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Editor Interview: TriQuarterly

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

A: Cultural inquiry

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

A: Granta
Creative Nonfiction
Paris Review
Tampa Review
Words Without Borders
Tin House
Glimmer Train
Southern Quarterly
Exquisite Corpse
Electric Literature
Narrative
Guernica
Joyland

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

A: We admire the work of all of our contributors and have a particular admiration for those who push the boundaries in terms of form and language. For examples of writers who exemplify what we're looking for, turn to: Bonnie Nadzam, Bryan Hurt, Christian Winn, Kristen Arnett, Debra Deblasi, Tracy K. Smith, Kaveh Akbar, Paige Lewis, and Safiya Sinclair.

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

A: Lately, we've been receiving an incredible amount of very high quality work through our Submissions page. We're excited about this trend and love publishing unsolicited work. We look for work with a global perspective, and work that comments--uniquely--on the state of our culture. (Much to comment on these days.)
We also publish video essays, which present a compelling mixture of art forms.

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

A: Send us something we haven't read before, written in a voice we haven't read before. We pay close attention to the quality of the prose so mind your lines. As always, a strong opening will grab our attention.

Q: Describe the ideal submission.

A: Enthralling prose and imagery, fully drawn characters. We want work that resonates, so that the reader carries it around with them after they leave our site. Particularly in the case of creative nonfiction, we want narratives that speak to the reader, allowing them to relate in some way.

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

A: They sometimes underestimate how much work we receive, and therefore how long it may take to read and a come to a decision on their piece. With so much great work out there right now, we need to read and discuss deeply before coming to a decision. We also receive a lot of solid work that's simply not right for us. Each journal has its own character, and we're looking for pieces that fit ours.

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

A: This varies by editor. Some of our editors actually prefer not to read cover letters for fear that credentials will sway their opinion of a piece. Others look at them because the list of publications may provide some sense of the writer's aesthetic, some idea of what to expect going in. We're honestly not turned off if there are no prior publications listed, though. We love discovering new voices.

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

A: We've been reading to the end a lot more lately, which is testimony to the quality of the work coming our way. That said, if a piece doesn't grab us within the first few pages, it's not likely to get better. We usually stop reading.

Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?

A: Before being accepted each piece must pass through our initial reading phase, our second reading phase, and our editorial board.

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

A: Our online format allows us to provide a depth of experience that we simply couldn't provide in a printed format. Readers can listen to audio clips of poets reading their work. They can watch video essays that combine every art form from writing to animation to visual art to dance. We recently announced the launch of a *complete* archive of past issues, which not only allows readers to page through issues dating all the way back to 1958, but provides a valuable, searchable research tool. We're also thrilled about the exposure an online format gives our contributors. Work gets passed on through social media and sometimes that brings incredible opportunities for the writers behind the work.

Q: How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?

A: We accept pieces that are pretty much publication ready. Pieces go through copyediting before publication, of course, but we don't accept a piece if it needs significant revision.

Q: Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?

A: Yes. We nominate for Pushcart, Best of Web and a few others.