Jessica Keener

My responses to fiction submissions. A random sampling:

Top notch credits; Best American. 3 novels, awards, etc.. Agent sent this terrific story and left out last page or pages!!!! The writing is poetic in the best sense, emotionally stinging, racing and jagged—need to see last pages, which are missing. Agent is sending them. Emotional outpouring is controlled; stupendous word choices, images. If ending is good, I’ll recommend for publication. (Note: was published in Agni 63 and also picked for Pushcart Prize anthology)

Stupendous story about a girl and her abusive father, set in the south—trailer park living, no way out, fabulous, gritty language and control of the story and point of view. PUBLISH THIS. (Note: is in Agni 66)

Fantastic First para! Sophisticate, spectacular stitching of life as 50 y.o. woman living alone in Paris seeking something. Story gets into ménage a trios but it works as an intellectual and emotional reinforcement of narrator’s emptiness but not self-effacing or self-pitying place in her life. Fabulous language. Refreshing take. PUBLISH THIS. (Note: is in Agni 66)

Loved this!!! PUBLISH THIS!!! Portrait of a complex, gay Iranian man as understood and misunderstood by his somewhat clueless American roommate who narrates the story. Beautiful writing and emotions made me cry at the finish. Story moves with elegance and grace and a contemporary edge that ties it all together in a fresh way. (Note: didn’t fly with other editors.)

Mulitple pov, quirky characters—schizo homeowner and ex huband need to sell their junk house. Young couple sees potential, the loss, the tragedy the willfulness. This could be an online possibility? (note: didn’t fly with other editors)

Another strong holocaust story- what can I say? Someone will publish this. Don’t know if it will be Agni. Deserves a positive note.

Stupendous writing. Very strong. Take a good look at this. Wish the title was different. It takes away from the story and makes the story seem self-evident. But wonderful sentences. Gets insides two minds in a hallucinatory way. (Didn’t fly)

Online? This one’s close for me. A bit awkward getting launched but a certain thread of honesty that is appealing. Boy who fucked up and is still fucked up and trying to recover (from past drinking and bad behavior) trying to take a higher road.

Think I may have read something by him before. I like this writer’s reaching for mystery, writing about religion and issues of hallucinations versus visions, seeing and not seeing. But this story ends up feeling too much like reportage in the end. A solid effort.

Single layer story about parents dealing with autistic child. Didn’t go anywhere different.

(been pubbed in Agni before). Masterful use of words but excessively detailed accounts of small actions grew tedious. Story too linear.

Essay. Too unfocused for me. Starts off as one “story” and drops it, then moves on to another story but no real drive behind this. Sorry. Skipped 2nd half.

Story needs to start closer to p. 5. Weak dialogue.

Revised story resubmitted. Sorry. I could hardly read this. The focus and sentences seemed very unconnected. Something about a party and a turkey?

Couldn’t grasp this one at all? Something about women and cities.

Tone of this off putting (and is meant to be) but still, male narrator full of himself in the worst way—no higher self-knowledge really. Borders on cliché.

Again. Tone of this put me off. Too glib, perhaps? Too much telling. Never really got inside the scenes.