Kestrel is an established and respected journal with two print issues a year. They just re-opened to fiction, poetry and non fiction submissions. They are published by Fairmont State University, yet they publish work from all over the world, although they claim to be “specially happy to publish work by West Virginian and Appalachian writers”.
Kestrel has nice easy to use website. The print journal is well bound, the cover art is generally beautiful. If your work is accepted for publication you will receive two copies of the edition your work appears in.
Kesteal has a relatively high acceptance rate for such an established journal. They accept approximately 10% of the work submitted to them. This is in part due to the fact that they only accept submissions through the mail, unless you live outside of the U.S. or are submitting art work.
If you live within the U.S. the only way you can submit is through the postal service, unless you are submitting art work. When you submit through the mail you must include an SASE (a self addressed stamped envelope), so that they can respond. The editor’s are known for giving personalized feedback to over 80% of the people that submit.
You should submit 3-5 poems or one piece of short fiction or nonfiction and submit it. Fiction must be under 5000 words, but there are no stated limits for non-fiction. They prefer fiction to have developed characters and a consistent point of view. When it comes to non-fiction, they prefer creative non-fiction, literary essays, and memoir.
They generally respond to all submissions with three months. So if you haven’t heard from them by then, send them an email. Also if you submit the same piece simultaneously and it gets accepted elsewhere, send them an email to inform them that your piece is no longer available.
In conclusion, Kestrel is a great journal to submit to despite the additional hassle of snail mail, because they are prestigious, established, and offer contributor copies. Also, there is a fair chance that your work will get accepted. Even if it’s not you will most likely get personal feedback from the editor that could prove to be helpful in the future. You can visit their website here: http://www.fairmontstate.edu/kestrel/
