Dear Geist,
I submitted three poems to my favourite literary mag. They returned the poems with a standard rejection form, but someone had handwritten “interesting work—do try us again” on the form. Is this for real, or do they say it to everyone, or what?

Dear Newbie,
It’s for real. Publishers receive so many submissions that anything off the template—even a quick encouraging note—is meaningful. Pat yourself on the back!
—The Editors