What do you look for first in a piece of fiction? What about poetry?

What do you look for first in a piece of fiction? What about poetry?

The first and last thing we look for in either category is quality. There is really no template. Indeed, most of the pieces that seem to fit a template end up being rejected. Working with different guest editors each time leads us to publish slightly different things; each guest editor brings a unique sensibility to their issue. They all have slightly different taste but they have been remarkably good at picking out the best pieces from each batch we have received. Despite a certain level of subjectivity that is involved with selecting pieces, quality is quality and tends to stand out.

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