Sou'wester

Since 1960, Sou’wester has consistently published some of the best poems, short stories, and creative nonfiction being produced. Almost every issue includes one or more interviews, most recently with Julie Otsuka, Jane O. Wayne, R.T. Smith, and Li-Young Lee. SW regularlypublishes special topics issues, such as “The Long Poem and the Short-Short Story,” and, in Spring 2006, “Contemporary Catalan Poetry in Translation.” Sou’wester is meticulously produced and strives for elegance and excellence on and between the covers. Our only literary creed is excellence. We don’t favor particular schools or groups or movements any more than we favor the established writer over the up-and-coming writer. We believe that one needn’t throw out tradition to achieve work that is startling. Similarly, our consistency and stick-to-it-iveness guarantee only the best kind of predictability: with every issue our job is to orchestrate a prime reading experience, period. And writers whose work appeared in Sou’wester Volume 37 can count on the appearance of Volume 38 (as much as you can count on anything), two issues worth, fall and spring.

Poetry rejections

Standard

Put text here.

Higher Tier

Dear ---,

Thank you for choosing to submit your work to Sou’wester. As writers ourselves, we know that limited resources keep us sending work only to magazines we truly admire, and we appreciate the support your submission implies. We depend on submissions like yours to keep our magazine full of fresh voices.

Although we enjoyed reading your poems, we unfortunately don’t have a place for your pieces in our issue. Thank you for your efforts and good luck with your writing.

Best regards,

Sou’wester Editorial Staff

Even Higher Tier

Dear ---,

Thank you for choosing to submit your work to Sou’wester. As writers ourselves, we know that limited resources necessitate that we send work only to journals we truly admire, and we appreciate the support your submission implies. We depend on submissions like yours to keep our journal full of fresh voices.

Although we don’t have a place for these pieces, we found much to like in your work and we encourage you to try us again during the next reading period.

Again, thank you for sharing your work with us.

Best regards,

Sou'wester Editorial Staff

Prose rejections

Standard

2014

Thank you for choosing to submit to Sou'wester. As writers ourselves, we know that limited resources keep us sending work only to magazines we truly admire, and we appreciate the support your submission implies. We depend on submissions like yours to keep our magazine full of fresh voices.

We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to read your work. Unfortunately, we don't have a place for it in the journal. We thank you for submitting and continue to wish you well in your writing and in finding the right place for your work.

2012

Thank you for choosing to submit your work to Sou’wester. As writers ourselves, we know that limited resources keep us sending work only to magazines we truly admire, and we appreciate the support your submission implies. We depend on unsolicited submissions like yours to keep our magazine full of fresh voices.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a place for your work at present. Thank you for your efforts and good luck with your writing.

Higher Tier

2019

Thank you for choosing to submit to Sou'wester. As writers ourselves, we know that limited resources keep us sending work only to magazines we truly admire, and we appreciate the support your submission implies. We depend on submissions like yours to keep our magazine full of fresh voices. So many apologies for taking so long to discuss and deliberate. Although we don't have a place for this particular piece, we did find much to like and admire in your work, and we encourage you to submit again during our next open submission period which should begin in mid-August 2019. Thanks again for thinking of us, and we hope to see more of your work soon.