The Writer’s Center’s
Assistant Director Sunil Freeman interviews E. Ethelbert Miller about the journal, which was founded in 1889
and is now published by The Writer’s Center. Miller and Jody Bolz have been Executive Editors of Poet Lore since 2002.
SF: You and Jody Bolz have co-edited Poet Lore for several years now. Have you seen any changes in the submissions
you’re receiving, and the poems you are accepting for publication?
EM: I think we are seeing an increase in submissions. I believe the
magazine is more “visible” to the literary community. One can find a Poet Lore table at the annual AWP
conference. That was not the case several years ago. A number of submissions
arrive because someone had a conversation with Jody at AWP. One thing I decided
about two years ago was to actively seek the submission of work from many well
known writers.
That’s how we obtained
work from Arthur Sze, Colleen J. McElroy and Terence Winch, and published it in our last issue (Spring
/Summer 2015); also in this issue one will find the poetry of Rira Abbasi
translated by Maryam Ala Amjadi. Maryam and I were social media friends and I
suggested her name to our translation editor Suzanne Zweizig.
In terms of themes, one
can read the submissions and conclude that quality healthcare in America will
continue to be a serious issue. There are many poems submitted about cancer and
elderly parents suffering from dementia.
SF: Poet Lore has a long
tradition of publishing translations. How do you see the journal
contributing to international, global dialogue?
EM: There was a period where we were not publishing translations. As you can see from our masthead we now have
a Translation editor: Suzanne Zweizig. Her work and contribution to Poet Lore’s success has been
exceptional. One thing we all agree on is that we want to move beyond just
having European languages represented in our journal. I think it’s important
not to simply think of Poet Lore as
the oldest poetry journal in America but also as an international publication
bridging diverse cultural communities together. I think it’s important to have
someone read the work of Rira Abbasi and not just think about Iran obtaining
nuclear weapons. The translation of poetry can be the key to opening someone’s
heart. It builds the foundation for loving in a common language.
SF: Roughly how many poetry
submissions do you receive, and what percentage of submissions are accepted?
EM: This is type of questions that now plagues baseball. Everyone wants numbers and stats. How many
African Americans play for the New York Yankees? If I gave you a percentage
what would it mean? Would a person look at the number of submissions accepted
and decide not to submit? We encourage
everyone to send poems. Jody and I read manuscripts without keeping score. I
like how Jody will often send a nice note of encouragement to a writer asking
for additional work.
SF: How quickly are poets
notified if their poem(s) are accepted or rejected?
EM: This is a good question to ask Genevieve DeLeon our Managing Editor who runs the office located
at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda.* One thing Jody and I will do prior to
meeting (in person) is share the names of writers whose work we read. If there
is a match and we both like a poem, then we can get back to that writer much
quicker than most magazines. What has quickened the time of notification is
that Jody and I exchange a considerable amount of electronic communication
these days.
SF: Some literary journals are
going entirely online, discontinuing their print editions. What are your
thoughts on this, and do you ever see this happening with Poet Lore?
EM: I’ve always
told people that Poet Lore represents
tradition. I imagine somewhere there are people who never relinquish their
fountain pens. As a baseball fan, I’m against the speeding up of the game and
the instant replay. I want to be associated with a magazine that one can smell
and touch. As the oldest poetry magazine in the U.S. we should uphold the
printed page and respect it the way folks respect the documents created by our
founders. For future scholars I think it’s important to have access to online
magazines. But hey – I still would like to place Poet Lore magazines inside hotels and on airplanes. There will
always be a difference between texting with one’s lover and actually sharing a
hug or kiss.
SF: Poet Lore has been the
first publication credit for some people who have submitted, and it also
publishes well-established poets. Can you describe the selection process,
Do you and Jody sometimes have disagreements
about which poems to accept, and how do you resolve them?
EM: Jody and I have never had a major disagreement about a poem. We
read aloud every poem that we are thinking about accepting. We often tinker
with stuff and send work back that has been submitted asking for changes and
even explanations. We also have the “passion rule” which gives one editor the
power to overrule the other. This is like a presidential veto one hopes to
never use.
SF: What advice would you give
to a poet seeking to publish poems or book reviews in Poet Lore?
EM: Read and subscribe to the magazine. Join our community even if
your work has yet to be included in our pages. I think it’s important for young
writers to write reviews. This is another way of improving one’s craft and
gaining a wider appreciation of published poetry. I remember when Jean Nordhaus
(our
book review editor) reviewed one of my early books of poems for the Washington Review. Her words were
insightful and critical.
I was happy to get the
feedback and ecstatic that someone had not only taken the time to read my work,
but also write about it.
SF: Who are some of the poets
you’ve been reading recently?
EM: Maybe I should just answer that by looking at the books near my
desk. There is a big pile. Here are two names: Abdul Ali and Kyle Dargan. I will be giving a talk this summer on the
life and work of June Jordan – so soon I will be doing nothing but reading
June’s poems as well as her essays. Well, let me mention that I love the poems
that regularly appear in Sun magazine
better than the ones in The New Yorker.
SF: You’re well known as a
poet, memoirist, editor, and activist. Could you talk a bit about these
aspects, and how they may complement each other?
EM: I guess this is what Audre Lorde might call – my many selves. I think what’s missing
but is central to what I do is that I’m African American and take pride in the
promotion and preservation of African American culture. I see blackness not as
a problem but as a gift – one that I must everyday share with the world.
SF: The current issue of Poet
Lore has a portfolio of poems selected by
Letras Latinas “PINTURA : PALABRA, a project in ekphrasis.” Are
there other collaborative projects planned in the future?
EM: Like Starbucks, Poet Lore
will continue to surprise its readers…
SF: Are there current writing
projects you’re working on that you’d like to mention?
EM: Right now I’m working with Kirsten Porter (Marymount University)
who is editing my Collected Poems for Willow Books. This book will be published
in spring 2016. A few months ago I started “The Aldon Nielsen Project 2015.”
It’s similar to the E-Channel that I undertook back in 2011 with the novelist
Charles Johnson. I interviewed him every day for an entire year. I encourage
everyone to pick-up a copy of The Words and Wisdom of Charles Johnson. Nothing like this has been done with a living
writer. A couple of years ago there was a panel to discuss the E-Channel at the
American Literature Association.
I consider Aldon Nielsen
one of the major critics of African American poetry. I was curious as to his
development from poet to critic. I’m sending questions to Aldon on a monthly
basis – so the project is not as ambitious as the one I undertook with Johnson.
Still, I find it amazing
and Big Fun.
SF: Thank you!
*Managing
Editor Genevieve DeLeon: We do our very best to turnaround
submissions—whether they are rejected or accepted—within 3 months.
E.
Ethelbert Miller is a literary activist. He is the board chairperson of
the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and a board member of The Writer's Center. Miller and Jody Bolz are
co-editors of Poet Lore magazine. He
was director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University from
1974 to 2015. Mr. Miller is the former chair of the Humanities Council of
Washington, D.C. and a former core faculty member of the Bennington Writing
Seminars at Bennington College. He is editor of several anthologies, and author
of several collections of poetry and prose, including Fathering Words: The Making of an African American Writer, The 5th
Inning, and How We Sleep On The
Nights We Don’t Make Love.
