Six Questions for LK Shaw, Founder/Editor, Shabby Doll House

Shabby Doll House publishes prose, poetry and art. 

(Ceased publication)

SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?

LK Shaw: I want pieces which are interesting from the first sentence, because I know that when a person chooses to read a short story or poem online, they could be looking at anything else on the internet instead, and it’s so easy to get distracted. 

I’m interested in work about the human experience. I look for writing which feels relatable while covering ideas or emotions or circumstances I haven’t read about before.

If I can read something that’s very sad and very funny at the same time, I’m in heaven. 

But of course, there’s no formula. I read each submission hoping to be surprised. 

SQF: What most often turns you off from a submission?

LKS: If the language used feels too high-flown for my taste. I want the writing on Shabby Doll House to feel accessible and unpretentious. 

SQF: Will you publish a submission an author posted on a personal blog? 

LKS: We prefer to publish new material. But if you have a blog which nobody reads and you already posted your writing there, you should just let us know. We’ll still consider your submission.

SQF: This past summer you and your co-editor, Sarah Jean Alexander, sponsored a reading at the Mellow Pages library in Brooklyn. Is this something you plan on doing again?

Yes, definitely. 

The Summer Reading at Mellow Pages was our second Brooklyn reading. 

I think that what Matt and Jacob are doing at Mellow Pages is really special and important. Having our event there made it feel less like a traditional poetry reading and more like a really great party, which is the sort of atmosphere I prefer.  

The next reading will be in London though, at some point during the Winter months. 

We also have two mixtapes of readings by our contributors available here. 

SQF: What magazines do you read most often?

LKS: I have been reading stories and poems at Hobart Pulp and Noncanon Press a lot recently. 

I also read a lot of interviews from The Believer and The Paris Review.

SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?

LKS: These questions were lovely. Thank you. And of course, there’s a lot more information on our website.

Thank you, LK. We all appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.

NEXT POST: 1/31--Six Questions for Adam Berlin and Jeffrey Helman, Editors, J Journal: New Writing on Justice