Editor Interview: heartwood literary magazine Go to the listing List all editor interviews Edit answers (editors only) Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.Anything that has heart.Jessica Spruill Waggoner, Managing Editor on 19 August 2021What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?We are staffed by grads of WVWC’s low-res MFA program — all serious poets & authors & editors ourselves (as well as some teachers/professors) who seek to publish work that is nuanced and well-crafted, as well as intentionally revised and publication-ready.Jessica Spruill Waggoner, Managing Editor on 19 August 2021What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?Read the guidelines closely — they matter.Jessica Spruill Waggoner, Managing Editor on 19 August 2021Describe the ideal submission.Clear cover letter and short 3rd-person bio. Submission meets all guidelines and is properly formatted.Jessica Spruill Waggoner, Managing Editor on 19 August 2021If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?All of it unless there are obvious problems (guideline violations, formatting issues, not publication-ready, etc.) within the first couple pages.Jessica Spruill Waggoner, Managing Editor on 19 August 2021What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?Requires little to no revision or copy-editing to be publication-ready.Jessica Spruill Waggoner, Managing Editor on 19 August 2021What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?HeartWood produces two issues per year; Genre Editors read for two months per issue, so they are reviewing submissions for four months of the year. Their final recommendations are reviewed by the Managing Editor, who accepts or declines all active submissions, and the issue is prepared over the following 6-8 weeks.Jessica Spruill Waggoner, Managing Editor on 19 August 2021How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?Hopefully not at all. Only if our editors absolutely love a piece will we volunteer to copy edit it before publication. We may ask for a revision & resubmission if it would require too much time & effort.Jessica Spruill Waggoner, Managing Editor on 19 August 2021Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?No.Jessica Spruill Waggoner, Managing Editor on 19 August 2021 Cookie Consent: This site uses secure first-party cookies for essential, preference-setting, and statistical purposes. We do not use any marketing, advertising, or third-party cookies. Read our full cookie policy. Accept All Cookies Allow Essential Cookies Only