This interview is provided for archival purposes. The listing is not currently active.
Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.
A: Almost dark/almost light.
Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?
A: In no order: A Capella Zoo, Dancing Girl Press, Parabola Magazine, Black Ocean, Handsome, Word Riot, Cervena Barva, Poets & Artists Magazine, Moon Milk Review, Blood Lotus, Patasola Press.
Q: If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?
A: Fiction: Isabel Allende, Camus, Jean Christopher Valtat, Duras, Marquez, Kafka, Viscount Lascano Tegui. Poetry: Cesar Vallejo, Pablo Neruda, Bishop, Neruda, Nin, Mallarme.
Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?
A: We will always love beauty and craft no matter how trends come and go.
Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?
A: Know your aesthetic. Have an aesthetic. Be bold and bloody. Be real. Talk about dreams. Talk about fears. Don't be vacant. Have a nice cover letter, too.
Q: Describe the ideal submission.
A: Neat and clean cover letters are nice. Something with sound and blood. Something that knocks us over, something that blooms every time we read it.
Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?
A: They don't read our guidelines.
Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?
A: I like some personality. I also like a concise - not rowdy - publication bio.
Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?
A: I read it until my gut and experience tells me it's right or wrong for CLJ. That doesn't mean it's not right for anyone else.
Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?
A: I think the content is the only important element in online publishing. For our book press, Patasola Press, we look at if the author is active in self-promotion.
Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?
A: Reading, a lot, re-reading. Being inspired by what I read. Writing kind rejection and acceptance letters.
Q: How important do you feel it is for publishers to embrace modern technologies?
A: I think it's completely necessary to embrace modern technology. New things do sweep in and sometimes we must keep up.