Bad Lilies

Poetry

Standard (?)

2021

We do hope this email finds you well, and thanks so much for sending us your work, which we enjoyed reading. And we are so glad you've been enjoying our bouquets - thanks so much for this lovely feedback! It means a great deal to us.

We've been inundated with submissions for this latest window, far beyond our expectation. We continue to be torn between the strong poems we receive and the small space we have available to showcase a selection from our favourites for coming issues. Unfortunately, we’re decided not to publish your poems on this occasion. It's an incredibly tough call for us with every window, and we know you will be sympathetic to that. We're also certain your poems will find a great home.

We'd like to thank you again for sending to Bad Lilies, and we send all our warm wishes for the festive season ahead and for 2022,

Kathryn and Andrew

2022

Dear [poet],

I hope this finds you well.

Thanks so much for sending us your work. We’ve received a high volume of submissions again for this window. As you know, we publish a (relatively) small selection of poems each issue. This means that inevitably – and regrettably – there is much strong work we’re not in a position to showcase, and although Andrew and I are not offering you publication on this occasion, we’re keen to emphasise this context and to tell you that we really enjoyed spending time with your work, which we hope (and expect) will find a great home. Thanks, too, for such lovely feedback. We really appreciate it!

Thank you once again for thinking of the Lilies, and with all good wishes, Kathryn

maybe higher?

Thanks so much for sending us your work – we really enjoyed reading it.

We’re continuing to receive an increasingly high number of submissions with every window we open. While we’re (of course!) pleased to see this, it also means that we’re faced with the unenviable task of declining much good work, given that we publish relatively few poems each issue, and I’m afraid that we’ve decided to decline on this occasion.

I know you’ll be sympathetic to our constraints, and I want to thank you so much again for sending to the Bad Lilies, and for your interest in our journal: we really appreciate it.

Warmest wishes,

Kathryn