The Debate

Frank Barry's The Debate

Poems started going out today, 9 June 2005, in order of submission. Remember that if one out of nine editors rejects a poem that is it. Finito. Like in the big leagues, except that no one can pull for you. Because anyone can submit to Little Emerson, including editors, I will need a minimum of two rejections on a poem before I communicate the rejection to the author. Rejections, of course, mean absolutely squat. That’s why Little Emerson is. I may even submit. No one knows. I won’t like being rejected, but so what. I’m keeping statistics of poems submitted and rejected—hell that will be most of them—as well as editors’ comments on poems. Remember that editors need only say “no” and that’s it. You’re rejected. That’s so much power, isn’t it? I’ll post some editors’ comments here without identifying the editors so everyone can see what is being said. Unfortunately I can’t publish rejected poems for privacy and confidentiality reasons. It’s exciting though I’m having trouble with concepts: there is a name behind every rejection. And sometimes, of course, I just simply don’t agree with the editors. Their call. Good luck.