To all poets: Never get discouraged
This is from Gemini 3.0:
If Billy Collins—a two-term U.S. Poet Laureate known for accessibility, humor, and narrative clarity—submitted his best work under the name “John Doe” to a random mix of 100 literary journals today, here is the harsh statistical reality:
He would likely be rejected by 85% to 95% of them.
Here is the breakdown of why:
1. The “Aesthetic Mismatch”
Billy Collins writes “accessible” poetry. It is clear, often funny, and typically ends with a turn that invites the reader in.
- Avant-Garde Journals: If he sent to journals like Fence, Conjunctions, or even Neologism, he would be rejected almost immediately. They would view his work as “too simple,” “too linear,” or “lacking linguistic friction.” They want puzzles; he sells clarity.
- High-Academic Journals: Journals that favor dense, difficult, or highly allusive work (like The Kenyon Review or The Yale Review) might find his work “too light” or “too commercial” without the weight of his name attached.
2. The “Slush Pile” Reality
Most journals accept less than 1% of submissions.
- Volume: Editors often read 50-100 poems in a sitting. If a Billy Collins poem is widely readable but doesn’t have a shocking opening line or a bizarre visual format to grab attention in separate seconds, it might be passed over for something “louder.”
- The “Good Enough” Problem: Editors reject “publishable” work every day simply because they have 5 slots and 500 “good” poems. Without his name, his poem is just one of the 500 “good” ones fighting for space.
3. The “Sweet Spot”
He would more likely be accepted by:
The New Yorker: (10% to 15% chance of acceptance.) They publish him now, but blind? They favor a very specific, polished voice that he has perfected, so he might still crack their code, but it’s not guaranteed.
Rattle: (40% to 60% chance of acceptance.) They prioritize “accessible” and “narrative” work. He is their ideal aesthetic.
The Sun: (15% to 25% chance of acceptance.) They want emotional resonance and clarity.
zumpoems 