Why didn’t my critique get posted?
There are a number of reasons why a critique doesn’t get posted. Did you use profanity in your critique? Did you fail to submit all of the requested information (name, age, e-mail address)? Did your comments lack constructive criticism? For example, “Your poem sucks!” and “I love this poem!” are not valid critiques. Those comments are fine, but you have to back them up with examples and constructive criticism. Welcome to the real world.

Why didn’t my poem or microfiction get posted?
We receive hundreds of submissions a week, and out of those, only a few are selected to be posted on the site. It's your basic Darwinian theory: survival of the fittest. That’s not to say, though, that if your work doesn’t get accepted it’s not any good. You’re in competition with hundreds of other submissions, and we can’t accept all the good ones.

Will I be notified if my slammable is selected?
Yep, you sure will. We send a brief e-mail to each author whose work we select.

What is “Best of The Slam”?
Once a year, the editors of Cicada magazine look through the slammables from the previous twelve months and choose the selections they feel are the best of the best of the best. These are then printed in the magazine as a special feature.

What is Cicada magazine?
Why, it’s just the best darned literary magazine for teens on the market today! It seriously rocks, people. You won’t find any mind-numbing beauty tips or information about the latest fad diets or video game shortcuts or celebrity centerfolds in the magazine. Only the most stellar fiction by some of the world’s top writers (including some teens) appears in the pages.

I’m under fourteen years old, but I’m already a Cicada subscriber. Why won’t you post my critiques and submissions on The Slam?
The guys in suits who tote around briefcases and make up the rules of the universe have looked down on you from on high and deemed you unworthy. Okay, okay. So it’s not quite that bad. By law, we can’t post materials from anyone under the age of fourteen. Just hang with us for a few more years. When you hit fourteen, we fully expect to see your writing up on the site!