Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.
A: Engaging haiku / senryu
Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?
A: Frogpond, Modern Haiku, tsuri-doro, Failed Haiku, The Bamboo Hut, Akitsu Quarterly, Hedgerow, Stardust Haiku.
Q: If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?
A: Pippa Phillips, Mona Bedi, Orrin PreJean, ~Silk, Lafcadio, Michael H.Lester.
Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?
A: Quick response time, and publication often within a few days. For many poets, Cold Moon Journal is their first credit.
Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?
A: Think outside the box. Don't try to repeat oft-used themes.
Q: Describe the ideal submission.
A: The poet submits up to five original poems (in English), each poem being one line to five lines (most haiku are three). Humor is always appreciated.
Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?
A: Not submitting in English.
Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?
A: Previous publications do not matter to me. If I like what's being submitted, it makes no difference if the poet is famous or unknown.
Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?
A: I read it all to the end.
Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?
A: Nothing else. I simply read and select.
Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?
A: I check email three times a week. Some poets get an answer within hours, while others must wait a few days.
Q: How important do you feel it is for publishers to embrace modern technologies?
A: I left traditional behind me long ago! I'm happy to retweet poets' tweets about poetry (published in Cold Moon Journal or elsewhere). I get tagged by poets on Facebook when their work gets published or they win awards. I'm all for at least trying some tech ideas. I set up a handy submission form at the journal, but had to stop it when some poets submitted daily! So it's back to email again.
Q: How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?
A: Very little editing. Other than to correct spelling, I always discuss proposed edits with poets. The edits are always minor.
Q: Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?
A: Yes, for two. Touchstone Individual Poetry Award (The Haiku Foundation) and the Pushcart Prize for Poetry.