You Could Have Been A Contender!

The Spring issue of the Blue Collar Review is in progress but there are three very fine poems that I had to pull from the collection because the authors did not bother to read our Submission Guidelines.

In this case, the authors failed to put their name and address on the poem so that I have no way of knowing who wrote it. The poems, now sitting in the ashcan of questionable history are: "Invocation," "Droning On" and "9 am Break, Line 3, Engine Assembly".

Guidelines exist for a reason. If you are sending us, or wish to send us your writing, it is important to know, not only what we are looking for but our basic requirements. As an editor, I try to catch this kind of thing and, if the poem or prose are astounding in quality, write in the missing info. Otherwise it is rejected and, if not accompanied by the obligatory self addressed stamped envelope, tossed and forgotten. I find it maddening after the work of assembling a strong collection, to find that a piece has no listed author.

If one of these poems is yours, take some time and review our Submission Guidelines before sending anything else. Also, you may fess up and send me your name and address because these are really good poems.