In terms of rejection, a short-ish thread?

Rejection happens all the time. For my 1st novel, it was rejected by 200+ agents. I found a small agency run by women in the Midwest I feel I connected with & found my voice important. Big agencies have never given me the time of day.

In terms of story and poetry rejections, I get those ALL of the time. Like, I got 3 rejections this week alone - 1 for a reprint of a short story and 2 poetry items. I will post the 2nd poetry item shortly. Am I angry? Well, I reject people too for my small press...

So I get it, sometimes my work does not fit with the style, or tone, or time or space required for that particular work. I can't prove or disprove that someone is rejecting me because I'm a woman of color, or they don't like me, etc. My response to rejections is -

Keep writing. Keep submitting your work. Eventually you will find your people, people who honor and value your voice, your writing, and you.

Those people who do not like you, and there will be many, you can't control them or their feelings. Ignore it, and keep moving forward.