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how we are different
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1. We're different from anthologies such as Best American Short Stories and Pushcart (both of which we greatly admire) because we don't require our stories to be published in literary magazines before they come our way. Considering the rather conservative bent of the more prestigious literary magazines, we hope this open-door policy of ours will enable us to consider excellent work that might have been overlooked otherwise.
2. We will not accept (and therefore are not beholden to!) university funding, or donations from members of the privileged class, or grants from organizations or corporations. We fund ourselves, which allows us to be courageous in publishing stories we believe readers, rather than benefactors, will enjoy.
3. Unlike short story venues that not only accept but also encourage donations from writers submitting to them, we don't accept donations of any sort. In other words, no writer can or will buy their way into our pages.
4. We abhor the "I'll accept yours if you accept mine" horse-trading that results in the publishing of mediocre stories. We hereby pledge never to engage in anything of the sort.
5. We strive to be writer-friendly. Toward this end, we encourage simultaneous submissions, multiple submissions, recently published work (reprints) as well as work that has been rejected hundreds of times. In fact, we suspect that it's among the latter that some of the coolest American stories hide. We also pledge to respond to writers asap, particularly with rejections--so that writers can proceed toward writing their next story. If we're "holding" your ms to see if it'll make the cut, we'll let you know and try to work with you regarding this. We believe that if everyone in publishing treats each other with respect, the products of publishing might be more satisfying for readers.
6. We are certainly open to working with upstart writers without MFAs, as well as veterans of publishing who've been so influenced over the years by academia and literary publishing they fear they've lost their cool and want to get it back. We serve our stories, sometimes with thorough editing, because, as we see things, a story's quality and appeal is more important than the egos of its publishers, its editors, and its author.
2. We will not accept (and therefore are not beholden to!) university funding, or donations from members of the privileged class, or grants from organizations or corporations. We fund ourselves, which allows us to be courageous in publishing stories we believe readers, rather than benefactors, will enjoy.
3. Unlike short story venues that not only accept but also encourage donations from writers submitting to them, we don't accept donations of any sort. In other words, no writer can or will buy their way into our pages.
4. We abhor the "I'll accept yours if you accept mine" horse-trading that results in the publishing of mediocre stories. We hereby pledge never to engage in anything of the sort.
5. We strive to be writer-friendly. Toward this end, we encourage simultaneous submissions, multiple submissions, recently published work (reprints) as well as work that has been rejected hundreds of times. In fact, we suspect that it's among the latter that some of the coolest American stories hide. We also pledge to respond to writers asap, particularly with rejections--so that writers can proceed toward writing their next story. If we're "holding" your ms to see if it'll make the cut, we'll let you know and try to work with you regarding this. We believe that if everyone in publishing treats each other with respect, the products of publishing might be more satisfying for readers.
6. We are certainly open to working with upstart writers without MFAs, as well as veterans of publishing who've been so influenced over the years by academia and literary publishing they fear they've lost their cool and want to get it back. We serve our stories, sometimes with thorough editing, because, as we see things, a story's quality and appeal is more important than the egos of its publishers, its editors, and its author.