Six Questions for Nathalie Lawrence, T.L. Thompson, and M Sweeney, Founding Editors of Unfortunately, Literary Magazine

This is an updated post from the original published in July.

Unfortunately, Literary Magazine publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and imagery. Their only requirement is that you get your work rejected at least once before submitting it to them. Read the complete guidelines here.

SQF: Why did you start this magazine?

Nathalie Lawrence: After countless rejections and trouble breaking into the writing industry, we realized we wanted a community and a place to grow that we weren’t really seeing out there. We wanted people to realize that rejection wasn’t the end of the process, but the beginning. You can read a little more about our ethos here, as well.

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

NL: 

• Strong voice

• Unlikeable characters

• Unique form/structure

We like to see people take risks. Works with these characteristics are often polarizing, so it can be difficult to find a place for them. We want work that doesn’t fit in. We also have wish lists you can check out here, though they aren’t exhaustive. Your work might be the thing we didn't even know we needed in our lives.

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

NL: 

• Waif writing— the kind of breathy writing that pays way too much attention to itself.

• Women as plot devices or any variation of “She walked breastily.”

• Motivations or plot points that aren't consistent with the internal logic of the piece.

• T.R.A.S.H. writing (transphobic, racist, ableist, sexist, or homophobic work).

SQF: What do you look for in the opening paragraph(s)/stanza(s) of a submission

NL: Something engaging. “Engaging” is subjective, but starting with physical action, a clever turn of phrase, or dialogue can’t hurt. Making us laugh is also a good tactic. 

SQF: Many editors list erotica, or sex for sex’s sake, as hard sells. What are hard sells for your publication?

NL: Erotica is actually fine if it’s written well! Prose poetry is a hard sell for us, though. We’re not against it, but it’s hard to find it executed in a way that resonates with us. A random paragraph ≠ prose poetry. The language should embrace elements of both forms.

We like horror, but torture porn and the like are a no-go for us.

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

NL: Why should writers submit to your magazine?

We provide feedback to anyone who asks for it after we send them our response.

At the end of every piece we publish, we provide a short statement about why we accepted the work. We’ve heard a million times that the writing industry is subjective, but we want to make it clear what stood out to us.

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