Editor Interview: The Deronda Review

poetry of integrity

Poetica, Blue Unicorn, Jewish Literary Journal, The Lyric, Finishing Line Press

Paul Celan and Sylvia Plath, among the moderns; the traditionalists (Frost, Yeats, Millay, the too-little-known Ruth Pitter); the uncategorizable Mandel'shtam; of course the classics

The attempt made in each issue not only to present individual poems but to arrange them so as to bring out affinities and suggest a conversation about the world. We are not committed to any particular style, though we are always happy to see good formal poems. We look for poems that have a sense of urgency -- that convince us that they had to be written and are not just literary exercises. A successful humorous poem is also welcome.

Read an issue first. Past issues are archived on our website.

It consists of no more than five poems, contained in a single Word document or in the body of the email. The poems have some kind of formal quality -- whether a fixed form, or that internal tension which makes a good poem even without rhyme and meter. Each poem bears the imprint of a unique moment and contains much within a small compass. (Paul Celan defined the quality of great poetry as a "onceonliness open to the world [weltoffene Einmaligkeit]). The language may be colloquial, elevated or even archaic, but always the reader is convinced that each word is backed by reality and is necessary.

Sometimes they send too many poems. Sometimes they fail to read the magazine first and send poems that aren't on our wavelength.

We enjoy reading cover letters that give us a sense of the person, but a cover letter is not necessary. Previous publication credits are not determinative. We do like to list titles of books in our "Contributors Exchange."

Not applicable, as we only publish poetry or very short prose.

There are only two of us. If one likes the piece and the other doesn't, we negotiate.

We try not to apply superficial criteria but to take each poem on its own terms and see whether it fulfills its own contract.

We don't do much editing. And we are generally not happy when a poet sends us an "improved" version of a poem we liked. If a poem springs from a genuine impulse, the original word choice is usually best. On rare occasions we see a possibility of improvement and make a suggestion. We don't make changes without the author's consent.

No.