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Editor Interview: Hayden's Ferry Review (HFR)

Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.

A: eclectic, international

Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?

A: 9th Letter, Missouri Review, Bat City Review, Black Warrior Review, Third Coast, One Story, Ecotone. Lots more.

Q: If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?

A: Our editors change every year, so I don't want to speak for them. We admire all sorts of writers and writing.

Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?

A: Our commitment to international literature. Our commitment to art. Our commitment to the slush pile (nearly all of the work we publish is unsolicited). Our commitment to making every issue stronger and better than the one before.

Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?

A: Read us. Wait, just read. Write because you want to and because you're committed to the art, not because you want to get published. Know that editors want to like your work, and that we do not revel in rejecting it. Keep at it, always, if it is important to you. Support the writing community and other writers. Persistence pays off.

Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

A: Most submitters don't get things wrong, but the ones that do don't take the time to read our submission guidelines or don't take note of simple things: number of poems we accept, for instance.

Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?

A: Actually, we don't need to know anything about the person. Submishmash has a section for "comments," but we don't require biographical information or a list of previous publications. The work should speak for itself.

Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?

A: Every submission to HFR is reviewed by at least two people. Only in very rare cases do we not read to the end. Sometimes a work is very obviously not a fit (craft-wise, subject-wise), but our readers are required to give feedback on every submission, and that usually means they read it in its entirety.

Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?

A: A detailed behind-the-scenes look at our submissions process can be found on our blog here: http://haydensferryreview.blogspot.com/2011/07/twittered-questions-answers-revealed.html

Q: How important do you feel it is for publishers to embrace modern technologies?

A: Very important. The way people read and write is changing, and a lit mags goal, in part, is to find an ever-wider audience of readers.