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Editor Interview: American Writers Review

This interview is provided for archival purposes. The listing is not currently active.

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

A: Written and visual art

Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?

A: The New Yorker, Blind Faith Books, Kaylie Jones Books, Glimmer Train

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

A: I read everything - fiction, non-fiction, journalism, poetry. I am addicted to the New Yorker and the New York Times, but always have a murder mystery on hand to wild away an hour or so. My favorite writers are too many and varied to name, but my favorite book is “Lying Awake” by Mark Salzman- a jewel that barely reaches novel length.
My favorite artists are the impressionists, although my taste is eclectic. In photography I favor those who capture a moment on the brink of happening, or an opportunity slipping away as we watch. Stephen Shore embodies this for me.

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

A: We strive for a unique blend of emerging and established writers. We have attracted pieces by the Rilke Award winning poet, Robin Metz, and first time writers. Established journalists and writers, and young people hoping to make a mark. We also feature photo essays and art work that sets us apart from most other journals.
Our art skews toward photography, although we have some wonderful oil paintings to be included in our next issue. Because our interiors are black and white, we look for work that can make a statement in monochrome.

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

A: Give us your best work, the one that sheds light on something overlooked or unnoticed. Are you passionate about something? Are you grief stricken or ebullient? Share your thoughts in the form that demonstrates your excitement and your skill.

Q: Describe the ideal submission.

A: One that follows our guidelines, is carefully proofread, and shares a quirky outlook or deeply felt belief. We don’t publish porn or children’s work, but we are very open to the unusual as well as the conventional.

Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

A: We have received submissions by those who have not read our guidelines - like pornography, or extremely long pieces. Contest submissions often include identifying information, and are rejected for that. We don’t want to burden our judges with unacceptable entrants

Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?

A: Personally. I don’t read the cover letters until after I have read the piece submitted. Then, I am curious about the work of the person - and not just the writing A thoughtful piece on a ruined beach by someone who is a climate change activist may pique my interest in particular. A very young writer’s fresh view of something usually taken for granted is also interesting. Generally cute bios do nothing for me. I am largely uninterested in whether the writer has kids or pets, unless, of course, they are writing about kids or pets.
I have to like the submission first, though.

Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?

A: Because of our word limit -2500 words - I generally read the whole piece. I can be derailed by badly proofread pieces. I am agnostic about the Oxford comma, but batches of misspelled words, run on sentences that don’t reflect actual dialogue or character development, meandering tangents, internal “editorializing” by the writer - these are some of the things that cause me to stop reading. I am not offended by much, but gratuitous violence wastes my time.
Sometimes, we will get a piece- like religious poetry or political tracts - which just don’t mesh with how we see our journal, but are otherwise well done. I will try to suggest other places where that work will fit better.

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

A: I have a major say in what we publish, but I get the advice our founder, Patricia Florio. Our contest judges are always writers I respect, so I turn to them for advice as well. I never reject or accept anything on the first reading, unless it strays too far from our guidelines. For example, we have. 2500 word limit. If the piece is 10,000 words, i will skim it. If it’s good, I will suggest the writer either submit again, either with a revision closer to our word count or an entirely different piece.

Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?

A: I tend to read submissions in batches, make initial notes on each piece, then put them aside for a second read. I think about the work we either have accepted or are considering to get a sense of how the piece will fit into the journal. If I like a piece, I begin thinking about placement, artwork, and other nuts and bolts issues.
I spend a lot of time thinking about how the pieces should fit - do I keep three poems by one person together or will they work better if separated? Is the contest winner the right piece to begin with? What should anchor the middle of the book?
I generally edit with a light touch, but sometimes, a piece is good but needs more revision than punctuation. In that case, I ask the writer if they are comfortable with my editing. If not, no hard feelings. We can part company.

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

A: I am completely in favor of modern technology. I read and edit extensively online and rarely print out anything in the reading stage. POD is our lifeline. Our founder, Patricia Florio, heads our marketing efforts, but I do use my Facebook page a great deal.
We don’t have typists who can input a paper copy. We do live readings, which I record and share with presenters, but marketing, ordering, shipping- that is all done online.
Still, striving for excellence - that should never change. The only traditional aspect of our process is the quality of the writing.

Q: How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?

A: I am a light touch as an editor, but I will do more- if the writer agrees in advance. Once or twice, a writer has had such a good idea, and has presented it so well, that I will invest the time to suggest substantive revisions.
For example, we had one piece in which the narrator shifted in the middle, without warning. It was an artistic choice that just did not work in a short piece. I suggested two or three ways to help the reader follow the writer’s intent, and the writer came up with a totally different, but even better method.
We send out galleys prior to publication, and writers may withdraw their piece if they want. That hasn't happened yet, but it might at some point. That is the nature of the task. The only really negative comment I have received on a galley was that the writer did not like the artwork. Not a problem. We moved it.

Q: Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?

A: We have and will continue to do so in the future.