What Editors Look For

Emily Dickinson wrote, “If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only ways I know it. Is there any other way?”

We all know that poetry’s appeal is largely subjective and that publishers and editors naturally, and understandably, have individual preferences when it comes to the poems they choose for publication. Publishers and editors may not be the ultimate arbiters of what is and isn’t good work, but if seeing your poems published is among your goals (and it is an important part of the “poetry life” for most of us), then it’s not a bad idea to think about what makes particular poems compelling enough to publish.

With that in mind, I thought it might be interesting to poll some poetry journal publishers and poetry editors (print and electronic) to gather some ideas about the qualities of poetry that editors want for their journals. These represent the specific “criteria” of certain editors, but I suspect that many editors look for similar things. Here’s hoping that these will be helpful to you! (Be sure to click on the links given with each entry to visit the journals and editors/publishers online.)

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John Amen—The Pedestal Magazine

www.thepedestalmagazine.com

 

“We’re certainly looking for compelling images, rhythms, particular kinds of cohesion and non-cohesion, paradoxes, juxtapositions, new angles on old themes. Definitely there’s something to be said for solid craft, too; still, originality, while incorporating craft, also perhaps transcends it, making craft “its own,” so to speak. The unique perspective delivered via a compelling voice goes a long way. Balance of composition, which is obviously somewhat of an abstract and subjective term, also comes to mind as an appreciated element. It’s hard to offer clear criteria, though there are qualities, values, even aspirations that seem to push a piece of work in a memorable direction.”

John is founding editor of The Pedestal; visit John online:  

www.johnamen.com.

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Renée Ashley—The Literary Review

www.theliteraryreview.org

“Generally, I look for language that surprises and delights me; I call it “language that lifts its head off the page”—and I want an interesting mind working behind that language.  I want the sense that I’m in good hands, that the author knows exactly what she’s doing, that there’s a sure-footedness about the piece, that it’s active rather than passive, that along with humor, should there be humor, there’s a sense of gravitas, of consequence, of complicity. Tess Gallagher once said that contemporary poetry was “flat-footed and too full of sunlight.” I agree, and so what I’m looking for is an impressively high arch and deep, meaningful shadows. I want all these elements to work seamlessly and the poem to leave me, when I’m back in the real world, with my jaw hanging open and my head shaking back and forth in awe. If all that comes together, I say the poem has “tooth,” and if it has tooth, it’s a poem I’ll take seriously.”

Renée has been poetry editor at The Literary Review and Tiferet, and is now an editor-at-large for The Literary Review; visit Renée online: 

www.reneeashley.com.

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Laura Boss—Lips

www.laurabosspoet.wordpress.com/lips

“For almost 35 years, since I first founded Lips, I am still drawn to narrative poems I find emotionally moving and where the poet is a risk taker in terms of subject matter and candidness. Clarity and freshness are a plus. Most poems in Lips lean toward specificity rather than the abstract. Lips still looks for the strongest unpublished work of a poet.”

Laura is the founding editor of Lips; visit Laura online:  
www.laurabosspoet.wordpress.com. 

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Maria Mazziotti Gillan—Paterson Literary Review 

www.patersonliteraryreview.com

“I look first at the work. I do not care about bios or professional affiliations. I read the poem, the story, the essay and decide whether it is a piece of writing that moves me to tears or laughter or makes the hair on my arms stand up. If it doesn’t do that, if it is only polished language, it's not writing I want to publish. I read all submissions myself, and the journal reflects my strong narrative bias.”

Maria is the founding editor of Paterson Literary Review; visit Maria online: 

www.mariagillan.com.

 

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Mary-Jane Grandinetti—Shot Glass Journal and The Fib Review

www.musepiepress.com/shotglass 
www.musepiepress.com/fibreview

"What I look for in a poetry submission is first how well the poet has acknowledged the submission policy and is respectful in their submission. I can’t tell you how many poets have replied sarcastically when I’ve asked them to resubmit their poems according to our policy. That tells me that the poet is only out to get “published.” I look for poets who instead feel their work is their best work and they want to share that with the world. I look for submissions that speak from the heart; where the poets express themselves in an experience that the reader can relate to, rather than the poet’s own singular, personal experience. In other words, I look for the “universal” experience. I prefer a poem that has a sharp ending or turn that makes the reader go “Ah” or “OOh” at the end. I don’t particularly like sentimental love poetry that can’t translate to the universal experience. I look for wit, humor and a focus on the poet’s knowledge of the mechanics of poetry. I find too many poets don’t know how to use metaphor or enjambment, etc. to benefit the poem or make it better." 

