Editor Interview: Blue Rivers

Curious thoughtful work

The Ecco Press
City Lights Books
Red Hen Press
New Directions
Alfred Knopf
Copper Canyon Press
Giulio Einaudi editore
Carl Hanser Verlag
Ytali
The Paris Review

Writers: Tomas Tranströmer, Anna Swirszczynska, Eugenio Montale, Giuseppe Ungaretti, Robert Hass, Czeslaw Milosz, William Carlos Williams, Philip Levine, Maria Barnas, Mariangela Gualtieri, Franz Kafka, Rainer Maria Rilke, Emily Dickinson, Jean Toomer, Mary Oliver, Robert Frost, Franco Marcoaldi.
Artists: Giorgio Morandi, Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin, Georgia O’Keeffe, Wassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Münter, Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer, Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock, Shepard Fairey, Yayoi Kusama, Piet Mondrian, Vincent van Gogh, Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Andreas Achenbach, Francesco Hayez, Leonardo da Vinci, Umberto Boccioni, Robert Kusmirowski, Carol Aust, Rebeca García-González.

Blue Rivers is more than a literary magazine. It is a curated space for poetry, visual art, and photography. We believe poetry can help us find meaning in life, art can deepen our understanding of ourselves and others, and spending time in nature can inspire reflection, curiosity, and wonder. We value playful work that reveals the unexpected, intellectual inquiry grounded in humility, and emotional depth that grows from authentic experience rather than sentimentality. Beyond publishing, we foster an active creative community through online readings, essays, educational resources, and free interactive tools that invite people to experiment, and create their own visual and literary works. By connecting writers, artists, photographers, and readers from around the world, we hope to build an international community. Rather than chasing trends or publishing at high volume, Blue Rivers emphasizes thoughtful curation, lasting quality, and the belief that art is a lifelong practice of observation, imagination, and participation.

Let poems come to you at night
like rats in the wall
skittering away, their nest
disturbing your sleep.
Let poems arrive in the morning
like birdsong from the bushes
catching your ear, their melody
delighting you for hours.
Write poems to take a real beating
like round-edged toys for a toddler
surprising in their durability and
capable of floating in drool.
Write poems for your own pleasure
like cooking up your favorite meal,
knowing, no matter how good it smells,
it will offend some people.
Avoid writing poems
as fragile as antique glass
needing careful handling
and constant instruction.
Read more poems than you write
like a painter who wanders through a valley
observing the light, the trees, the hills
only to make a rough sketch at the end.
Treat other people’s poems
like coming to an unfamiliar river
unsure where to cross, where to stand,
but curious about what's inside.
Live inside someone else’s poem for a while
like a favorite vacation home.
Memorize the lines, feel its rhythm,
learn where everything goes.
Share your poems with others
like a child dragging a wagon full of sticks
through the yard hoping to build a fort
for others to play in.

Ideally, we would forget that we’re even reading a submission because we’re engrossed in the poem, moved by it, or laughing spontaneously. We look for work that is curious, authentic, and attentive. We appreciate the creative use of language and imagery. We are especially drawn to poems that invite wonder, reflection, and joy. We generally prefer poetry that’s clear, resonant, and accessible to a wide audience. We do appreciate experimental pieces, but often find them difficult to publish.

We don’t read author biographies until after we’ve evaluated and scored the submission, so using your bio to persuade us won’t influence our decision. We occasionally receive essay submissions, but we are only accepting poetry at this time. Finally, please avoid submitting work that has already been widely published. If a poem has already appeared in two or more online publications, we’re unlikely to publish it.

No cover letters. Listing previous publications and prizes is useful, but submit a bio that tells us a little bit about yourself.

We usually read every piece to the end. In some cases, we can tell that a piece isn’t right for us after the first stanza.

Beyond the individual merits of a poem, we also evaluate how well it complements the other poems selected for publication.

During the busy season, we often start reading submissions at 6:30 in the morning and stop reading submission after 5 in the afternoon. At editorial meetings, we will read a selection of poems outloud to each other to hear how they sound. Coffee, walks, more coffee.

We do basic proofreading of poems. We often publish poems "as is". If we are reviewing an essay for publication, the author can expect rigorous editing of the essay. The author approves the final edits.

No. We do not nominate work at this time.

Our project is funded by sources who wish to remain anonymous. While we accept tips from individual authors, they do not influence our editorial decisions. We are not asking for donations at this time and are not looking for grant writers.

We distribute print advertisements for our publication, feature authors’ work on social media, publish our newsletter Field Notes, and host in-person readings. Together, these efforts introduce audiences to the work we publish. Additionally, we are developing interactive visual poetry and art apps that encourage people to make their own visual poetry and art.