Skipjack Review publishes fiction to 3,000 words, poetry up to 10 double-spaced pages, graphic narrative, and flash fiction/flash memoir to 1,000 words. “. . .everything we publish at Skipjack Review must have within its radar a reeling concern for the world around us.” Read the complete guidelines here.
SQF: Why did you start this magazine?
Skipjack Review: The three of us are ravenous readers and writers, and outdoors lovers, so starting a nature-focused lit mag has always been a collective dream. We’ve been blessed to be a part of River Pretty Writers Retreat for the past decade or so, and in that time we’ve transcended friendship and come to know, appreciate, and trust each other’s creative and academic judgment. So, you might say we started Skipjack Review because the timing was finally right.
SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?
SR: Three things we look for in a submission are:
1. Something new or original
2. Heart
3. A higher Truth
When reading a submission (or any work at all), the hope is to quickly stumble onto something so jarringly True that we either want to re-read the line or start over at the first word and really extend our feelers. The “Heart” aspect ought to bleed through in every line. Readers might catch glimpses of the “Higher Truth” from time to time throughout a piece, but by the end, it should shine in such a way that is still in our eyes when we look away, like an afterimage.
Skipjack Review is a journal of environment, earth, and spiritual currents. We aren’t all that strict with our submissions, but actively search for writing that reflects these elements.
SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?
SR: We’re turned off when a piece feels flashy but offers little to nothing beneath the surface. Think of a Bradford pear tree. These trees grow up quickly and have pretty flowers, but their softwood and weak branches cannot keep them upright in a windstorm. They smell bad too.
Big moments and feelings must be true and have a purpose, but this isn’t to suggest that every piece of writing is an artifact to be studied. If, as readers, we start to notice lines that offer little or no lasting merit, the best parts of the piece are too often overshadowed.
SQF: What do you look for in the opening paragraph(s)/stanza(s) of a submission?
SR: We want to hold our breath and be pulled underwater in the first few lines. Like cannon-balling into a cold river, we want to finish a piece and realize we still have not taken a breath, to gasp. When we finally do suck in air, we want to be new (and hopefully better) people based on what we’ve experienced.
To put it simply, we want the first paragraph to knock us off our feet, draw us in, and be held captive until the last line.
SQF: Are there any genres/topics you’d like to see more of (or less) in the submissions you receive?
SR: We would like to see more short prose including fiction and nonfiction. In particular, we’d like to see more cli-fi (climate science fiction), but nearer to slipstream than traditional or hard sci-fi. We’d like to see funny, but serious, little stories in the vein of “The Petrified Ants” by Kurt Vonnegut, “Roog” by Philip K. Dick, and even “Lawn Mower Man” by Stephen King.
We want stories that involve some aspect of nature on the surface but also touch upon human nature. Above all, Skipjack Review is a journal about Environment. Our sweet spot is where exterior and interior worlds meet and the friction this causes. We would like to showcase more serious environmental queries as well. But when it comes to such seriousness as the earth’s plight, we think it’s important to maintain a sense of humor even when the boat is taking on water.
Also, we’d like to see more comic submissions! Graphic narrative has the upper hand in expressing nature themes. Think of Calvin and Hobbes walking through a wooded watercolor landscape. We want panels following the sun’s workday, ants’ quests, and an uncle’s drunken campfire stories… Ship ‘em our way!
SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?
SR: “What are spiritual currents anyway?”
“Spiritual currents” is open to interpretation and can be metaphysical, electric, or altogether unquantifiable–think of it as the fluid movement of creative inspiration. We are nature-loving writers and readers who are inspired by the heavenly bodies of water in the Ozarks–our spiritual currents. Art is natural and nature is art. The water and the gills.
We aim to foster this sort of spiritual cultural criticism in the sense of self-discovery and rational discernment. Yes, we want to publish nature writing and otherwise caution against the capitalistic values and short-sighted detritus of modern times. We firmly believe change begins within and grows voice by voice.
Thank you Emily, Jimmy, and M. M. We all appreciate your taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.
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