Camille Ralphs of the Times Literary Supplement
“There is no arguing when it comes to taste. Or is there?
Agents & Editors Recommend
A dependable source of professional and creative advice, this regular series features anecdotes, insights, tips, recommended reading and viewing for writers, and more from leading agents and editors.
Stevie Edwards of the South Carolina Review
“My personal experiences with having my poems judged and edited based on criteria that seemed tangential to my aims as a writer have inspired me to try to read widely and diversely so that I can understand the choices being made in many different types of poems. It’s my goal as an editor to give every poem a fair shake, to meet it and evaluate it on its own terms.
Tammy Lai-Ming Ho of Cha: An Asian Literary Journal
“Surprise the editor with your pitch and don’t take rejections personally. Journals will always be happy to see you again, and editors love developing mutual relationships with their writers.
Saba Keramati of Sundog
“Editing is an open dialogue: I suggest a line break or title change because I am rooting, deeply, for your work. I want it to be understood and seen. Feedback is a form of love, and it is through love that we strive to make things into the best versions of themselves.
Sean Wai Keung of Gutter and Middleground
“Ask yourself why you want to submit a particular poem to a particular magazine, as well as who you imagine will encounter it.
Darlene Chan of the Linda Chester Literary Agency
“I recommend something quite simple: rewriting.
Alia Hanna Habib of The Gernert Company
“I often advise writers to avoid opening their proposals with a description or synopsis of the book, which is the format you usually see when you Google ‘book proposal.’
Sean Sam of 128 Lit
“Consider how you might sidestep tired tropes...and create a text that resists oppressive tradition while pulsing with joy and its painful entanglements.
Sarah Ghazal Ali of West Branch
“Write into what compels you, but reach behind your initial thought, behind the initial impulse toward a certain image or phrase.
Nicole W. Lee of Four Way Review
“The most vital element is that you’ve spent the time to percolate your voice and your poems...