We always get questions about cover letters and it’s only because of our work on both sides of the desk (poet and organizer) that we’ve began to understand this a little better. Yes, we work for The Watering Hole, but we have also worked for The South Carolina Review, Yemassee, among others. We’ve been through hundreds of cover letters. Hopefully, this will demystify them for you.
Cover letters change shape based on what you are applying for. Sometimes poetry submissions lay out exactly what they are looking for in a cover letter. Often they don’t. Always, check that organization’s guidelines.
In general for poetry retreats, residencies, and fellowships, the poetry is read first, then the editors make a shortlist of acceptances, after which the cover letters are read, and more cuts are made. However, for publication, the cover letters are only read a month after all acceptances have been made, when editorial assistants copy and paste bio information for the publication. Clearly, these need not be comprehensive. The poetry is most important. Check out these sample below. Note the “business letter” format, which we’ll discuss further at the end.
Cover letters can be anywhere from 30 words to 2.5 pages, depending on whether you are applying for publication (30 words to 1 page), retreat (up to 1 page), fellowship and residency (up to 2 pages), job (up to 2.5 pages), and so on.
Definites for Publication: You definitely need to end the cover letter with a list your submission poems’ titles. The cover letter’s primary function is to match the blind poems (which don’t name the author) with the author’s cover letter (which does name the author and all contact info). The editorial assistants separate these parts during reading and judging and need to be able to put them back together easily.
Optional for Publication: Optional elements to include for a publication cover letter would be a 30-75 word professional bio, and 3-5 places where you’ve been published. (Really? No more than 5? Yes. Really. Definitely. No flex zone.) If you haven’t been published yet, feel free to say that. Journals jump at the chance to “discover” a hot new poet.
Definites for Other Programs: On the other hand, for retreats, fellowships, and residencies the cover letter is very important. This is helps determine who makes the short-shortlist. In addition to the information above, these cover letters would add a brief aesthetics statement of who’s influenced your art and what you seek to accomplish within your poems (to contextualize the poems in your submission); what you do; where you work; and any work you do in the arts community. The acceptance committee is trying to find out what kind of person you are, whether you work well with other artists on a regular basis, how your personality and personal goals jive with the retreat’s spirit and objectives, how you can enhance and be enhanced by that community of artists, whether there might be any issues that could disrupt the feelings of community (i.e. ego, belligerence towards equals, etc.), whether you are the best fit for their program. You have to tailor the letter to their interests and goals. As we mentioned before, always check the organizations requirements.
Sidenote for Longer Cover Letters: After having read a ton of these, in longer cover letters, everyone says the same thing. “I’ve been writing since x grade/year. Since my teacher read x poem, it’s been my passion. love love blah blah blah. I write for love, expression, revolution. I couldn’t breathe. Writing is my air.” Everybody has this story. Cut it. Don’t tell your passion: give evidence of it. Think about what would be the best evidence in a court of law. Think FACTS=PASSION. Think FACTS=CHARM. “Since 2014, I have participated in a small livingroom reading group, which led to my interest in Afrofuturism. That has resulted in a publication in Pluck titled ‘Superwoman gives up tights.’” This method will help you say something that is unique to you and will therefore make you stand out.
Definites for Everyone: Finally, pay close attention to following the “business letter” format, even for e-mailed submissions—your name and address, e-mail, phone, their name and address, e-mail, phone, date, Dear Name of Actual Person In Charge, letter, Sincerely, your name and brief list of 1-3 resume affiliations/titles. A little bit of professionalism goes a long way.
If you are applying to our ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSIONS, the deadline is March 31, 2015. Since we are a budding grassroots organization, we don’t have a street address just yet, so don’t worry about that part of the cover letter you write for us.
Anyway, I hope this provides some clarity. I’ve included a sample below. Feel free to steal it. Good luck, poets! Hit us if you have any questions.
P.S. Don’t play with the font. Single-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point is standard. The smallest you can go is 11.5. Any smaller than that and people over the age of 50 get angry. And never put poems in the body of an e-mail. Always attach them as a Word document, unless you are told specifically to do otherwise.
Sample Publication Cover Letter:
[Your Name]
[Your Street Addy]
[Your Town, State, Zip]
[Your E-mail Addy]
[Your Phone Number]
[Your website if you have one]
[Name of Editor] <—-You want the editor or poetry editor
[Job Title]
[Journal/Magazine Title]
[Department if applicable]
[Their Street Addy]
[Their Town, State, Zip]
[Their Country if outside of the U.S.]
March 1, 2015 <—-This should be the date that you send the submission
Dear [Name of Editor]:
I’ve enclosed my [fiction/nonfiction/poetry] submission for publication in [Journal/Magazine Title]. Included are [Titles of Poems]. My work has appeared in [3-5 Titles of other publications] among others. [*If submitting via mail] I’ve included an SASE for [response only/the return of my manuscript].
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Title if applicable]
[1-3 affiliated organizations or universities]
[Short Professional Bio written in the third person in case of publication] Ex. Jane Smith was born and raised in Camden, S.C. After graduating from Hilman College, she has studied poetry at VONA, Breadloaf, and The Watering Hole. Muffet currently works as an insurance agent and hosts open mic nights in Memphis, T.N.
^ ^ ^ If you choose to integrate this bio into the body of your letter (instead of the postscript), use the first person I.
If you need query letter help, check out our article on that!