Spring 2018 Rejections: One Story, Kenyon Review, Tin House, The Missouri Review, and Other Literary Journals

Welcome to The Rejection Quarterly, Spring 2018 edition.

Sharing rejections shares the effort behind submissions and makes celebrating acceptances even sweeter. What kind of literary journal rejections are you seeing? On the road to publication, why not “publish” the rejections themselves?

Here are the various rejections I collected from March 2018 – May 2018.

Encouraging Rejection from Lumina: Speculative Fiction Contest

47-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for submitting Duskwing to our Speculative Fiction Contest. Unfortunately, your piece wasn’t selected as a winner, but we’re sure that your work will find the right home.

We appreciate your interest in LUMINA Journal, and we encourage you to submit to LUMINA again in the future.

All the best,
The LUMINA Team
http://luminajournal.com

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“Please submit more”

---

Rejection from The Iowa Review

95-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for allowing us to consider your work. Though we find we are unable to use it, we consider it a privilege that you thought of us and regret that the volume of submissions precludes a more personal reply.

Sincerely,
The Editors
Iowa Review

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Bethesda Magazine: Short Story Contest

51-day response time

Hi,

Thank you for your submission to Bethesda Magazine’s Short Story Contest. The judges have made their selections, and your story was not among those chosen this year.

We encourage you to enter the contest again in the future.

Best,

Kathleen Neary

Bethesda Magazine

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from The Nottingham Review

25-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for providing the opportunity to read ‘A Damn Fine Town’.

After careful consideration we have decided not to accept this for publication.

Regretfully, the volume of submissions we receive does not allow us to send a personal response every time. This is one such non-personal response.

Reasons for passing on a submission can vary greatly, and I know that phrases like ‘This didn’t work for us’ or ‘This isn’t a good fit’ are unhelpful. Sometimes, however good the writing is, a story just doesn’t grab the editors enough to want to publish it under the name of their publication.

We consider it a privilege that you thought of submitting your work to us, and we wish you the best of luck placing this elsewhere.

Regards,

Spencer Chou
Editor

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Encouraging Rejection from The Missouri Review

161-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for letting us consider “within & without” for publication in the Missouri Review. We enjoyed reading it, and though it doesn’t quite fit our needs at this time, we hope we will have the chance to read more of your writing in the future.

Sincerely,

The Editors

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“Please submit more”

---

Rejection from Arts & Letters

42-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for giving us the chance to read your work; unfortunately, it doesn’t meet our needs at this time. As you know, we read a great number of quality submissions, and we can only accept a small fraction of them.

We hope you’ll keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter (@artslettersGC) and check out the website for updates and news: artsandletters.gcsu.edu.

Wishing you and your work the very best,

The Editors
Arts & Letters

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Harvard Review

294-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for submitting your work to Harvard Review. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept it for publication. We hope you will bear in mind that we are only able to publish a fraction of what is submitted to the journal. We wish you all the best and thank you for your interest in Harvard Review.

Kind regards,
The Editors

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Encouraging Rejection from Popshot

25-day response time

Hi Art
Thank you for your email. You’re right – I need to send an email everyone with an update. We have finally decided on the content for The Truth Issue, and I’m afraid we couldn’t fit Duskwing in. We enjoyed reading it, though. I particularly loved the title. Good luck sending it to another potential home. Sorry not to have been able to say yes this time. We very much hope you will consider submitting for future issues.
Best
Laura

Laura Silverman
Editor, Popshot
www.popshotpopshot.com
Social media: @popshotmag

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“Please submit more”

---

Rejection from The Laurel Review / Fearsome Critters: A Millenial Arts Journal

6-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for sending us “The Blackboard Epilogues.” We appreciated the opportunity to read your work and consider it for publication in Fearsome Critters. After careful review by our staff, the submission unfortunately does not meet our stylistic needs at this time. We wish you the best of luck with this piece and all your future writing endeavors.

