My first Submittable reading assignment tickles me. I’m finally a member of the Maine Review team, with orientation materials provided by Chelsea, the Managing Editor and a confirmation email from Adam, the Associate Managing Editor, providing the green light to begin reading Submittable essays. In my first weekly round of reading, I’m assigned just three essays, and because I’m over-the-top ready for my internship experience to begin, I immerse myself in the project with great fervor. One essay receives a thumbs up, the others I passed on. I’m careful to include positive words of encouragement for each of the writers. Although my internship has had a slow start, I’m thrilled to be reading other writer’s work and am hopeful about learning from each piece that I read.
I’m also delighted to have AJ Bermudez as my internship supervisor. She’s a generous soul, wanting to create a positive internship experience for me, curious about what I hope to learn. We’re starting from scratch with what I know about the apparatus that drives a literary journal, so during our first meeting I ask her to begin at the beginning. She’s relatively new to The Maine Review, and connects me with Rosanna, one of the journal’s founders, though she also shares the timing and mechanics that lead to the journal’s biannual publication. I learn that a mere .38% of their writer submissions are accepted for publication. I learn that there are many volunteer readers who ensure the journal’s successful trajectory, and that funding for the journal comes primarily from reader donations. I learn that nearly all the staff are volunteers, though editors receive a miniscule financial token of appreciation at each publication date. They are doing their good work because of a love for words. Beneficence. Then, because I’m curious and want to know more, we discuss AJ’s recently published book, Stories No One Hopes Are About them, a series of essays that won the Iowa Short Fiction Award. I’ve read the book, twice, and loved it. She is humble in discussing her work but shares a few anecdotes about the book’s cover design which she had a say in creating. Octopus arms with exaggerated suckers stretch from the book’s lower edge, reaching through a tiffany blue background. Menacing entitlement, much like the essay's themes throughout the book.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2023
Categories |