Rejection: An Ode

Dear Alexandria,

Thank you for letting us consider some of your work, but unfortunately we’ve decided not to publish any of these pieces.  I want to assure you that your work has been taken under careful consideration—at least two editors read each submission, and I’m always one of them. 

With so many poems coming in, the decisions are hard, and mostly subjective. Often what we’re looking for is balance within an issue, for a mix of styles and ideas that are as eclectic and unique as possible. The fact is, we only have room to publish about 1 out of every 250 poems we receive, which is as ridiculous as it is frustrating for everyone. However, we enjoy reading your poems as much as you enjoy writing them, and we don’t solicit work, so your submissions truly are our lifeblood; we hope you’ll keep sending new work as it’s ready.

 

Best Wishes,

XXX