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Editor Interview: Boston Literary Magazine

This interview is provided for archival purposes. The listing is not currently active.

Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.

A: Character-driven material

Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?

A: Blink-Ink, Pig in a Poke, Shoots and Vines, Neon, Up the Staircase

Q: If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?

A: John Updike's insight into man/woman dynamics floors me... I can always relate to Elizabeth Berg's 40-50 year old female characters because she presents them with such grace and compassion. Favorite poet is Allen Ginsberg.

Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?

A: I think our emphasis on character-driven material - strong narratives - as opposed to descriptive or sort of philosophical & global toned poems is what makes us unique... What can I say? We love a good plot.

Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?

A: It's sort of a crazy, radical idea but... READ THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES BEFORE YOU SEND ANYTHING IN!! Like all magazine editors, I hate wasting my time with someone who is obviously just sending stuff out to as many magazines as they can without taking the time to determine if their piece is a good fit.

Q: Describe the ideal submission.

A: The ideal submission greets me by name, comments on a poem or story they've just read in my magazine, and explains what they saw in the submissions guidelines that prompted them to send in their piece, which is included in the body of the e mail, not sent as an attachment.

Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

A: They don't have any query letter at all, just the submission. It's not in English. It's included as an attachment. It rhymes. It's descriptive. It doesn't have a title. They don't tell me their name. When I reply to them and get an automated response saying I have to register my e mail address in order for them to receive my response. People like that are just asking to be rejected.

Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?

A: Bios don't matter to me very much... but once I accept a piece I request one and then I'm interested in learning more about them.

Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?

A: I can tell almost immediately from the presentation of the submission if the person is serious or just dashed something off and started sending it out. Sometimes my mind is made up after the first two or three lines.

Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?

A: If someone has clearly read the submission guidelines and has sent in a piece with a strong character dealing with issues that are interesting, compelling, or something I feel people can relate to, but doesn't quite strike a chord with me, I will very often write back with ideas that I think will make a piece stronger; a writer's willingness to be open to feedback impresses me, and factors into my decision of whether or not to accept a piece.

Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?

A: During our reading periods, submissions stack up very quickly, to hundreds a week. Keeping on top of them is not easy, and takes hours and hours. I like to respond to every single submission personally and promptly. In addition to that, I have established many wonderful friendships and lots of e mails come in from my writing buddies with questions, updates, or just people checking in. Having a magazine is almost like a full-time job that you spend money to have, but it's so rewarding.
Lucy Spinetti, my amazing webmistress, creates, maintains, and tweaks the site as necessary. Without her, the magazine wouldn't exist. She's the absolute BEST.

Q: How important do you feel it is for publishers to embrace modern technologies?

A: Extremely! And the absolute BEST source out there is Duotrope! You guys had a direct influence on the success of my magazine... in the beginning it was hard to get people to submit because no one knew about us. Then someone suggested posting on Duotrope, and within a week the submissions poured in, I'm not kidding, it was super sonic fast. I can't say enough good things about you.