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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Once again, it’s time to start thinking about your submissions for the Spring/Summer edition of "Magnets and Ladders." <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We are pleased to announce that Beginning with the Fall/Winter 2022-2023 edition of “Magnets and Ladders” we have invited a guest judge to work with us for two editions in a specific genre. The guest will judge the submissions selected as finalists for the contest in one genre. This initiative was proposed by Behind Our Eyes Vice President, <span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'>Carol Farnsworth.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'>We are honored to announce that our first guest judge is B. T. Kimbrough. B. T. has judged the fiction finalists for the Fall/Winter 2022-2023 and he will be with us for the Spring/Summer 2023 edition of “Magnets and Ladders.” Read about B. T. and his extensive experience and background below.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'>Ever since he moved to the Chicago suburbs in the 1970s to go to work for “DIALOGUE,” B. T. Kimbrough has been a teller of other people's stories. “DIALOGUE” was less than ten years old when Kimbrough joined the staff, and he was involved in helping to shape many of the sections such as Careers and Fiction, which were to become lasting parts of the publication's identity. He was also deeply involved in helping to develop the magazine's groundbreaking work to foster and encourage the work of previously unpublished writers. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'>Blinded by a household accident at the age of nine months, Kimbrough learned Braille at the school for the blind in his home town of Louisville, KY, then went on to graduate from a public high school in 1960, and earn Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in music from the University of Louisville. Volunteer work as a part-time radio announcer for the University led him into professional radio and newspaper work, as well as his lasting connection with magazine publishing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'>He's always been fascinated with technology, both the up side and the down, and that fascination led him to stop telling other people's stories for a time and become part of the story himself. In the 1980s, he managed Braille and Technology services at a Philadelphia nonprofit. Later he went to work for the braille embosser maker Enabling Technologies, where he served as Vice-president in the 1990s.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'>In 2007 he returned to “DIALOGUE,” first as Executive Director, and then as Editor from 2010 till his retirement in 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:105%'>Having moved back to Louisville with his wife Paula, Kimbrough is now active in a local theatrical group called Imagine Blind Players. He is also working on a project that aims to place all the content of “DIALOGUE's” 57-year publication run online so that the public can freely access this amazing literary legacy. At the moment, the website blindskills.com offers free access to a number of samples of “DIALOGUE” from the last ten years, including the five-part history of the publication Kimbrough wrote in 2012 to mark the 50th year of publication of “DIALOGUE.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please read our submission guidelines below. They can also be found on our website at:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.magnetsandladders.org">http://www.magnetsandladders.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The deadline for submissions is February 15. Be sure to read the guidelines carefully, and read our contest information at the end of this message.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Submission Guidelines<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Writers with disabilities may submit up to three selections per issue. Deadlines are February 15 for the Spring/Summer issue, and August 15 for the Fall/winter issue. Writers must disclose their disability in their biography or in their work. Biographies may be up to 100 words in length, and should be written in third-person.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Do not submit until your piece is ready to be considered for publication. Rewrites, additions, deletions, or corrections are part of the editorial process, and will be suggested or initiated by the editor.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Poetry maximum length is 50 lines. Memoir, fiction, and nonfiction maximum length is 2500 words. In all instances, our preference is for shorter lengths than the maximum allowed. Please single-space all submissions, and use a blank line to separate paragraphs and stanzas. It is important to spell check and proofread all entries. Previously published material and simultaneous submissions are permitted provided you own the copyright to the work. Please<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>cite previous publisher and/or notify if work is accepted elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We do not feature advocacy, activist, "how-to," or "what's new" articles regarding disabilities. Innovative techniques for better writing as well as publication success stories are welcome. Content will include many genres, with limited attention to the disability theme. Announcements of writing contests with deadlines beyond April 1 and October 1 respectively are welcome.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Have You Published a book? If you would like to have an excerpt of your book published in an issue of "Magnets and Ladders," please submit a chapter or section of your book to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:submissions@magnetsandladders.org">submissions@magnetsandladders.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The word count for fiction and nonfiction book excerpt submissions should not exceed twenty-five hundred words. Poetry book excerpts should be limited to five poems. Please include information about where your book is available in an accessible format. We will publish up to one book excerpt per issue.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Authors under age 18: Please include a statement from a parent or guardian that indicates awareness of your submission of literary work to “Magnets and Ladders.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Do you have a skill, service, or product valued by writers? For a minimum contribution of $25.00 we will announce it in the next two issues of "Magnets<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and Ladders". All verifications of products or services provided are the responsibility of our readers. Book cover design? Copyediting? Critiques? Formatting for publication? Internet access or web design? Marketing assistance? Special equipment? Make your donation through PayPal (see magnetsandladders.org) or by check by March/September 1. 100-word promotional information is due by February/August 15. Not sure about something? Email <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:submissions@magnetsandladders.org">submissions@magnetsandladders.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>All donations support “Magnets and Ladders.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please email all submissions to <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:submissions@magnetsandladders.org">submissions@magnetsandladders.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Paste your submission and bio into the body of your email or attach in Microsoft Word format. If submitting Word documents, please put your name and the name of your piece at or near the top of the document. Submissions will be acknowledged within two weeks. You will be notified if your piece is selected for publication.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Final author approval and review is necessary if changes are needed beyond punctuation, grammar, and sentence or paragraph structure. We will not change titles, beginnings, endings, dialog, poetic lines, the writer's voice, or the general tone without writer collaboration. If your work is selected for inclusion in a future "Behind Our Eyes" project, you will be notified; your approval and final review will be required. To insure we can contact you regarding future projects, please keep us updated if your Email address changes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We will be holding contests in the areas of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for the Spring/Summer edition of "Magnets and Ladders." All submissions will be entered into the contest. Cash prizes of $30 and $20 will be awarded to the first and second place winners.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please note: Funds for contest prizes are provided by Behind Our Eyes. Checks for prize winning entries not cashed within 6 months of the issue date are void and considered a donation back to Behind Our Eyes. No additional payments will be made to replace the uncashed check. If you intend your prize winnings to be a donation, please let us know upon winning so we can send you a donation receipt letter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Remember, the deadline for submissions is February 15, so be sure to get your entries in on time.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Happy New Year..<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Mary-Jo Lord<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:mjfingerprints@comcast.net">mjfingerprints@comcast.net</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>