Editor Interview: Foreshadow Magazine

Cosmos from chaos

Plough; Ekstasis; Christianity Today

Madeleine L'Engle; J.R.R. Tolkien; C.S. Lewis; Flannery O'Connor; Eugene Peterson; Metropolitan Anthony Bloom; and others.

We have an annual theme, which means we have a longer time than other magazines (whose themes, if they have them, tend to be quarterly) to explore themes in depth and from a variety of perspectives. We also host a podcast that enables us to explore our themes in a different format. We seek common ground, especially between the three main Christian traditions of Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant. While we are a literary magazine, we also share works in other media, including music and fine art.

Do it! We look forward to seeing your best work in dialogue with our theme.

The ideal submission is not only written well (both in terms of mechanics and depth of meaning, experience and insight), but it also contributes to the exploration of our theme, sharing a new perspective. It also shows both a grounding in the Christian faith and an awareness and awe of the mystery that this faith brings us into.

We've been very fortunate to have submitters who must read carefully and tend not to get anything wrong about our process.

Cover letters aren't necessary, although it's always helpful to know a little more about the writer's background.

We read everything, even if the piece doesn't seem right before getting to the end, since we try to work with authors to revise material that we feel isn't right.

Each piece is read by both Foreshadow editors, who discuss any issues they may have about the piece. Sometimes we will ask writers for clarification or to change something before deciding to accept it.

Both editors read each submission, and if we feel a piece has potential for publication, we provide edits and comments on how to improve the writing. We are also happy to provide this feedback even if the piece isn't accepted, if requested.

We provide editing on all levels, from basic proofreading to major edits, in order to make the piece the best we think it can be. Accepted authors should expect several rounds of revision. Most of the time, our edits are suggestions, and the author has the final say; usually, authors are grateful for our feedback and agree with our suggestions.

We don't do this at the moment, but we are open to exploring this.