Editor Interview: Mascara Literary Review

Diversity

Jacket
Southerly
Cordite
Vagabond
Spinifex Press
Transit Lounge
TEXT
Softblow
Snorkel
Blackbird
Inkwell
APJ
University of Queensland Press
Five Islands Press
Puncher & Wattmann
Peril
Sydney PEN
Picaro Press
Istanbul Literature Review
Cha: An Asian Literary Journal
Asia-Pacific Writing Partnership
Giramondo
Walleah Press
wa poets inc
Transnational Literature
Antipodes
Manoa
PN Review
Wasafiri
Desilit
Dislocate
Guernica

Angela Carter, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, J.G Ballard, W.S Burroughs, Chekhov, Bulgakov, Zamyatin, Colette, Jeanette Winterson, Georges Perec, Haruki Murakami, Bapsi Sidhwa, Rukhsana Ahmad, Katherine Mansfield, Talat Abbasi---I have so many favourite writers that to list them all I would be writing this all day.

We are firmly focused on centering the works of Asian-Australian-Indigenous writers into the landscape of contemporary literary fiction and poetry. We are also primarily focused on reviewing, critiquing and celebrating the work of writers and poets from diverse backgrounds, giving them a platform to showcase their incredible work. Added to this, the people behind the journal are also from diverse backgrounds.

These might seem obvious but are worth mentioning;
1. Become familiar with the journal to see the scope of work we are interested in and have published. So consider seriously subscribing!
2. Read the submission guidelines carefully.
3. Realise that if you don't get accepted for publication it may not necessarily reflect on the quality of your work, but rather the particular theme or synthesis of writing we are showcasing for the issue.
4. Make your work align with the particular publication you are submitting to. Please don't submit the same writing to us at the same time you are submitting it to another magazine.
We get a lot of submissions and appreciated the calibre and quality of the work we receive. It is very humbling.

1. Clearly states the genre of submission, ie 'poetry'
2. I'm a sucker for polite unassuming brief introductions. Who isn't?
3. Your format follows the submission guidelines
4, Ensure your work is aligned with the theme/style that we are looking for ( if there is one for the particular issue )
5. isn't the same work being submitted to multiple journals.

I've only been editor at Mascara for less than a month, but I have noticed that some people send work that suggests they may not have carefully read the submission guidelines. For example this issue we are looking to publish prose poetry only in the poetry section but I receive a lot of lyrical poetry that doesn't fit the prose poetry format.

I think a brief introduction is polite. A lengthy bio is not really required. I do look at previous publications but at the end of the day I am looking at the poem/poems/work they have sent there and then gleaming at me on the laptop. That is essentially what speaks. The previous publications can indicate the level of tenacity, success and focus a writer has regarding publishing their work out there. And I think it's wonderful to see the synthesis of their achievements. But emerging 'unpublished' writers shouldn't be put off from submitting. Just edit your work, edit it again, and send us your best!

I am currently not the poetry editor, as we have a guest editor Cassandra Atherton for this issue, however I will speak about how I make a decision regarding the work offered. Sometimes I will re-read a piece twice before making any decisions. I think it is fair to the writers submitting to read their work through. I am a fast reader, so I may not spend heaps of time reading one poem, since there are many works to get through. If the piece of work hasn't followed the requested theme or style I can pick that up within the first line or two and then I will send a reply message pronto.

I think a way to frame this question is to ask the writer submitting
1. Do you see how your work fits the flavour of Mascara?

Time management is the biggest key because writing submissions constantly flood through the submission gates. And that's a wonderful thing. So for me, being all brand new to Mascara, it's about giving myself a block of time per week to go through the submissions and send them through to our poetry editor. As deputy editor I have to learn the ropes of the journal so I'm flying up to Brisbane to meet with my managing editor and founder of Mascara, Michelle Cahill, at the Queensland Poetry Festival so we can go through the mechanical and technical aspects of on-line publishing. And of course learning the ropes of funding applications. It's actually a privilege to see the scope and quality of work that comes through to Mascara and I really enjoy being privy to that.