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Journal info: New Delta Review, out of Louisiana State University's creative writing program, online at http://www.english.lsu.edu/journals/ndr. They read submissions August 15 to March 25.
I wasn't overly impressed by the work in this issue. I read this first out of all the journals I picked up at AWP because I had a really good conversation with the editor, Craig, who encouraged me to send them nonfiction (ie, he said they don't get much nonfiction at all and the chances of placing an essay with them are much higher than the chances of placing a poem). Based on our chat, I expected (or rather, hoped) the essay by Mark Powell would be good, and that was true--probably the best thing in the issue. I didn't really like the other nonfiction piece, and I didn't like any of the fiction at all. It seemed mostly of the "rugged men unable to connect with others" variety (even the one about the gay high school kid, surprisingly), which just doesn't interest me. Some of the poetry also fell into that category, but some of it was decent, I thought. Notably:
- 'Leaning to Earth in Her Hair' by Mark Taksa
- both the poems by Collin Kelley
- 'Three Out of Four Marriages End in Divorce' by Jennifer Rudsit (really liked this one)
- 'The Tale of the First Bread' by Julie R. Platt (I liked her other poem, 'Snake Shed', too, but this one was just striking to me)
- 'The Bowl is Already Broken' by Julia Delacroix (wow)
The issue was kind of seriously back-loaded; Platt, Delacroix, and Powell's essay were the last pieces (before the book reviews), and I thought everything at the front of the issue was rather sub-par. If I hadn't been determined to read the whole thing I might have stopped and missed the good stuff. Don't know how I feel about that.
Also, there seemed to be a proofreading problem. Nothing too awful, just extra spaces and poor punctuating, but that says to me a lack of care. And if I had been editing some of those stories--well, I'm not a fiction writer, but I have a good ear for dialogue, and those stories could have used an editor. S'all I'm saying.
Conclusion: I will probably send them work. The poetry from my thesis is almost certainly as good as the worst of what was in this issue. I may send them nonfiction. I have a limited supply of nonfiction at the moment, so I'll have to see about that. More reading to do before I send anything, I think, but if I want to send them anything I'll need to get it in the mail soon to make the current reading period. That's probably good; if I keep it in mind I'll stay motivated to send things.
I wasn't overly impressed by the work in this issue. I read this first out of all the journals I picked up at AWP because I had a really good conversation with the editor, Craig, who encouraged me to send them nonfiction (ie, he said they don't get much nonfiction at all and the chances of placing an essay with them are much higher than the chances of placing a poem). Based on our chat, I expected (or rather, hoped) the essay by Mark Powell would be good, and that was true--probably the best thing in the issue. I didn't really like the other nonfiction piece, and I didn't like any of the fiction at all. It seemed mostly of the "rugged men unable to connect with others" variety (even the one about the gay high school kid, surprisingly), which just doesn't interest me. Some of the poetry also fell into that category, but some of it was decent, I thought. Notably:
- 'Leaning to Earth in Her Hair' by Mark Taksa
- both the poems by Collin Kelley
- 'Three Out of Four Marriages End in Divorce' by Jennifer Rudsit (really liked this one)
- 'The Tale of the First Bread' by Julie R. Platt (I liked her other poem, 'Snake Shed', too, but this one was just striking to me)
- 'The Bowl is Already Broken' by Julia Delacroix (wow)
The issue was kind of seriously back-loaded; Platt, Delacroix, and Powell's essay were the last pieces (before the book reviews), and I thought everything at the front of the issue was rather sub-par. If I hadn't been determined to read the whole thing I might have stopped and missed the good stuff. Don't know how I feel about that.
Also, there seemed to be a proofreading problem. Nothing too awful, just extra spaces and poor punctuating, but that says to me a lack of care. And if I had been editing some of those stories--well, I'm not a fiction writer, but I have a good ear for dialogue, and those stories could have used an editor. S'all I'm saying.
Conclusion: I will probably send them work. The poetry from my thesis is almost certainly as good as the worst of what was in this issue. I may send them nonfiction. I have a limited supply of nonfiction at the moment, so I'll have to see about that. More reading to do before I send anything, I think, but if I want to send them anything I'll need to get it in the mail soon to make the current reading period. That's probably good; if I keep it in mind I'll stay motivated to send things.
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no subject
Date: 2007-03-06 03:19 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2007-03-06 07:05 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2007-03-06 05:32 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2007-03-06 07:02 pm (UTC)From:And yeah, we should definitely exchange submission info. I picked up scads of flyers at AWP, so I'll hook you up. Once I hook myself up. :)
Right now I'm reading the Fairy Tale Review, and OMG it's amazing. The kind of journal I will send poems to in the desperate hope that they accept my poems because everything they print is just so good. I'm already excited about posting about it. :)