Taylor Byas: The American Scene

Published 11 days ago • 1 min read

Dear friends,

I know all of you are poets, but I wonder if some of you also write short stories and/or essays? Because if you do dabble (or are serious prose-crafters), then I've got something that you'd love (I hope, I think, I feel!).

As some of you might know already, ONLY POEMS has a sister mag called Strange Pilgrims, and this year we launched an inaugural prize: the $3000 Strange Pilgrims Prize for Story of the Year and Essay of the Year!

For this award, we've partnered with the prestigious and kickass literary agency Curtis Brown and every single shortlisted piece will be read by actual, reputable literary agents. They will also be considering offering representation to the not just the winners but also just any writers whose voices they align with. Besides that, the prize comes with money (yay!), and a bunch of other perks and cool stuff. For the full details, you can go here or if you've got a piece ready already (up to 10,000 words in fiction or nonfiction), then submit now before it closes in 2 weeks!

Submit to the $3000 Strange Pilgrims Prize →

Yours,

Shannan

Taylor Byas

Dr. Taylor Byas, Ph.D. is a Black Chicago native and award-winning poet. Her debut full-length, I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times from Soft Skull Press, won the 2023 Maya Angelou Book Award, among others. Her second full-length, Resting Bitch Face (2025), was a September 2025 pick for Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club.

from The American Scene [5]

The veil, the veil,
when did I start wearing it?

Read 5 new poems →

What Does an American Scene Look Like?

On despair, political poetry & writing towards the heart of it

Though the Black woman’s presence feels like an interruption, something that doesn’t typically live in the scene, her interruption is also a move of agency and power.

Read the full interview →

ONLY 2 WEEKS LEFT TO SUBMIT

$2000 Bob Hicok Fellowship for All Poets, Everywhere

Send us a portfolio of your best poems. Open to all poets writing in English, living anywhere in the world. All submissions are considered for publication. Final judge is Bob Hicok himself. Winner receives funding + year-long support for their writing & career. Full guidelines details here

Submit now →

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