SQF: Why did you start this magazine?
Joe Baumann: I worked as an assistant editor for an online magazine when I was a graduate student and felt like I learned a lot about writing by reading submissions and wanted a way to continue to do so; I was also starting a teaching job and was trying to build a program and opportunities for our creative writing students to get some great industry experience, and thus the magazine was born.
SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?
JB: First, language. I want stories that pop with attention to specificity of scene and action--I think of Julia Elliott and Ramona Ausubel as some of the supreme language users of modern short fiction. Then, I want a story whose magic appears very early on; too many stories get bogged down in back story in the first few pages rather than introducing a clear premise from the get-go. Finally, I want something that resonates on a deep, human level. There needs to be some insight into the human experience that I feel being tugged toward when I get to the end.
SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?
JB: Is it cheating to say a lack of any of the three above? The Gateway Review only publishes magic realism, and when I don't see that magic appearing in the first few pages, I'm rather likely to stop reading pretty quickly.
SQF: What magazines/zines do you read on a “regular” basis?
JB: I read the big names, just like everyone else--Tin House, Glimmer Train, etc. But I also love Barrelhouse and Zone 3, along with Lunch Ticket on the e-zine side.
SQF: Many editors list erotica, or sex for sex sake, as hard sells. What are hard sells for your publication?
JB: Silly humor is a hard sell for us, as is strict fantasy and science fiction--people also confuse post-apocalyptic writing as magic realism, which is weird to me. We're not fans of the "gotcha" twist, either (it was all a dream! The narrator is crazy! Whatever).
SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?
JB: Is a cover letter important to us? Yes. I don't just want a bio. I want a submitter to take the time to address the human beings reading their work on the other side.
(I also want them to be sure they know what magic realism, fabulism, and surrealism are--we reject more stories for not being in that category than we do for any other reason.)
Thank you, Joe. We all appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.
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