Editor Interview: The Hillary Gravendyk Prize

Poetry in all forms

We particularly admire presses who do not adhere to any one dominant aesthetic, who publish a wide range of styles by the full breadth of human diversity.

Who our personal favorites are is not relevant. Each year a new judge is selected and their own personal preferences may come into play, so there is no telling year to year which manuscripts will rise to the top.

The prize is named for and carried out in the memory of a beloved poet, Hillary Gravendyk, and judges to date have each had a personal connection with her. Their considerations include, what would Hillary have liked? We also offer two bites at the apple for those who also reside in the region as there is a national prize--open to all U.S. based poets--and a regional prize, open only to those who affirm a connection to the region. Regional entries therefore get two chances at publication with the same entry fee.

Proofread! Read the guidelines! Use page breaks between poems. Make sure there is *no* identifying information on the manuscript. Revise until the bitter end, because there is no benefit to submitting early in the submission window. Research that year's judge to see what their aesthetic is like. Don't fear rejection. There is always next year.

One that is carefully proofread, with page breaks between poems and no unnecessary formatting that can get gunked up in the process of saving. One that follows all guidelines and doesn't leave anything to chance.

Forgetting to omit all identifying information. Check headers and footers, acknowledgment pages, title page, etc. It's a waste of our time to have to do this for you or kick it back to you to fix.

Ideally, nothing. The poetry must speak for itself.

We have screeners who check the manuscripts for completeness, who vet them and rank them. Honestly, it only takes a few pages to know whether or not a manuscript is worth pursuing. If your first few pages don't grab a reader's attention it's not going to make it to the round.

The judges read all finalist selections and choose from among them.

No two days are alike.

The manuscript goes through a series of editorial reviews. If accepted, expect to get a comprehensive list of suggested edits but it is the poet's prerogative to decide whether or not to implement them.

Yes.