The Liminal Review publishes fiction and creative nonfiction to 5,000 words, short prose, reviews, poetry, marginalia and illustrations, etc.. “The Liminal Review is a literature and arts journal (print) that is looking for the things that are made in the in-between spaces. We want your abstract feelings, your bent encounters, your thoughts on anything.” Read the complete guidelines here.
SQF: Why did you start this magazine?
TLR: The Liminal Review was started to provide a unique space for emerging and underrepresented voices in Irish writing and art (although we are open to submissions globally). We want to provide that space. As queer arists ourselves, we have hugely benefitted from our community and the encouragement of our peers, and understand how vital it is to carve out space for a publication that carries this ethos forward.
SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?
TLR: Originality - We’re not going to list all the tired stock tropes that have appeared in short stories over and over again, but generally we are looking for stories that go beyond the expected and known. Liminality is universal, the personal minutiae of it is the extraordinary.
Voice - finding and developing a voice takes time, practice and vulnerability. A strong voice will always stand out above writing that might try and mimic what is currently seen as a desirable style. Consistency of tone, tense and intention is also crucial. Authenticity fosters voice and voice fosters authenticity.
Commitment to the work - Anyone that has ever sustained a writing practice knows that commitment is of vital importance. We are interested in pieces that showcase this commitment. Submitted pieces should have been worked and revealed themselves through it. There is no use sending first drafts, or a hastily pulled together submission, because it is immediately obvious that these pieces are just not ready yet. Of course, being able to commit to writing is a largely privileged state, and we try to offer feedback and edits to writers that struggle with these particularities.
SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?
TLR: Submissions that make it evident that the person submitting has not read our submission guidelines. Small lapses permitted, we try to be accommodating and supportive to people who might not be familiar with the processes of submitting to literary magazines and journals.
The other thing is carelessness. We can tell if a submission was just hastily thrown together to meet a deadline. We take great care in reading, discussing and considering every piece submitted to us. We ask the same of those submitting to us in return.
SQF: What do you look for in the opening paragraph(s)/stanza(s) of a submission?
Again, voice. The beginning of a piece needs to be the equivalent of an opening car door when hitchhiking in the countryside: Thrilling / inviting / unsettling / comforting. (One of these, at least)
SQF: Is there a particular type of submission you’d like to receive more of?
TLR: Poetry is currently our most popular submission category, although we have also received a good bit of fantastic fiction and short fiction so far. Creative Nonfiction, with its murky definitions and opaque edges has brought us some interesting pieces as well but we understand it as a developing category as of now. Creative Nonfiction that is able to combine personal writing and universality is something we know (from our own experience) many emerging and marginalised voices struggle with. Creative Nonfiction is a genre which favours those who have been encouraged to self-consider and then tell their story, which is, let’s face it, not the majority of emerging and marginalised folks. We hope to change that and are always open to submissions that are potentially in need of further encouragement and polish in this category in particular.
SQF: What are your plans for the future of The Liminal Review?
We are currently working on producing our first issue which is due to be published in late summer/early autumn 2021. A yearly “special issue” whose theme will be announced once submissions open is also in the works. Additionally we’re planning on offering no-/low-cost clinics and workshops for artists and writers who would like to develop a piece further but feel unsure or stuck when approaching the editing process.
Thank you. Alix and Shauna. We all appreciate your taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.
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