Skip to Content

Editor Interview: IthacaLit: Lit with Art

This interview is provided for archival purposes. The listing is not currently active.

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

A: Connection in poetry/art.

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

A: Rattle, The Literary Review, Poetry, The Crab Orchard Review, Art News, Artist-A-Day

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

A: Poets: Natasha Trethewey, Lauren K. Alleyne, Renee Ashley, Tracy K. Smith, Shane Book, Cate Marvin, Terrance Hayes,Theodore Roethke, Patricia Smith, Sylvia Plath, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Allison Joseph. Artists: Benon Lutaaya, Michel Delgado, Cindy Sherman, Joshua Bronaugh, Modigliani, Manet, Brut Art, Expressionism, Photography.

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

A: The Difficult Fruit Poetry Prize award of $1000 for the winning poem!
And, in each issue, we publish new work from a well established Featured Poet & Featured Artist. We also publish nonfiction that speaks about writing & art in process as well as great interviews. We continually promote our writers' & artists' new work -new books, events, & awards.

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

A: We prefer clear language & brilliant imagery that encourages readers to connect with the human spirit in all its diversity, rather than poetry that uses lofty language, setting itself apart from the contemporary conversation.

Q: Describe the ideal submission.

A: The ideal submission contains poems that are striking. The words & images invite one to recognize & revisit the poet's perception of our own & others' experiences, navigating the journey to a place that connects us to what feels like home within each of us.

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

A: We do not accept epic poems or poems that overtly reference "ivory tower" ideals.

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

A: We like to know the professional facts. We don't need to know a lot about the poet to recognize good writing. We get to know all our poets, who soon become members of our community, after their work is accepted.

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

A: Honestly, if the poet has funky (pointless) formatting, a copyright symbol indicating amateur or immature writing, or starts off with generic images, we stop right there.

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

A: We have two managing editors vet the pieces after our in-house readers give it a thumbs up.

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

A: A lot of email. We query poets for feature spots. We spend time looking at art, seeking our featured artists. We constantly maintain our archives & work with interns who help with social media upkeep. And, of course, we're always reading submissions in Submittable.

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

A: It's the best! Submittable, for example, is key to running our business. We explore whatever technology will help IthacaLit reach its readers & engage new readers.

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

A: We don't. If a poem speaks to me, in particular, but has a line or word that's off, I'll ask the poet if we can collaborate to edit that bit.

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

A: We do nominate our poets for the Poetry Society of America's annual awards.