Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?
A: We respond in 30 days or less; we pay $100 per piece for all the art (visual and written) we publish; we will publish anything that moves us!
Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?
A: Your work has to speak for itself. We don't read bios until after we've read/viewed the piece, and they never make us change our minds. Many magazines tell you to read previous issues. We'd love for you to do that, since we believe in what we publish, but we also are completely open to whatever you submit--we don't check it against what we've published to see if it conforms to an arbitrary standard. If we laugh, cry, whatever--then it has a good chance. Finally, the work has to be something only you can create. Even when it's about common themes--love, death, sickness, addiction--it has to stay away from generalities to work.
Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?
A: We care about cover letters, but they don't make any difference in judgment of your art. Please include them! We like to know more about our contributors! But your work has to stand on its own.
Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?
A: We read every piece to the end. We usually can tell whether it has potential within the first pages, but we give it the benefit of the doubt, also because for poetry and shorter pieces we like to be able to tell an author which piece spoke to us, even if the total submission was rejected.
Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?
A: Time is the most important. After the first reading, we set the piece aside and then come back to it over a few days. If it continues to spark, producing the same thrill as the first time we read it, then we know it's gold. So the longer your piece is under review, the better your chances. We almost never accept a piece without waiting at least a few days to check its shine this way.
Q: How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?
A: We do not do any editing of pieces. Once in a while we ask for a title or word change, but rarely. Pieces that require editing are usually rejected, unfortunately, because there is just too much great material submitted. A promising piece that needs editing will get a note of encouragement, but we'd require a resubmission of a revised piece to accept.
Q: Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?
A: Yes! We already nominated for Pushcart and will be nominating Best of the Net next year. We are always open to spreading the word about our wonderful artists.