We will allow a little flexibility in the length of your poem or short story if it is excellent.
Excellence is our main criterion.
But, like all editors, we have preferences. We like poems that have stunning images and original use of language, which are then woven together with economy and strength. We like fiction that is fairly short, tightly woven with characters, meaning, and symbolism. If we like your work but think it needs a bit of tightening, or just needs a couple of words fixed before we can publish it, we may send it back with a brief critique, requesting that you take a look at it from our point of view. We like to engage in dialogue with you about your work if we think it is good enough to publish.