Editor Interview: Yellow Arrow Journal

CNF~poetry~art from women

There are so many amazing publishers out there that support women, it’s incredible. Some are well-known but there are also many small single-staffed publishing companies created to help fill the publishing world with women’s voices. Then there are also the self-publishers that struggle to make it on their own. I wouldn’t want to single one or two out. Congrats to everyone, and we are thankful for all the organizations and individuals out there that we have been able to partner with throughout our journey.

Just try as you never know what the outcome will be. A submission we might accept to one issue might not be accepted to another because it's about the theme, the other chosen pieces, and how someone’s writing resonates at one moment versus another. Also, a rejection does not mean what was written is bad; it just means it wasn’t a fit at that time. I’ve had people submit the same poem more than once with us accepting it after the second or third time. If you want to write, write. Never let someone stop you.

One that speaks from the author’s heart, that demonstrates vulnerability (though openness does not always mean sadness; a submission that makes me laugh out loud can be meaningful). It’s about being able to feel what a writer is writing. And that it addresses the theme as well as our guiding questions.

A lot of people don’t read the guidelines and I’m not always able to email them asking them to resubmit.

We are looking for emerging authors as much as established authors so cover letters and publication credits don’t mean much. After submission, each piece is read blindly by our editorial associates so added information doesn’t change whether a submission is accepted. At the same time, we do ask for specific information in our guidelines. As stated earlier, it can be frustrating when people don’t read the guidelines and don't send the required background information.

We read each submission in its entirety! As Editor-in-Chief, I read submissions more than once as well. Everyone’s writing style is different. Yes, there are some submissions that seem disjointed or have grammatical errors, but I’d prefer to read an entire piece before making a judgment call.

It’s important for us to let an author’s voice be heard. We don’t change their style of writing but do suggest if a submission could use more or less information/description, clearer structure, etc. Sometimes it takes one edit, sometimes two or three. But if an author feels strongly about something they wrote, we leave it as is. We want to help them get their voice out, not change it.

Yellow Arrow Publishing nominated five of our journal authors for the 2021 Pushcart Prize! It made me so happy to make them happy. We also ask our chapbook authors to look at contests worldwide and choose one we can submit for them.