My Experience Being Published in the Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle

At the end of my sophomore year, I was inducted as an official member of Sigma Tau Delta, and I immediately knew I wanted to submit some work to the Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle. I had been focusing seriously on poetry that year, and I wanted to share my work with other writers. I wrote the poems that I submitted at different points in the year, and I had time to revise and edit them before feeling they were publication ready. Although I had been submitting to different journals for more than a year, my work was not yet being published beyond my school publications. I submitted a few days before the deadline, and, as the summer progressed, I tried to remember that the outcome was out of my hands and would happen. I needed to wait.

The day I received the “Congratulations!” email, I had returned home from work and was sitting with my mom on the couch. I checked my email and saw “SigmaTDJournals” in my inbox and then saw “Congratulations.” I couldn’t believe it. My mom and I were shocked and just kept looking at each other with the look of “There’s no way.” I experienced such an amazing feeling, and I felt great pride. I reached out to my chapter’s Faculty Advisor to tell him the good news, and word eventually spread to our chapter members, who were encouraged to submit their work for the convention in Denver, CO.

Sophia and her fellow chapter members at the 2023 Convention.

It was almost three months later that I was doing homework, and I received another email from “SigmaTDJournals.” I thought it might contain information about the convention or a question about the poems, but the subject line again said, “Congratulations!” I was alone in my suite when I read that my poem had won the Eleanor B. North Poetry Award. I began to scream and jump around. I called my mom immediately and told her that I had won an award.

Having the amazing opportunity not only to be published but also to win an international award has opened many doors for me. I was able to attend the convention with three other members and our Chapter Advisor, and we gained so much from presenting our work, listening to others present, and learning new ways to become involved with Sigma Tau Delta. I encourage anyone who is thinking about submitting work to absolutely do so, as publishing in the Sigma Tau Delta journals allows you to meet new people, bring your work to new readers, and gain confidence in yourself and your writing. I will submit work again, and I hope to attend the convention next year in St. Louis, MO.

Sofia Escobar
Eleanor B. North Poetry Award recipient for “Microaggressive,” published in the 2023 Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle
Gamma Pi Chapter, President/Treasurer
Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY

Journal Submissions

The Sigma Tau Delta journals publish annually the best writing and criticism of undergraduate and graduate active chapter members of the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society.

All undergraduate and graduate students who are currently enrolled through the end of the spring 2023 semester and are members of active Sigma Tau Delta chapters are invited to submit their work to the Sigma Tau Delta Review and the Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle. Chapter Advisors, faculty members, alumni, and honorary members are not eligible to submit.

Submissions for the 2024 journals will be accepted through May 15, 2023, 11:59 p.m. CDT. Acceptances and announcements will be posted by August 31, 2023.

Sigma Tau Delta Review is our annual journal of critical writing, publishing critical essays on literature, essays on rhetoric and composition, and essays devoted to pedagogical matters.

Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle is our annual journal of creative writing, poetry, prose, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Claim your copy of the 2023 Sigma Tau Delta Journals to read samples of the quality of work habitually accepted for publication, including Sofia Escobar’s “Microaggressive” and “Apodiformes.”

Journal Submissions Q&A

Join us for an online Q&A session with Carie King, the Managing Editor of Society Publications, to ask any questions you have. The meeting link will be open on Tuesday, May 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. CDT.

Join the Journal Submissions Q&A