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Editor Interview: phoebe

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

A: Substance with Voice

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

A: I admire the work of New Millennium, Ecotone, Catapult and A Public Space, McSweeney's and Black Warrior Review. But, really, since there are so many literary journals, I feel like I can discover more I like everyday, and more great writers featured within their pages. I also put a lot of stock in the full artistic culture of a journal, so I'm intrigued by publications like American Chordata--the photography and art mixed with the creative writing in the journal speaks to the fact that we are all artists and lit journals are venues that celebrate art.

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

A: Oh, what a difficult question. I grew up in love with John Steinbeck, then moved on to an obsession with Steven King and writing of dystopia and apocalypse. I've read Brave New World about ten times. Now, I'd choose to answer with names like Octavia Butler and Kelly Link, Jonathan Safron Foer, Bill Buford, Tommy Orange, Barbara Kingsolver, Atul Gawande, David Mitchell, Jessmyn Ward, Rion Scott, Bret Anthony Johnston, Lauren Groff, and I could go on forever.

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

A: At phoebe, we pride ourselves in not only discovering new voices with sharp great talent, but also in maintaining relationships and support for writers we've published in the past. We also celebrate art--the visual and written in all its forms. We accept genre submissions and flash, experimental essays and poetry in every form. We want to find the best work, no matter its label.

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

A: Write so to pull in your reader immediately, not with pure shock value alone, but by cracking into the true substance of the piece right away--the character's desire and struggles.

Q: Describe the ideal submission.

A: It's a piece that knows its layers, that has been worked by the writer without showing the effort. The piece is quirky and sharp so to better highlight the talent in voice, the description, the plot development, the meaning. It reads as if the writer has been possessed by the art, and in response, so then will be the reader. (This makes great writing sound like magic, but we know it is hard work and smarts...it just sometimes reads like magic)

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

A: Emailing us submissions when we are closed. We are housed at George Mason University, so during the summer when we are closed, it is because we are not in our office, we are not reading, and we can't take submissions by mail.

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

A: The best cover letter is short and sweet: four-five sentences about who the writer is as a writer, with some previous credits (if applicable). The work is what matters. If the writer has never been published before and we love their work, we are happy to be their first publication credit.

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

A: We have a small team of readers who read at least the first few pages of each piece, if not each piece entirely. There are some submissions that we can tell right away aren't ready or don't fit what we are looking for. Also, we have a few sets of eyes, including at least one genre editor's, hit each submission before rejecting it, understanding that judging creative work is subjective.

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

A: The pieces that are most liked by readers and genre editors are then assigned to other editors and readers, casting a wider net for input. The most liked from that pool are then discussed in a decision meeting, in which editors and readers talk out their reader responses and opinions so to find the best work for publication.

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

A: As editor-in-chief, I read less and manage more. I handle more of the business side of the magazine, while the genre editors are reading and managing readers and editing and soliciting. My work is different each day--handling budget concerns, ordering from printers, reaching out for interviews and book reviews, scheduling meetings, etc. etc. However, I still pop in to read. I can't help myself. I want to know what treasure can be found in the oceans of submissions.

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

A: I think it is important to have our spoons in both pots. At phoebe, we still print issues. There is something beautiful and satisfying in holding your work in your hands, in our writers being able to hand someone their work on the page, to feel the bend of the spine when reading. However, we also are currently revamping our website, so to better embrace the current need for digital reading, for a stronger online presence from literary magazines.

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

A: We look for work that is polished and thoroughly developed. Still, we do work with writers to line edit and provide copy editing and proofreading, but we want work that is for the most part done in our eyes. If edits are suggested by our editors, we do ask for approval from the writer or we ask the writer to make those edits in their own way.

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

A: Yes, we nominate work for Pushcart Prizes and Best New Poets, and we have our own Spring contests every year, each with a cash prize of $500.