trash to treasure lit publishes poetry, prose, personal essays/memoirs, creative non-fiction, and micro/flash fiction. “trash to treasure lit wants the writings that you self-rejected, deemed ‘not good enough’, trashed, binned, or have forgotten about.” Read the complete guidelines here.
SQF: Why did you start this magazine?
Samantha Lee Curran: I started trash to treasure because of how 'elitist' and intimidating the publishing industry can be. When I first started submitting my writing, I was overwhelmed by the calibre of work in the journals/magazines I was submitting to, and was discouraged by their submission guidelines, which often cited to 'only send us your best work'. That request often had me doubting whether or not what I was hoping to submit was my 'best work', and if not, did I even have something better in me? It's difficult to get your work published, especially as an emerging writer with no publications to their name. I wanted to create a space for writers (emerging and established) to celebrate the work they had deemed 'trash', which may not fit the guidelines for any other journal/magazine. I believe that every writer has 'trash' that others can treasure. You may have a piece of writing that you read and think "Why the hell did I write this? No one will care about it", but a reader out there will find a purpose in it, someone will appreciate what you have written and that you have put it out into the world.
SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?
SLC:
1. Emotion. Emotion is crucial in any piece of writing. Even if a submission doesn't necessarily evoke an emotion in me, if I can tell that writing it meant something to the author and that they've poured themselves into it, then that's what I'm looking for. Why else write?
2. Intent. Every piece of writing should be written with intent. There are submissions that I receive where I can tell it was written for the sake of it; the author had an idea and ran with it, even though it had no substance. A poem/short story/personal essay, isn't going to stand out if it isn't written with intent and it will fall flat. When you're writing a piece, always ask yourself why.
3. Clarity. It can be easy to get lost in something that you're writing. The details can be contradictory, the story can become muddy, and you can end up somewhere that doesn't connect to the beginning. I look for clarity in anything that is submitted. When the author is confused and unclear on what the piece is saying, then the reader will be too, and you won't reach anyone.
SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?
SLC: What turns me off to a submission is when someone is submitting work that is obviously trash; meaning, they have put no effort into the piece, they do not care about the piece they are submitting and are only submitting for the sake of it. Also, if someone does not include a reason as to why they trashed the piece then I am inclined to decline - the whole purpose of the journal is to open the conversation around why we as writers doubt or 'trash' our work.
SQF: What do you look for in the opening paragraph(s)/stanza(s) of a submission?
SLC: Honestly, nothing in particular. I make sure to read every submission wholly without allowing the opening paragraph or stanza to steer my opinion. I think that making a decision based on the opening can taint your view on the remainder of the piece, and you may miss out on some incredible writing/storytelling due to that.
SQF: Many editors list erotica, or sex for sex sake, as hard sells. What are hard sells for your publication?
SLC: I haven't come across any hard sells for trash to treasure as of yet. We are open to anything that comes across our submission inbox, but that doesn't mean there might not be a hard sell in the future! What is completely off limits, though, is racism, antisemitism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, bigotry, xenophobia, sexual assault, abuse, or hate speech of any kind.
SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?
SLC: I can't think of anything at the moment, I believe the questions you asked covered the most pressing topics on the subject. I will say that trash to treasure exists to encourage and cheer on writers and is honoured to be a home for any 'trashed' pieces. Thank you Jim for creating this space for editors to explain their publications and for writers to gain a better understanding of the process.
Thank you, Samantha. We all appreciate your taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.
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