Editor Interview: January House Literary Journal

Diverse conversations

PINCH, South Florida Poetry Journal, The Adroit Journal, The Kenyon Review

Some personal favorites are Mark Doty, Louise Glück, Ocean Vuong, Andrea Gibson

A truly eclectic mix of poetry, art, and prose along with a frequent online publishing cadence ensures that there is always something fresh in January House. We publish online, in-print, and on-kindle as well as offering all of our issues for free in pdf format.

Reading a few back issues is enormously helpful. Even though topics and styles will vary widely, you can get a sense of the quality we are looking for and an idea of what just works.

A full sample of unpublished work (up to 5 for poetry/art, or up to 3 for flash fiction) in a variety of themes and style. A cover letter is nice, but not necessary (though I do read and enjoy them).

Not a lot, really, although I do occasionally see a short story that exceeds the maximum word count, or someone will submit too frequently during the current reading period.

An ideal bio lets us know where you're from, any previous publication credits, and maybe a fun fact (I do love to see how many pets people have). We read blind, so bios and cover letters are generally the last bit I will read on a submission.

Every piece is read beginning to end at least twice. If I do get a sense that something isn't quite right for us within the first few paragraphs or lines, I'll typically set that piece aside and come back to it again later for another read just to be sure.

I'll often run it by one or two other readers for additional opinions and insight, especially if I really love a piece or if I'm on the fence about one.

I set aside time in the morning and the evening to read through submissions and I check in frequently and will read some throughout the day. There's some coordination with our readers on pieces that are close to a final decision. I try to publish any newly accepted pieces in the morning usually around 6-7am CST. For submissions through Duosuma, we try to get that all turned around and make a decision within a few days. For email submissions, they get a little more backed up, but we still try to work through them quickly.

Other than minor punctuation or typographical errors, we don't do any additional editing.

Yes, we nominate annually for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize.