Editor Interview: Common Ground Review

smart sensual imagery

Rhino, Anacapa Review, 32 Poems, Clade Song, Sixth Finch, Calyx, Sheila-na-Gig, Muzzle, Minyan Magazine, The Common, Poet Lore, and many others.

Writers Ada Limon, Ruth Ozeki, Diana Whitney, Kristen Iversen, Peter Gizzi, Elizabeth Willis, Kaia Sand, Bob Hass, Joan Retallack, Forrest Gander, C.D. Wright, Bin Ramke, Donald Revell, Harryette Mullen, Susan Schultz, Karen Skolfield

We are particularly open to poems from new and emerging writers.

Take a look at the most recent issue and maybe use some of the work from it to respond to as a prompt. If we've been musing on an idea or theme that emerges in that issue, we'll be interested in new takes on that idea for a future issue. On the other hand, sometimes we don't know what we want until we see it!
Another suggestion: if you send more than one poem, include at least one that's different from the others in subject and form. That will give us more options.

If a poem, one that uses unexpected imagery to explore an idea (or a confluence of ideas) and arrive in a place that keeps the reader thinking; one that has warmth and energy.
If a creative non-fiction piece, one that has found an interesting way to look at a situation and tell a story that helps the reader arrive at a place of greater knowledge and perhaps empathy.
If a short story, one that uses its understanding of the characters beyond the simple plot; one where the narrator's voice not only fits but enhances the situation.

They send too many poems or short stories (we have gotten entire manuscripts). We ask for 1-5 poems (no longer than 61 lines each) for each submission, one short story of 1-12 pages for each fiction submission, one creative nonfiction essay of 1-12 pages for each creative nonfiction submission. Some people have gotten around the one short story/one CNF by sending us multiple submissions; we have requested that they refrain from doing this, as it reduces the time we have to spend reading everyone else's submission.

We ask for a brief bio because we'll print it if we print the submission. We read the bio AFTER we decide to accept the work. And these days, sadly, the bio helps us check to see that the author is not an AI creation.

I usually read every piece to the end. But if the poetry submission is longer than 61 lines, we won't accept it anyway. If the fiction or creative non-fiction is longer than 12 pages, we won't accept it. (See guidelines!)

We have 3 poetry editors who will read a piece if it gets a "maybe" or a "yes" from me or whichever editor or intern has seen it first. If it still gets a "maybe," we have to wait until the magazine is almost ready to go before we decide if it is a "yes" or a "no." We have two editors who read fiction and creative non-fiction, and if those two are on the fence, we send it to a third. Part of the final evaluation has to do with whether the piece fits into the issue as we are building it up.

I will start by reading new submissions and assigning them to the Readers, labeling them with the tag for the current issue. I may add notes for the readers on which poems I prefer from the submission. (I have not noticed that this influences them either for or against. They definitely have their own opinions.) Some days this is all I do, for hours. Other days, I will go on to re-read in-progress submissions and the Readers' notes. If we have collectively decided the work is not right for us, I will reject it, sometimes explaining what we found was strong about the submission, sometimes suggesting a way it might be strengthened. If we have decided we all love the work and it is a good fit for the issue, I will write up a permission form, put the submission name and the author's bio on a list of Contributors, put the submission title and the author's name in an Excel spreadsheet for that issue, then accept the piece and hope that the author still wants us to publish it.
Some days I work with the managing editor and the intern to format the magazine and the magazine cover.
Some days I work on the poetry contest, finding a judge, setting up the contest, and so on.

We don't usually edit much; occasionally we will suggest changes and work with the author to arrive at a mutual decision.

We have not done so in the past, but we hope to have the time and energy to do so in the future.

The poetry contest is funded by the submission fee for the contest. All else is funded by the editor.

We have a Facebook page and take out an ad each year for the contest in Poets & Writers. We promote some of our authors on our website; for example, our intern will interview authors with forthcoming books and publish the interview on our blog. We also use Duotrope (thank you, Duotrope!).