Sincerely,

The Editors
Fearsome Critters

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Encouraging Rejection from One Story

127-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov:

Thank you for sending us “Terminus”. We really enjoyed this piece, but we didn’t feel it was right for One Story.

We hope that you will continue to send us your work.

Sincerely,

The Editors of One Story

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“Please submit more”

---

Rejection from Ninth Letter

109-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thanks for submitting your work to Ninth Letter. We’re sorry this submission wasn’t right for us. We appreciate your interest in our magazine, and wish you the best of luck placing your work elsewhere.

Sincerely,
The Editors
Ninth Letter

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Vestal Review: Flash fiction submitted by immigrants

1-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for sending us “lying is the girl”. Unfortunately we will not be able to use this work for Vestal Review. We receive many well-written, compelling stories, but can only take a very limited number due to constraints of space and style. We wish you the best of luck in placing your story elsewhere.

I really wanted to like the fellow immigrant’s story.

Sincerely,
Mark Budman
Vestal Review

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Tin House 2018 Summer Workshop

37-day response time

Arthur,

I wish I were writing with better news today, but we are unfortunately unable to accept your application for admission into our 2018 Summer Workshop program. With an acceptance rate of less than 15% so far this season, we have had to make many tough decisions regarding a robust and talented applicant pool.

To give you some perspective on our application process, we have four judges (three of which are different each year) who vote on the manuscripts. While this in no way is a perfect method, I feel it does help democratize admissions, as it is just not me deciding year after year.

I wish you only the best as you pursue your literary goals the rest of the year.

Sincerely,

Lance Cleland
Director
Tin House Workshops

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Epiphany

29-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for submitting your work “A Damn Fine Town.” While it doesn’t fit the needs of our current issue, our editors enjoyed reading it. We wish you luck in placing it elsewhere.

Sincerely,
The Editors of Epiphany

Visit our site to order single issues or subscriptions: http://epiphanyzine.com

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Strange Horizons

10-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for submitting “Duskwing” to Strange Horizons, but we’ve decided not to accept it for publication.

We appreciate your interest in our magazine.

Sincerely,

–Lis Wheeler

First Reader, Strange Horizons
fiction@strangehorizons.com
Submission guidelines: http://www.strangehorizons.com/submit/fiction-submission-guidelines/

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Encouraging Rejection from Tin House

205-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for sending us “Nevernight.” Unfortunately, we have decided to pass on this submission.

Thank you, also, for your patience in waiting to hear back from us. Submittable generally makes managing the many submissions we receive each year much easier, but we are lucky enough to receive so many submissions that the process still takes some time.

We look forward to seeing more of your work in the future—in fact, submissions are open now.

Sincerely,

The Editors at Tin House

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“Please submit more”

---

Rejection from Boulevard

83-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you very much for sending “Nevernight” to Boulevard. Although it was not selected for publication, we’re glad you thought of us. Good luck placing this with another magazine.

Sincerely,

The Editors

Boulevard
www.boulevardmagazine.org

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from The Gettysburg Review

314-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for letting us consider “Terminus.” We regret that it does not suit present needs.

Best of luck with it and your other work.

Sincerely,

The Gettysburg Review

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Kenyon Review

159-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for submitting “Terminus” to the Kenyon Review. We regret that we are unable to publish your submission.

It is part of our mission to read every manuscript that is submitted to us, and your work has received careful consideration.

We appreciate your interest in the Kenyon Review. We wish you good luck finding a home for “Terminus” elsewhere.

The Editors

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Encouraging Rejection from Vestal Review: Flash fiction submitted by immigrants

6-day response time

Well written, but we have no idea what it’s about. The reader’s comments:

Too bad, considering the use of imagery–but if the images don’t lead to some kind of coherence, what’s the point?

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“Please submit more”

---

Rejection from The Normal School online

128-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Many thanks for submitting “A Damn Fine Town” to the The Normal School Online. Unfortunately, it doesn’t serve our needs at this time.

