Editor Interview: Mythlore

Literary criticism

Similar publications to Mythlore are Tolkien Studies, Seven, Mallorn, and Journal of Tolkien Research.

Mythlore is different because it covers the mythopoeic impulse in all forms of literature and art and by authors outside of the core major Inklings (Tolkien, Lewis, Williams) or major contemporary fantasy writers.

Read what we have published in a few recent issues to get a feel for our current style, and check our index for articles on your topic or author. We have a vast archive of fifty years of scholarship to explore!

The ideal submission is scholarly but approachable, does not cover ground well-trodden by other critics, and leaves the reader wanting to explore the author or topic further. It should follow our guidelines and instructions for submission and revision carefully.

Since we are a double-anonymous peer review journal, submitters must be careful to remove all personal identification from their papers so they can be sent to a referee. Submitters should also take care to make sure they are contributing something new to the field, not just rehashing an article we published years ago.

Cover letters and prior publications are not important to me as an editor. However, you should include an abstract of your paper.

An article is sent out for evaluation by at least one referee, chosen because of their expertise in the subject matter of the submission. "Notes" do not go through the referee process; only the editor reads and decides about notes, letters, and reviews.

I check my email and the online platform for any updates -- new submissions, revisions, referee reports. I read submissions carefully before deciding if they are ready to go to a referee, need revision before they go to a referee, or simply don't meet our needs at all. I spend most of March and September editing the issue: doing layout, checking quotes, determining the order of the articles, proofreading, and so on.

I do a great deal of editing on most pieces. I check every word of every quotation, and I make sure the citations and bibliography are formatted correctly. I make minor corrections for typographical errors, grammar, and sense without specific consultation with the author, but the author does get to approve final edits on a page proof.

No, but we do tend to publish the winner of our society's award for student paper presentation at our conference.