Quartet is a new online literary journal featuring poetry by women 50 years and older. Each quarterly issue also includes an author interview and book review or essay. Their first issue went live earlier this year and is available to read online so you can get a feel for the types of work they publish.  They are currently open to poetry submissions for their next issue until May 8.  Women age 50 and over are invited to submit up to three unpublished poems per submission period. For more information, see my interview with Co-Editor Jane C. Miller and a link to submission guidelines below.

HOPKINSON: How/why was Quartet originally started?

MILLER: Quartet Editor Linda Blaskey hatched the idea for the journal six years ago with the goal to expand publishing opportunities for women 50 years and older. It was only after Linda, Gail Braune Comorat, Wendy Elizabeth Ingersoll and I collaborated on a poetry book Walking the Sunken Boards (Pond Road Press, 2019), that we decided to turn our attention to this new venture. The journal features up to sixteen poems, four of which are highlighted as editor’s choice. Another distinction is our use of artist statements in lieu of bios where our contributors share their creative journey and identify writers who have most inspired them. We round out the journal with an author interview and book review or guest essay.

HOPKINSON: Who is your target reader audience?

MILLER: We want to attract adult readers. Just as there should be no limit to the ways in which people identify as women, so there should be no limit to the audience for their work. We choose to showcase the poetry of women 50 years and older because their work reflects a lifetime and the freedom earned by experience to express it.

HOPKINSON: Does Quartet have a theme(s)?

MILLER: The work we seek is eclectic and not tied to themes. But from time to time, the art in our journal may be topical in nature. In our spring issue, Quartet will feature the art of Cherokee artist Shan Goshorn in recognition of May 5th as Remembrance Day for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls.

HOPKINSON: What type of work are you looking for?

MILLER: We want to publish poems with distinctive voices, interests and energy that turn simple subjects into meditations, that above all, engage the reader in discovery. Work can be narrative, lyric, formal or experimental, but must reflect a devotion to craft and economy that makes every word count.

HOPKINSON: What do you wish you’d see submitted, but rarely comes in?

MILLER: We are so new it is hard to generalize, but we would like to see more work from outside the U.S. and from marginalized voices.

HOPKINSON: What are some of your favorite lit mags/journals?

MILLER: Summerset Review, Waxwing Journal, Mojave River Review, Whale Road Review, Popshot Magazine, Small Orange Journal, Free State Review, Gettysburg Review.

HOPKINSON: What is your favorite part of being on staff with Quartet?

MILLER: We love watching submissions fill our in-box. The anticipation of reading and selecting work is like waiting for a holiday to begin. Finding poets we admire who we might not otherwise discover is a gift we can enjoy and give to others.

HOPKINSON: Where can women ages 50+ send submissions?

MILLER: quartetjournal@gmail.com

HOPKINSON: If someone has a question, how can they contact you?

MILLER: Contact Editor Linda Blaskey at linblask@aol.com

Click here to read submission guidelines.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: May 8, 2021

Submission periods are as follows:

January 8th to February 8th
April 8th to May 8th
July 8th to August 8th
October 8th to November 8th

FORMAT: online

SUBMISSION FEE: None

PAYMENT: We regret we cannot pay, except in gratitude for sharing your poetry with us.

ISSUE FREQUENCY: Four times a year: January 5, April 5, July 5, October 5

AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME: Two weeks after submission period ends.

SUBMISSION METHOD: Email

SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Yes, but let us know promptly if work is accepted elsewhere.

FORMS: “We accept most poetic forms and welcome a diversity of voices and experiences.  Multiple perspectives enrich the content of our journal, and expand notions of who women are and what they have to say about the past, present and future. Due to journal format restrictions, concrete poems may present a challenge, but one we welcome to take on.”

DUOTROPE: https://duotrope.com/listing/32061/quartet-journal

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