Have you had any interactions with writers during your internship experience? (Note: It isn't that uncommon for the answer to this question to be no.)
The first exchange I had with my internship contact, AJ Bermudez, was through reading her book of short fiction essays, “Stories No One Hopes Are About Them,” which won the Iowa Prize for Short Fiction. From this, I learned that AJ is a brilliant writer. Chelsea Jackson, the Managing Editor, is also a writer, a poet, and has a book of poetry forthcoming. She’s been candid and transparent in the sharing of her work-life as writer and editor beyond MeR’s boundaries. I’ve “interacted” with dozens of writers through reading their Submittable submissions, along with nearly sixty published MeR nonfiction essays. Many writers I would like to meet in person, to hear more about the essay of their life and what compelled them to write the story they submitted. One writer shares a memory of his slow kill of a slug with table salt, then braids into the essay profound insights about life. Another describes her grief as it resembles the physical artifacts that surround her. And still another writes of her spiritual journey in the form of library index cards. Fascinating takes on the world through the creative lens’ of imaginative writers. How does the writer fit into the publishing setting where you work? Unless a staff member at the MeR has a trust fund or other means of financial support, each is still shlepping a day job outside of MeR to pay their bills (MeR editors earn only $50/publication). AJ Bermudez, the MeR Editor, who lives in Los Angeles, has spent the spring teaching in Boston. Chelsea Jackson, aside from her MeR Managing Editor gig, offers, from her websiteLinks to an external site., “writing, editing, and consulting services to creative writers, professionals, and nonprofits.” During a recent Zoom meeting, Emily Blacker, the Nonfiction Editor, asked the assembled group of readers what we were reading. I mentioned “The Body Keeps the Score” and explained that reading this work has been a way for me to better understand my own writing about trauma. Two other readers were also reading this book for similar purposes. We read, in part, to become better writers. Has your internship experience affected the way you think about your own work or your writing identity? A few of my internship takeaways:
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March 2023
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