[Ed Shacklee]

This question may have been asked before, but I’ve not been on the Sphere all that long, so I thought I’d ask:

When new journal announces a call for submissions -- especially when that journal has not put out an issue yet -- and at least says it’s not averse to formal poetry, what else do people look for when deciding whether to submit or not?

Myself, I think I generally fall into the “beggars can’t be choosers” category, and I don’t submit that much, anyway. I do have my standards, as the lady by the lamp post said, but they are generally lax. Besides, I like the idea of a new journal springing up, so if it has (or promises to have) a pretty face and/or a catchy name I’m likely to fall for it. Having strayed into a couple of dodgy places this way, though, I’d like to hear what others have to say, if they’d like to share.

Seeing a couple of new journals on the horizon prompted this thread, but the question is a general one. Which factors impress you favorably, and which ones do you think are reliable as warning bells?

Best,

Ed


P.S. Assuming anyone wants to participate, I'd like to keep this discussion general, unless you happen to want to praise a new journal rather than bury it.