About our selection process:
Round 1: The poems submitted via the form are collected in a spreadsheet. At the end of the submission period, each whiptail editor reads each poem in the submissions pool multiple times. Each editor is allotted a certain number of “yes” votes to distribute among the pool. On individual copies of the spreadsheet, editors vote on the poems they wish to appear in the journal using a scoring system. The scoring sheets tally across the 3 editors’ sheets into a combined sheet. Once all editors have completed voting, the results are revealed. Poems with 2 votes or more pass to Round 2.
Round 2: Poems are discussed with consideration of originality, technique, meaning, timelessness, value added, and overall aesthetics. Editors may discuss potential minor edits that do not alter the meaning, style, or intention of the original poem. Each editor has one personal “save” to include a poem that they feel strongly about that may not have passed into Round 2.
Selected poems are moved to a shortlist document without names (poems only) at which point any organic themes that arise enable the grouping and sequencing of poems. At this stage, the editors may add to or remove poems from the shortlist to curate the final issue. Thought is given to how the poems engage with each other on the page in order to deepen and enrich the final reading experience.
Once the final sequences are complete, names are added back to the poems, and authors are contacted with acceptances or suggested edits. All submitters are then notified by email of the complete list of authors for the issue. This list is later posted to social media.
Each sequence is moved onto its own page on the whiptail site and the rest of the issue is formatted.
Round 1: The poems submitted via the form are collected in a spreadsheet. At the end of the submission period, each whiptail editor reads each poem in the submissions pool multiple times. Each editor is allotted a certain number of “yes” votes to distribute among the pool. On individual copies of the spreadsheet, editors vote on the poems they wish to appear in the journal using a scoring system. The scoring sheets tally across the 3 editors’ sheets into a combined sheet. Once all editors have completed voting, the results are revealed. Poems with 2 votes or more pass to Round 2.
Round 2: Poems are discussed with consideration of originality, technique, meaning, timelessness, value added, and overall aesthetics. Editors may discuss potential minor edits that do not alter the meaning, style, or intention of the original poem. Each editor has one personal “save” to include a poem that they feel strongly about that may not have passed into Round 2.
Selected poems are moved to a shortlist document without names (poems only) at which point any organic themes that arise enable the grouping and sequencing of poems. At this stage, the editors may add to or remove poems from the shortlist to curate the final issue. Thought is given to how the poems engage with each other on the page in order to deepen and enrich the final reading experience.
Once the final sequences are complete, names are added back to the poems, and authors are contacted with acceptances or suggested edits. All submitters are then notified by email of the complete list of authors for the issue. This list is later posted to social media.
Each sequence is moved onto its own page on the whiptail site and the rest of the issue is formatted.
