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If I had a subscription to Western Humanities Review, I’d be cancelling it about now. I love literary journals and subscribe to many–very many–and believe it is important for writers especially to support them. I also understand, since I work for one, that they are under a lot of pressure and often inundated with submissions from folks just like me. So I live with the dehumanizing process of tiny, badly-photocopied rejections slips that some times take a year to arrive. I don’t like it, but I live with it. But some journal behavior just isn’t acceptable.
Today I received a small note in the SASE that I had sent with a submission (which I had already withdrawn by email, I might add, since the story was accepted elsewhere) in February to WHR:
“Thank you for your interest in Western Humanities Review. Due to a backlog and an upcoming special issue, we must regrettably send back your work. Please send us your work again in September, 2006.”
I don’t think I’ll be doing that. When I submitted this piece in February there was no mention on their website of an early close to WHR’s reading period, which runs to May 1. I checked the website again just now, and there is still no mention of early closure. This is intolerable. Curses on you, Western Humanities Review If you are open to submissions, you should be open to submissions.
