Write or Die Magazine (Forever Workshop)

Write or Die Magazine (Forever Workshop)

Poetry

Why Your Writing is Getting Rejected | Insights From an Indie Press Editor

with Kelli Russell Agodon, poet, editor and co-founder of Two Sylvias Press

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Kelli Russell Agodon and Write or Die
Aug 26, 2026
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Hey friends,

Welcome to another edition of Tell Us Something We Don’t Know… where we ask our favorite literary experts about their specialist subject.

Today, we're talking about the submissions process for indie presses with someone who has experience on both sides of the literary curtain…

Our Expert:

Kelli Russell Agodon (she/her) is a bi/queer poet, editor, book cover designer, and co-founder of Two Sylvias Press.

Two Sylvias Press is an independent press located in the Seattle area that publishes poetry, memoir, essays, books on the craft of writing, and creativity tools, including the bestselling resource for poets, The Weekly Muse.


Paid subscribers get access to the full archive and all new lessons!

The Takeaways:

  • Why the selection process is just as hard for editors as it is for writers!

  • The subjective reasons your work might be turned down (that has nothing to do with its quality)

  • How to deal with rejection (without catastrophizing)

  • Submission red flags to avoid

  • And how to make your poetry collection as strong as it can be

By the end of this Q&A, you'll have some new insights on the submissions process at an indie press, hopefully feel a little less angsty about sending your poetry collections out there!

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