Do Editors Actually Read the Slush Pile?

A look behind the scenes at a whole lot of lit mags

Recently I had a question: Do editors actually read work from the slush pile?

For anyone who does not know, the “slush pile” refers to work that is submitted over the transom. It is work that has not been specifically solicited by editors. The submitters might be known to the editors or they might not be. They might be well along in their careers with mu…