Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.
A: Forms in its plentitudes
Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?
A: We love literary magazines that amplify a diversity of voices and narratives.
Q: If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?
A: Joy Harjo, Ocean Vuong, Carmen Maria Machado, Leslie Jamison, Roxane Gay, Chen Chen, Ada Limón, Jhumpa Lahiri, Cathy Park Hong, Sigrid Nunez, Zadie Smith, Bryan Washington, Matthew Salesses, Andrew Sean Greer, Felicia Rose Chavez, Pitchaya Sudbanthad
Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?
A: We believe in the power of writing - in its plentitudes of forms - to touch the soul, shift the gaze, and offer new perspectives.
Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?
A: Don't be afraid to put your heart in it!
Q: Describe the ideal submission.
A: The ideal submission is a poem, short story, or personal essay that touches the soul, shifts the gaze, and offers a new perspective.
Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?
A: Every now and then we get submissions littered with derogatory terms. It's not an automatic rejection of course, but it does mean the author needs to work extra hard to convince us there's a meaningful literary justification.
Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?
A: Who you are matters - we want to showcase a diversity of voices and narratives - but just as important is the quality of the writing and the work. Does it say something new? Does it say something that only the author can say and yet speaks to our shared humanity?
Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?
A: All of it!
Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?
A: All submissions are read by at least 2 readers. Final selections are made by a committee of at least three editors, including the managing editor.
Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?
A: We editors endeavor to put together a rich portfolio of diverse and impactful works, on an issue by issue basis and for our journal's collection as a whole.
Q: How important do you feel it is for publishers to embrace modern technologies?
A: We couldn't agree more! And as a digital journal, we only accept electronic submissions.
Q: How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?
A: After a piece is selected for publication, we give the author an opportunity to update their piece. (Very few authors take us up on this offer!) We ourselves do very little substantive editing; we prefer to have the author's voice shine through as unfiltered as possible.
Q: Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?
A: Yes, we nominate pieces published with us for the Pushcart Prize and other literary awards from time to time.