Kenyon Review
"The creation of a Kenyon Review Board of Trustees and a renewed commitment by Kenyon College combined to guarantee the financial health of the Review and to free its editors to pursue increased excellence. Such is the status of The Kenyon Review today."
Fiction rejections
Standard
2022
Dear —,
Thank you for submitting “—.” Although this piece is not right for us, we appreciated the opportunity to read your work.
We’re grateful for your interest in the Kenyon Review.
Many thanks,
The Editors
Non-fiction rejections
Higher-tier January 2024
Dear [writer name],
Thank you so much for submitting “[title]." After careful consideration, we determined that this submission was not the right fit for us. However, we found much to admire here, and would be glad to see more work from you during a future submission period. We are grateful for your interest in The Kenyon Review.
Sincerely,
The Editors
Higher-tier November 2021
Dear [writer name],
Thank you so much for thinking of the Kenyon Review for "[title]," which we enjoyed reading. I'm sorry to say that this essay isn’t a good fit for the issues we're working on now, but we appreciated the chance to consider it.
I hope you'll keep us in mind for future work.
With best wishes,
[Deputy Editor name]
Poetry rejections
Standard Nov 2012
Dear "Writer Name,"
Thank you for submitting your work "____________________." We regret that we are unable to publish it.
Your work has received careful consideration. Unfortunately, the large number of submissions prevents us from commenting on many worthy manuscripts.
We very much appreciate your interest in The Kenyon Review.
The Editors
Standard Jan 2016
Dear "Writer Name,"
Thank you for submitting these poems to the Kenyon Review. We regret that we are unable to publish your submission.
It is part of our mission to read every manuscript that is submitted to us, and your work has received careful consideration.
We appreciate your interest in the Kenyon Review. We wish you good luck finding a home for this work elsewhere.
The Editors
Higher tier Nov 2013
Dear "Writer Name,"
I read these with interest and am truly sorry to say no--we're outrageously overstocked with poetry at the moment and taking very little. I liked the __________________ best, for whatever that's worth....Please do remember us for future work.
Best, The Editors
Higher tier Feb 2020
Dear [Writer's Name],
Thank you for submitting “[submission].” We appreciate your interest in the Kenyon Review, and we regret that we are unable to publish this piece.
On a personal note, I greatly enjoyed reading these poems and would like to see you resubmit during the next open submission period. It is with sincere regret that we cannot include them at this time.
Your work has received careful consideration from our team of readers. Giving each submission the time and respect it deserves is a central part of our mission.
Thank you for trusting the Kenyon Review with your work. We wish you luck with all of your writing endeavors.
The Editors
Higher tier Oct 2021
Dear (first & last name),
We were delighted to read your work. Thank you for thinking of us.
In the end, we decided that "(submission title)" are not right for us. Although we aren't taking anything from this batch, we hope you'll send us more work in the future.
Thanks again,
The Editors
Prose rejections
Standard Jan 2013
Thank you for submitting your work "Title of Story." We regret that we are unable to publish it.
Your work has received careful consideration. Unfortunately, the large number of submissions prevents us from commenting on many worthy manuscripts.
We very much appreciate your interest in The Kenyon Review.
The Editors
Standard
Thank you for submitting your story. We regret that we are unable to use "Title of Story."
Your work has received careful consideration, which sometimes means a response less prompt than we would wish. Unfortunately, the large number of submissions prevents us from commenting on many worthy manuscripts.
We do appreciate your interest in The Kenyon Review.
The Editors
Standard 2018
Dear [Name],
Thank you for submitting “[Title]” to the Kenyon Review. We regret that we are unable to publish your submission.
It is part of our mission to read every manuscript that is submitted to us, and your work has received careful consideration.
We appreciate your interest in the Kenyon Review. We wish you good luck finding a home for “[Title]” elsewhere.
The Editors
Standard Feb 2019
Thank you for submitting "Title of Story." We appreciate your interest in the Kenyon Review, and we regret that we are unable to publish this piece.
Your work has received careful consideration from our team of readers. Giving each submission the time and respect it deserves is a central part of our mission.
Thank you for trusting the Kenyon Review with your work. We wish you luck with all of your writing endeavors.
The Editors
Higher tier (?) Nov 2013
Dear "Writer Name,"
Thank you for submitting your work "Title of Story." We regret that we are unable to publish it.
Your work has received careful consideration. Despite its literary merit, your essay just isn't quite right for our pages.
We very much appreciate your interest in The Kenyon Review.
The Editors
Higher Tier January 2014
Dear "Writer Name,"
Thank you for submitting your work "Title of Story." We regret that we are unable to publish it.
We very much enjoyed the voice of this piece.
We very much appreciate your interest in The Kenyon Review.
The Editors
Higher Tier November 2015
Dear "Writer Name",
Thank you for submitting “Title of Story” to the Kenyon Review. We regret that we are unable to publish it, but we invite you to submit again during our next submission period.
It is part of our mission to read every manuscript that is submitted to us, and your work has received careful consideration.
We appreciate your interest in the Kenyon Review. We wish you good luck finding a home for “Title of Story” elsewhere.
The Editors
Higher Tier November 2016
Dear "Writer Name",
Thank you for submitting “Title of Story” to the Kenyon Review. We regret that we are unable to publish your submission.
It is part of our mission to read every manuscript that is submitted to us, and your work has received careful consideration. I found much to admire here, and I do hope you will give us another chance next submission season.
We appreciate your interest in the Kenyon Review. We wish you good luck finding a home for “Story Name” elsewhere.
Katharine Weber Editor at Large
