[Magnus Brogie]

So I finally gathered a few poems and decided that I ought to send them around, beginning with the most ambitious venues and working my way down the list, having little hope of actually getting published anywhere near the top of the list but figuring that this method will at least get me published at the best venue that will take me, if there are any. After seven months I got this rejection from the The New Yorker:

"Dear Magnus,

We are grateful for the opportunity to read and consider your new work. We very much regret not being able to carry it in the magazine. We do, however, look forward to reading more when the time comes.

Sincerely,


Paul Muldoon, Poetry Editor
Elisabeth Denison, Poetry Coordinator"

Now I have to say that getting a rejection worded like this from TNY feels like an accomplishment, even though it's obviously not personalized. It seems to be more than a standard reply from the slush-pile intern. What are your experiences with rejection from either TNY in particular or in general? How are they normally worded? How much should I make of this rejection?