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Editor Interview: Clade Song

Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.

poems of natural magic

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

Black Tongue Review, Caliban, Fourteen Hills, Poecology, Perihelion, e-ratio, PANK, Diode, Diagram, Forklift Ohio, Jubilat, Paper Darts, Guernica, Textsound, Notre Dame Review, String Poet, The Bakery, Terrain, Plume, Dark Matter Journal, Penduline, Loaded Bicycle, Rattle Magazine, Rhino, Devil's Lake, Los Angeles Review, Otoliths, Out of Nothing, New American Writing, Parthenon West, Boston Review, Dirty Goat, Conduit,

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

Charles Simic, George Kalamaras, Forrest Gander, Christopher Dewdney, Ken Babstock

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

We focus on "experimental" (adventurous) writing that nods at the natural world, be it animal reference or larger ecological picture. I'm looking for the kind of risk that animals have to live with every day as potential prey.

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

Free yourself from precedent about what poems about nature should do, then aim a keen eye at the inner workings of a mysterious natural force. In short, be a Taoist linguist.

Describe the ideal submission.

The ideal submission is one which balances concerns about how language is used with thematic considerations and heads out into the wild. Then sprinkles a little multimedia on top.

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

Many miss the focus on natural themes (even better if explicit reference to an animal is mentioned) or doesn't try to push the limits of where language might like to go walkabout.

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

A little backstory is nice but not absolutely necessary. However, one of the reasons we have started this magazine is to cultivate an online community of writers. It's nice to get a sense of the person standing behind a poem.

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

I read all of it. Often several times at different instances to see if I might have missed something or if my mood got in the way of appreciating it the first time.

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

Always a consultation with my co-editor Joshua McKinney.

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

A day in the life is spent between many different projects and responsibilities.

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