Welcome to Third Reader

July, 2008

We knew this would happen.

The number of submissions we receive at Third Reader has already started to grow substantially, so we've decided that as of July 1, we are no longer going to provide written comments about every piece of poetry or flash fiction. We will, however, continue to offer written critiques of selected submissions, if the editor who reads it feels compelled. We will still comment on all short stories, and we have no plans to discontinue that practice, no matter how many submissions we receive.

To see the editors' comments on your submission, please log in and click on the "Your Submissions" link at the right.

June, 2008

We've started reading the submissions for our second issue, and it's great to see how many talented writers there are, particularly in the state of Michigan. Last month we contacted many of the state's colleges and universities to let them know about our journal. The professors we reached in turn informed their writing students, and we've since been the recipients of many stories and poems, most of which are of excellent quality.

Of course we're still open to writers from around the world, and everyone's submission is valued equally. So keep the great stories and poems coming in. Our second issue deadlines on July 1, and we'll make our decisions in the weeks following.

May, 2008

Our inaugural issue is now posted! We had a better than expected response from writers and poets, and received several hundred submissions. Thanks to our editors spreading the word the word to their networks, news about Third Reader was all over the Internet. We received submissions from the United States, Canada, England and India. It was a bit of work reading through all of them, but it was worth it. We believe we have an excellent offering of short stories by Martin Thomlinson and Z Kelley, and poems by Cornelius Fortune, Christine Purcell, Maryann Mason and Matt Turner. The work of these talented artists is posted on the Current Issue page.

We've also received quite a few positive comments from writers about our review process. Thanks to our web genius, Richard Decker, the system allows editors and writers to communicate about their work. Instead of submitting and waiting, and not hearing a thing until the acceptance or rejection arrives, we allow members to view the editors' comments on their own private account pages as the work is reviewed, and in some cases work directly with editors to improve their writing. Most of the people who've commented have felt that the system is wonderful and the editors' remarks have been very helpful. If you'd like to see what some of our contributors think about the system, please visit the Member Comments page.

Our philosophy is to comment on almost every submission. We believe writers deserve to know what the editors thought about their work. Want the full story? Go to our Philosophy page and see.

We're now open for submissions to our Summer issue. The deadline to submit is July 1. To become part of the Third Reader community, please click on the Register link at the right. Then you'll be able to submit stories and poems. Please see our Guidelines page for information on what we accept, and our Submissions page for specific instructions on how to send to us.