*Originally Published in the October 2023 Newsletter* This article marks our tenth web issue and our last web release of 2023, making for an ideal moment to reflect upon some of the things that most surprised us about running a literary magazine. What have we learned, and how will we retool for 2024? The greatest surprise was how many poets and supporters share our values. The classics already have prestigious journals defending and advancing them, but it seemed a bit radical or crazy to embody the idea that the classical heritage is something for anyone of any background. Readers, submitters, and patrons have responded with unanticipated vigor. The second surprise? Our regular submitters and supporters are our lifeblood. Going into this project, I assumed we would not have many poets returning to the fold, month after month, with fresh work. Because we read blind, we are not alerted if someone we’ve previously considered has returned. As it turns out, they have done this regularly! Reading material from our “regular contributors” has been a great privilege, and the idea that *The Pierian* has merited a community of so many talented poets is truly humbling. The third surprise involved my assumption that the hardest part would be the editorial side, and that the majority of our time would be consumed there. We treasure the time we can spend reading and discussing submissions, but as it turns out, the greatest need in terms of time is communication, particularly social media outreach. Keeley has taken on most of this (extremely challenging) work. Creating and fostering engagement is the hardest part of what we do, full stop. We want to improve how we drive community involvement going forward, and create engagement beyond niche channels. If you have ideas on how best to achieve this, please contact us! Fourth surprise: the blind process isn’t sufficient to create the poetic community we envisioned. It’s not that we’re rethinking it: reading blind is a cornerstone of who we are, and it’s working great. Reading 100% blind is a key competitive differentiator between *The Pierian* and other literary magazines. Poets relish engaging with us in a way that is status-neutral (and getting to skip the cover letter). Beyond the initial read, we need to continue to take the time to respond to submissions individually, whenever possible. We also need to foster ways to connect with our poets, and let our poets connect with one another. Finally, we’ve learned that diversity and quality go together, and neither is ever an accident. We’re extremely proud to publish poets of a wide range of geographies, ethnicities, and ages. But we’d still like to be able to publish more women, including women of color. Given our blind process, outcomes depend on the composition of the pool of poets who send us work and nothing is guaranteed. We can, however, do a better job of reaching out to diverse communities of authors. Going back to point #3 on marketing and communication, it’s clear our communication strategy is not reaching—or not encouraging—enough women to send work. While this problem is not unique to *The Pierian*, it’s a problem we need to invest more energy into addressing. We know it’s no accident when great poems land in the queue. They come from unexpected places, from new people we’ve likely never met who heard about what we’re doing and were inspired. We are confident that there’s more talent out there! For a great year in 2024, we need to grow and improve at telling our story. Everyone reading this newsletter is a supporter, and we thank you. Every time you share what we’re doing, you’re helping us grow our mission and reach new people. We know you’re as passionate about new forms for classical traditions as we are. Thank you for being part of *The Pierian*.