Best Wishes,
Krystal Cantu
Co-Online Managing Editor
The Normal School

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from The Normal School: print

129-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Many thanks for submitting “Terminus” to the The Normal School. Unfortunately, it doesn’t serve our needs at this time.

Best Wishes,
The Editors
The Normal School

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Five Points

346-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for sending us “Dawnsong”. We appreciate the chance to read it. Unfortunately, the piece is not for us.

Thanks again. Best of luck with this.
Sincerely,
Five Points

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from The Sun

40-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thanks for sending us “The Price of Chivalry.” We’re sorry to say that this submission isn’t right for The Sun.

This isn’t a reflection on your writing. The selection process is highly subjective, something of a mystery even to us. There’s no telling what we’ll fall in love with, what we’ll let get away.

Writing is hard work, and writers merit some acknowledgment. This note doesn’t speak to that need. Please know, however, that we’ve read your work and appreciate your interest in the magazine.

We wish you the best in placing your writing elsewhere.

The Editors
The Sun
thesunmagazine.org

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from The Pinch

32-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for sending us “within & without.” Although we appreciate your interest in The Pinch, we are unable to publish your work at this time.

We’re aware that writing is hard work, and that often these letters do not reflect the time and care put into your submission. Nonetheless, we thank you for thinking of us, and we wish you the best of luck placing your work in the future.

Best wishes,

Marisa Manuel
The Pinch Journal
http://www.pinchjournal.com

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Encouraging Rejection from Midwestern Gothic

68-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for submitting “Nevernight” to Midwestern Gothic, and for your patience. As you know, we are reading on a bi-annual submissions basis now, so we received a great many pieces.

Please know that your work is important to us, and it has been given careful consideration. Unfortunately, while we appreciated the chance to read it, we’re going to pass on it at this time.

Again, thank you for your interest in Midwestern Gothic, and for sending your work into us. We encourage you to submit again when submissions open back up after our temporary hiatus (stay tuned for announcements on the website).

We wish you the best of luck in your writing pursuits.

Robert
Midwestern Gothic

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“Please submit more”

---

Rejection from Sonora Review: “The Future” contest

70-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for submitting your story, “Terminus,” to the Sonora Review Fiction Contest. We appreciated the chance to read your work, but unfortunately this piece was not chosen for publication.

We wish you the best of luck in placing this piece, and with your writing.

Sincerely,
The Sonora Review Editors

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from The Black Warrior Review

61-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for your interest in Black Warrior Review, and for taking the time to send us your work. Unfortunately, after careful review, we have decided the submission isn’t a good fit for us at this time.

We wish you the best of luck placing your work elsewhere.

Sincerely,

Chase Burke
Black Warrior Review
bwr.ua.edu

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Sewanee Writers’ Conference

44-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov:

Thank you for applying for a scholarship to the 2018 Sewanee Writers’ Conference. We are sorry to report that our readers were not able to offer you a Tennessee Williams Scholarship in fiction.

We very much appreciate your interest and hope you will please consider applying for a scholarship another year.

Sincerely,
Wyatt Prunty, Director
Sewanee Writers’ Conference

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Colorado Review

16-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for sending us “furl & unfurl.” We’re sorry we can’t use it, but we appreciate having the opportunity to consider it.

Sincerely,
The Editors
Colorado Review

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Copper Nickel

64-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for sending us “within & without”. We appreciate the opportunity to read your work, but unfortunately this submission was not right for us.

Thank you for thinking of us, and—

Best wishes,
The Editors of Copper Nickel

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Encouraging Rejection from Lumina: online

39-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for submitting WINC-FM to LUMINA Online Journal Vol. 8. Unfortunately, your work wasn’t right for us at this time, but we’re thankful to have had the chance to read it.

We appreciate your interest in LUMINA Journal, and we encourage you to submit to LUMINA again in the future.

