What drew you to submit to RED SKIES?
I was drawn to RED SKIES because of the anthology's mission to help readers and writers alike confront and heal from the effects of COVID-19. I think that we are living through a very intense period of history that will forever be immortalized through textbooks and documented first-hand accounts of events. So much history was crammed into one year, and the impact on all of us has been catastrophic. I wanted to lend my perspective on ways that this year's events have impacted me, and want to hear the stories that others have to share as well.
How have you spent the year 2020? Is there anything you miss doing from before shutdowns?
I have spent the year working, eating, writing, and strengthening bonds with friends and family. I manage a beer and wine department for a popular grocery chain in my area, so people never stop drinking. The holidays have been especially crazy this year with customers wanting to go bigger on at-home celebrations, but overall I love my job and am so thankful to be employed during this time and work for such an amazing company. In my free time, I have written more this year than I have since I graduated college. It's been nice getting back into it, I've missed it so much, but have just continued setting it aside for the past three years. I think not being able to go anywhere has given me the time I need to devote to my work. This year I started a literary magazine called Crown & Pen with my good friend and colleague, Nori Rose Hubert. I also have some forthcoming works in other literary magazines in 2021.
I am a very social person, so I absolutely miss going out to restaurants, bars, and local breweries with my friends and coworkers. I also really miss my brother. I am still able to visit with him a bit, but not to the same extent. However, throughout the pandemic my family and I have continued to support local Austin restaurants by ordering a lot of takeout. Food is my life, and I care a lot about the local businesses in my city.
What was it like working on the Crown & Pen? What were your original goals with the online magazine, and how have they changed? And, how do you balance your work as a writer as well as being an editor?
Working on Crown & Pen has been a phenomenal experience! Much like the RED SKIES Anthology, Crown & Pen was born from the pandemic and the desire to talk about it. Our original goal was to showcase works that pertained to COVID-19, and offered a unique perspective. It was meant to be a cathartic way to process the wide range of emotions we are all experiencing. To this day, one of my favorite contributions to our magazine came in Issue 2: "Flu to Shining Flu" by Connor Bixby. It is a very detailed, first person account of how the author meets the love of his life while living in Taiwan, and the two end up separated because of the virus after his new job brings him back to the United States. The first time I read Bixby's work, I just remember thinking to myself: "This is it. This is why I wanted to start this lit magazine in the first place." I am grateful that so many contributors have been so eager to share their pandemic experiences with us so that we can all support one another.
In Issue 3, we announced that we are expanding submissions to include works that touch on subjects "too heavy for the kitchen table" (sexuality, gender identity, racism, mental illness, addiction, death, etc.). We want a place for these sorts of narratives to thrive, because they can be so difficult to talk about. We want to embrace diversity, and offer a platform for these stories to be told. I think that this transition makes sense for Crown & Pen, because talking about the impacts of COVID-19 is already heavy. We are also hoping that with the newly developed vaccine, the virus might be eradicated soon, in which case we would need a new focus anyway.
So far, it has not been too difficult to balance my own work as a writer with being an editor for our magazine. While I was the one who came up with the idea, I am so thankful to have Nori by my side. Nori does all of the website formatting on her own, and I offer a hand wherever she needs me, and I'll usually edit the larger pieces that we accept. She is amazing, and deserves so much of the credit for helping me bring this idea to life. I usually dedicate a large portion of my free time to Crown & Pen in the week or two before we go live with a new issue, so my other work is put on a brief hold. Then I resume when we have time to relax again!
Do you have any upcoming projects that you're excited about?
Yes! Remember how I said that food is my life? I have spent 2020 working on a collection of poems about food! I have written about meals we've enjoyed over the course of the pandemic, starting March 19 and ending December 31. To me, food is about love, and strong emotions become tied to food depending on who you're enjoying it with, what is going on around you, the flavors in front of you, etc. I do my best to capture all of that in this pandemic collection, and all of the meals featured are either homemade or ordered from local restaurants so that we can continue to show our love and support. I will be looking for a publisher early in 2021 once I have gone through a final round of edits.
How important is community to your work? And, are there any small presses/magazines that you are especially fond of?
Community is very important to my work. As an essential worker, queer woman, mother, writer, and food enthusiast, I want to do my best to represent these communities that I am a part of when I write. As for writing specifically, I am very excited to have discovered writing communities on social media where I have been able to work with multiple writers and editors. It has been a blast so far.
Right now, I think that I am especially fond of Coffin Bell, which is a dark/horror lit magazine. I have always been drawn to the horror genre, and want to write more horror myself. I have read several of the past issues of Coffin Bell, and am fascinated by the works that have been published. I hope that one day I can be a contributor, and I look forward to discovering more horror lit magazines as well.