October Oracle

by Olivia Loftis October 16, 2026

The Orchards

Our literary magazine, The Orchards, is now open for submissions! Review our guidelines and submit for The Orchards: Winter 2026.

As always, it is free to submit. One poem from each issue is selected for the Grantchester Award, with a cash prize, and three poems are nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

New this year: guidelines on poem length have been updated. Review and submit here.

Kelsay Books Reading now available on YouTube

Click on the image to watch our Summer 2026 Reading!

Events

MA: Lee Desrosiers has two upcoming readings:

Poetorium Too Poetry Reading and Open Mic

Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 5pm – 7pm
TidePool BookShop
372 Chandler Street, Worcester, MA

Greenfield First Sunday Reading

Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1pm to 3pm
LAVA Center
324 Main Street, Greenfield, MA

REMOTE, KB: Kaveri Patel presents Through The Eyes of Love on Thursday, October 29 at 7:00 PM Central Time on Zoom. Please email me for the Zoom link!

MI: Cindy Frenkel presents Bad Neighborhood on Thursday, October 29 at 6:30 PM at the Huntington Woods Public Library. Visit the event page to learn more and register.

RESCHEDULING:

Awards

Perfect Disappearances by Paul Hostovsky was longlisted for the Massachusetts Book Award.

The Splash of Easy Laughter by Shoshauna Shy won the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association.

Reviews and Features

The Wisconsin Writers Association interviewed Shoshauna Shy on Shortcut to Thief River Falls on their podcast.

Autumn Sky Poetry Daily featured Phenomena by Jane Blanchard

Claire Matturo reviewed The Things of This World by Michael Blanchard for the Southern Literary Review.

David Shaddock published "My Odysseus: A Multiplicity of Selves" on Poetry Flash's Poetry and Healing column.

Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda interviewed Joyce Brinkman on Off The Bricks podcast about collaboration and their new co-authored collection, Vanishing Life: A Poetic Warning.

Julie Taylor Green launched Navigating the Quiet Descent at The Book Bird in Avondale, GA.

Gene Twaronite posted a collage of his book covers on Instagram @genetwaronite

Usha Akella and Ruxandra Cesereanu launched Ants & Lotus in translation to Romanian.

Book of the Month

Opportunities

CALIFORNIA: Submissions for the California Book Awards are open until November 15, 2026.

TEXAS: The UNT Rilke Prize seeks books published between November 1, 2025 and October 31, 2026, with a November 30, 2026 deadline.

WISCONSIN: Submissions for the Wisconsin Writers Awards are open until January 8, 2027.

MARYLAND: The Gaithersburg Book Festival seeks poets with books published between May 2026 and May 2027, until January 31, 2027.