Editors on Poetry

What makes a poem memorable? Journal What makes a poem forgettable?

The memorable poem is one that creates and inhabits a verbal world that is new and convincing. Among its attributes are: striking language, distinctive and/or idiosyncratic voice, wit, energy, mystery, surprise, and a level of complexity that rewards rereading.
American Letters & Commentary:

Anna Rabinowitz and Jeanne Marie Beaumont
Dull, generic language, overwriting, clichéd subject matter, predictability, simplistic ideas, obscurity for its own sake, copycat style or approach.

Thoughtful comportment of language revealing the true.
Apostrophe:
Sheila Tombe
Cliché, contrivance, sentimental indulgence.

See T.S. Eliot, Matthew Arnold, Alexander Pope. I can't put it better in two lines.
The Bridge:
Jack Zucker
Bad craft, stilted subject matter.

Original settings or subject matter. Poems with some narrative aspect tend to be more memorable than pure reverie. Concrete details always make a poem more memorable. It's worth noting that very bad poems are quite as memorable as very good ones.
The Carolina Quarterly:
Robert West
Lack of concrete detail, pervasive didacticism, uninteresting titles (such as Sonnet 98).

A memorable poem merges music and meaning into a cohesive work of art that says something significant; its figurative language is rich, full, distinctive.
ELF: Eclectic Literary Forum:
C. K. Erbes
To paraphrase Pope, a forgettable poem says what was often thought and better expressed by someone else.

Themes which move us at a deep level and which are beautifully, originally presented in both language and image; images and language will be perfectly melded into a meaning/idea worth remembering.
Kalliope, a Journal of Women's Art:
Mary Sue Koeppel
Cynicism; trite or boring images, themes, language; no emotional reaction for the reader; lovely language but no meaning.

In the basic sense of that word (mnemonic), rhyme & meter. If you mean "immortal," the answer is genius, whatever that is.
The Literary Review:
William Zander
Prosiness.

Sharp, focused language. A memorable poem is one which stands out among the flood of submissions and places a crisp idea into the readers' minds. Abstraction should be avoided.
Lullwater Review:
Eric Brignac
A plethora of nebulous words like love, very, passionate feelings, etc.

Zip, spice, & mambo. The language should dance and (regardless of its "genre") it should surprise, creating a sense of "WOW" in the reader. The poem should be an experience in addition to being about an experience.
Phoebe: A Journal of Literary Arts:
Christopher Putnam
Mayonnaise: flat, easy language.

Idiomatic language and fresh imagery, especially metaphors.
The Sewanee Review:
George Core
Tired language (clichés), poetry that is self-consciously poetic, oft-used metaphors, lack of drama, excessive abstraction.

A sharp, memorable, confident use of language which releases feeling, and keeps releasing it with repeated readings.
The Southern Review:
Dave Smith
No feeling, no memorable language.

Its rhythm, imagery and sound combined with perceiving the world in a unique and authentic way.
tnr: the new renaissance:
Frank Finale
Its ordinariness of language and lack of imagination.

What makes a poem memorable?	*Journal*	What makes a poem forgettable?
The memorable poem is one that creates and inhabits a verbal world that is new and convincing. Among its attributes are: striking language, distinctive and/or idiosyncratic voice, wit, energy, mystery, surprise, and a level of complexity that rewards rereading.	American Letters & Commentary: Anna Rabinowitz and Jeanne Marie Beaumont	Dull, generic language, overwriting, clichéd subject matter, predictability, simplistic ideas, obscurity for its own sake, copycat style or approach.
Thoughtful comportment of language revealing the true.	Apostrophe: Sheila Tombe	Cliché, contrivance, sentimental indulgence.
See T.S. Eliot, Matthew Arnold, Alexander Pope. I can't put it better in two lines.	The Bridge: Jack Zucker	Bad craft, stilted subject matter.
Original settings or subject matter. Poems with some narrative aspect tend to be more memorable than pure reverie. Concrete details always make a poem more memorable. It's worth noting that very bad poems are quite as memorable as very good ones.	The Carolina Quarterly: Robert West	Lack of concrete detail, pervasive didacticism, uninteresting titles (such as Sonnet 98).
A memorable poem merges music and meaning into a cohesive work of art that says something significant; its figurative language is rich, full, distinctive.	ELF: Eclectic Literary Forum: C. K. Erbes	To paraphrase Pope, a forgettable poem says what was often thought and better expressed by someone else.
Themes which move us at a deep level and which are beautifully, originally presented in both language and image; images and language will be perfectly melded into a meaning/idea worth remembering.	Kalliope, a Journal of Women's Art: Mary Sue Koeppel	Cynicism; trite or boring images, themes, language; no emotional reaction for the reader; lovely language but no meaning.
In the basic sense of that word (mnemonic), rhyme & meter. If you mean "immortal," the answer is genius, whatever that is.	The Literary Review: William Zander	Prosiness.
Sharp, focused language. A memorable poem is one which stands out among the flood of submissions and places a crisp idea into the readers' minds. Abstraction should be avoided.	Lullwater Review: Eric Brignac	A plethora of nebulous words like love, very, passionate feelings, etc.
Zip, spice, & mambo. The language should dance and (regardless of its "genre") it should surprise, creating a sense of "WOW" in the reader. The poem should be an experience in addition to being about an experience.	Phoebe: A Journal of Literary Arts: Christopher Putnam	Mayonnaise: flat, easy language.
Idiomatic language and fresh imagery, especially metaphors.	The Sewanee Review: George Core	Tired language (clichés), poetry that is self-consciously poetic, oft-used metaphors, lack of drama, excessive abstraction.
A sharp, memorable, confident use of language which releases feeling, and keeps releasing it with repeated readings.	The Southern Review: Dave Smith	No feeling, no memorable language.
Its rhythm, imagery and sound combined with perceiving the world in a unique and authentic way.	tnr: the new renaissance: Frank Finale	Its ordinariness of language and lack of imagination.