Mary-Jane is editor of both Shot Glass Journal and The Fib Review; visit Mary-Jane online: 
www.musepiepress.com/mjgrandinetti.

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Gina Larkin—Edison Literary Review

www.edisonliteraryreview.org

“I look for poems that make me want to read them a second and third time, not because they are difficult to understand, but because they grab my mind and don't want to let go. Shorter poems stand a better chance only because our journal is small in size. I hope that poets have read our journal and/or have checked the web site for the latest information. I look forward to reading your work. We are presently reading for our 15th Anniversary Issue—check web site for specific needs for this issue.”

Gina is founding editor of Edison Literary Review.

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Priscilla Orr—The Stillwater Review
www.sussex.edu/poetrycenter/stillwaterreview 

“So, we have three editors who choose, Jeannie, David and me.  We go through the poems individually pulling out the poems that are strong and that speak to us; then we meet and we spend a day together choosing poems. We read them aloud to one another. In the process, the manuscript begins to take shape.  We have a balance of narrative and lyric preferences on our team.  A strong poem has an energy that comes through the pile with its synthesis of music, image and language—syntax, diction, etc. As we work, the poems begin to speak to one another.  Sometimes a poem may be strong but not a good fit. But we love the process, seeing new work from writers we know, and work from writers new to us.  It’s a labour of love.”

Priscilla is the founding director of the Betty June Silconas Poetry Center, The Stillwater Review’s home base; visit Priscilla online:

www.priscillaorr.com

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Tom Plante—Exit 13 Magazine

www.pw.org/literary_magazines/exit_13_magazine

“In college I focused on the study of geography and poetry. I'm attracted to the mystique of the landscape and the way people react to their surroundings. In poetry, especially poems I would publish in Exit 13 Magazine, I look for the universality of human experience in a variety of locations. I'm looking for the reflections of wide-eyed travelers—how we communicate our experiences and reflect on the geography around us, whether we're in our backyard or we're on some fantastic voyage. What catches our eye and how it reflects our search for meaning and joy in life.”

Tom founded Exit 13 in 1988 and has been its publisher/editor since.

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Nancy Scott—U.S. 1 Worksheets

www.us1poets.com

“We are a poetry journal and we look for work that follows our guidelines, is formally submitted, not hand-written on lined yellow paper (yes, we get some of those), and demonstrates knowledge of craft, e.g., we get prose masquerading as poetry, although we do publish prose poems by poets who have mastered the distinction. We also look for unique voices, an original twist we don't expect. We like images, not abstractions. In the last issue, we published work about buttons and popcorn, tigers, Brooklyn, and Van Gogh.”

Nancy is the long-time managing editor of U.S. 1 Worksheets; visit Nancy online: www.nancyscott.net.

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Donna Baier Stein—Tiferet Journal 

www.tiferetjournal.com

At Tiferet, we look for poems that offer even a glimpse of a spiritual experience. We believe that such experiences are unique to the individual and not confined to any one religion. Our world is terribly divisive now, so we make an effort to find poems that express our common humanity. What most excites me is when I sense that the poet is doing his or her best to explain the ineffable. Personal peak experiences may come from traditional religious rituals, nontraditional paths like meditation or yoga, or simply being in nature or with a loved one. 

Donna is the founding publisher of Tiferet; visit Donna online:

www.donnabaierstein.com.

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Emily Vogel—Ragazine

www.ragazine.cc

“I do my best to publish the poetry of both well-known and emerging poets. I publish the work of nationally recognized poets, the work of lesser known poets, and the work of student poets who are struggling to make their voices known. I do not have a limited aesthetic for the work that I publish. If it strikes me as something that might resonate with Ragazine’s audience, I send out my acceptance. I like inventiveness as well as the narrative tradition. When a poem is good, a poem is most certainly good, regardless of aesthetic discipline—I just have an intuitive hunch.”

Emily is poetry editor of Ragazine.

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Many thanks to the editors who shared their comments!