Editor Interview: Sheila-Na-Gig online

Contemporary poetry

II admire all journals supporting today's poets. Some of my favorites include Rattle, Nerve Cowboy, Chiron Review, Slant, Slipstream, and Spillway.

My favorite poets include Charles Webb, Gerry Locklin, David Hernandez, Lucille Clifton, Naomi Nye, Billy Collins, and Yusef Komunyakaa. I enjoy reading the Best American Poetry series each year to stay connected with contemporary poets.

I don't know that my journal is much different than other online entities that have similar goals. I simply want to showcase the best of the work I receive in an easy-to-read, uncluttered space. The poems reflect my bias towards concrete imagery and a strong sense of voice.

Just read a few poems in one of the previous issues before you submit. What I "like" doesn't change much -- if you think your work might "fit" in terms of tone or style, send it along. Also take note of the author bios. If you are familiar with or have been published in some of the same journals, there's a good chance your work will fit with mine.

The ideal submission simply follows all the guidelines and gives the impression that the author is familiar with the tone/style of the journal.

It's not a difficult process though submittable. It's helpful if writers remember to include their bio, and they can submit 3-5 poems as a single document.

Most of the poets I have published have strong histories of publication, but being previously published is not a requirement for the journal. Cover letters need do no more than introduce the writer and say "Hi." Publication credits can go with the bio. When poets submit to my contest, I read all of the entries blind; the cover letters don't get opened until after I have selected a winner.

Both. I read every piece till the end, AND I can generally tell within the first couple of stanzas if the poem is similar to what I am looking for. I think this is common for most editors. I do, however, also read everything twice before declining work, and three or four times before accepting something.

Occasionally, I will have a student intern helping me as an assistant editor. When this is the case, he or she reads the submissions and votes on whether to accept or decline the work. As editor-in-chief, I still read all submissions.

I have a very busy life as a college professor, poet, and mom. I am unable to wear my editor hat every day, but I think that the fact that I've made room for running an online magazine in my already crazy schedule says a lot about the pleasure I receive from doing this work. When I CAN spend time on the journal, I generally read batches of work all at once. One of the benefits of being online is that when I accept something, I can immediately lay out the work online in a private format. Once all of the pieces are collected, I simply go live. It's a much easier process than when I was publishing the print form of the journal.

I rarely edit the work I accept. If a piece is not grammatically well-polished, or if the line breaks feel sloppy, for example, I will not accept it. If I choose to accept something and then question something that may be in error, I will communicate with the author before making changes. One great perk to publishing online is that if I make an error when formatting the author's work, I can easily fix it, even after publication.