Skip to Content

Editor Interview: Vilas Avenue

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

A: Squid ink, etcetera

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

A: Michael McGriff, Claudia Rankine, Jack Gilbert, Flannery O'Connor, J.D. Salinger, Elizabeth Gilbert, Wendell Berry, E.E. Cummings, and many others

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

A: Like a typical one-year-old, we're still finding our way. However, Vilas Avenue takes particular pride in the juxtaposition of poems in any given issue; assembling a strong narrative arc, as well as showcasing strong individual poems. We strive for an element of movement, travel, & liminality that pulses in various ways.

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

A: What we've published in the past is not necessarily indicative of what we're looking for in the future. Send your best poetry, no matter what that looks or sounds like.

Q: Describe the ideal submission.

A: The ideal submission has been distilled & steeped in hot water for 4-5 minutes. Beyond that it doesn't care what we think about it.

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

A: Screening for plagiarism/previous publication elsewhere. Consideration of the piece in relation to the issue as a whole. Final confirmation/edits in collaboration with the author.

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

A: Modern publishers strive to find a balance with using social media to solicit & promote the work, while also letting the work stand on its own & speak for itself. That said, within Vilas Avenue's first year the site reached many thousands of readers from across 34 different countries. That scope of readership would probably have been impossible without the interwebs.