who believed before I ever had a byline. Maybe you’re new and wondering why this trans guy keeps mailing you metaphors about dirt and ghosts and gender. Either way I’m damn glad you’re here.
This is just the beginning.
That I know is a fact.
Community, Submissions, and the Power of Voice
The Prism Discord is growing — and so are the projects.
If you’re looking for a place to share your work, connect with other creatives, and find opportunities to get published, come join us.
Right now, we’ve got two major submission calls open:
Voices for the Voiceless — an ongoing eBook project highlighting art, poetry, and essays from marginalized voices in the aftermath of the 2024 election. Open to BIPOC, queer, disabled, immigrant, trans, and allied creatives. Submission cap? None for visual art, 10 for poems, and 2 essays. Deadline? September 2 (for now). The Joy They Cannot Erase a trans masc and nonbinary masc-centered collection that will become a full eBook project. Open to those who identify across the masc spectrum. More details, prompts, and themes coming soon but it’s already in motion. Looking for solo pieces and bros who want to go all in on one piece.
Got a piece that fits? Submit it. Got questions? Come ask in the server. Just want to read and vibe? You’re welcome too.
We’re building something honest, weird, and inclusive one poem, one eBook, one voice at a time.
Or visit the updates button above for more.
Now that’s out of the way have a goood day!
Until next spill,
Where the wild things write.
Where silence softens.
Where stories spill.
With ink, bruised knees, and gratitude,
Axton N. O. Mitchell
@poeaxtry_
I ALMOST FORGOT!
Want to sharpen your spell work or stitch cleaner lines into your prose?
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