All the best,
The LUMINA Team
http://luminajournal.com

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“Please submit more”

---

Rejection from Granta

129-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to consider ‘Terminus’. Unfortunately, this particular piece is not right for the magazine.

We wish you the best of luck with your writing.

Yours sincerely,
Granta Magazine
www.granta.com

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Encouraging Rejection from 100 Word Story

92-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for sending us “Counting”. We appreciate the chance to read it because we believe that making art is such a daring, wonderful act.

It’s difficult for us because despite the number of great pieces we receive, many of them don’t quite fit into our editorial needs. We’re glad you thought of us, though, and hope that you’ll submit again. We receive too many manuscripts to make individual comment possible, but we do wish you luck in placing this with another magazine.

Thanks again. Best of luck with this.

Sincerely,
100 Word Story

P.S. Please follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/100-Word-Story/213141275370389) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/100word_story).

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“Please submit more”

---

Rejection from Hobart

41-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for sending us “The Blackboard Epilogues.” We appreciate the chance to read it. Unfortunately, the piece is not for us.

Thanks again. Best of luck with this.

Sincerely,
Mallory Brand
Hobart

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Washington Square Review

105-day response time

Dear Author,

Thank you for submitting your work to Washington Square. We appreciate the efforts that have gone into this piece. Unfortunately, it is not a fit for our upcoming issue. Please be assured that your story was read thoroughly and given careful consideration by our editorial staff. We wish you the best of luck finding a home for it elsewhere.

Sincerely,
The Editors
Washington Square Review

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejection from Gulf Coast

78-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

Thank you for sending us “Nevernight”. Ultimately we didn’t feel it was the right fit for Gulf Coast at this time.

We’re sorry that the number of submissions we receive makes it impossible to respond in great detail. Good luck with all your writing endeavors.

Thanks again.

Sincerely,

The Editors
Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts
https://gulfcoastmag.org/

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Encouraging Rejection from typishly

2-day response time

Hello Arthur.

Thank you for sharing your creativity with us again. Regretfully, we won’t be able to publish your work this time around. Interesting story, though. This was an excellent line: “…we looked up at a curly brunette of about fifty in an indigo dress whose black dots sucked up our conversation.”

Be well. Be creative. Have a terrific summer.

jon
editor | typishly
typishly.com

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“Please submit more”

---

Rejections from The Missouri Review: Miller Audio Prize

71-day response time

Dear Arthur Klepchukov,

On behalf of the Missouri Review’s editorial staff and our prize judge Avery Trufelman, I’m pleased to announce the winner and runner-up in each category.

DOCUMENTARY
Winner: “sobre la guayaba y la gente gay” by Stefania Gomez
Runner-Up: “Let It Beep” by Mark Bramhill

POETRY
Winner: “Date Paintings” by Julie Moon
Runner-Up: “Fragments Torn From Sky” by Rob Shapiro

PROSE:
Winner: “The Roof of the World (Part 1)” by Claire O’Connor
Runner-Up: “Don’t Know Tough” by Eli Cranor

HUMOR:
Winner: “Book Club” by Adam Frick
Runner-Up: “Black Folks Ain’t Always Late” by Jonathan Samuel Eddie

The winning entries and runners-up will appear on the Missouri Review’s website this summer. We were impressed and inspired by the strong writing and innovative use of audio in the entries we received. Thank you for your submission, and we hope to read and listen to more of your work soon.

Sincerely,

Kate McIntyre
Managing Editor
The Missouri Review

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Rejections from Electric Literature

30-day response time

Dear Arthur,

Thank you for submitting your story, “”The Price of Chivalry” and “lying is the girl”,” to Electric Literature, though it was not chosen for publication in our journal. We appreciate the opportunity to consider your work.

Sincerely,

Editors,
Electric Literature

The Rejection Whisperer interpretation:
“No, thanks”

---

Not enough rejection? See Rejection Wiki or Literistic’s Great Wall of Literary Rejection.