Posted by Shannon Marlatt, GD Fiction Reader for 6.2
Writing is a grueling yet beautiful calling. Experiences like writers block and time constraints make the job so hard. The creative spaces of writers everywhere have succumbed to crumpled paper balls haphazardly thrown near trash bins and half-empty coffee cups strewn across worn desks. One thing that may help writers in the mysterious process is gaining an understanding of what kinds of work literary journals, like Gandy Dancer, look for in publication. In order to help our readers and writers understand the people behind the journal, I decided to conduct a mini interview with each of the editors. I asked two questions to each individual, questions which I believe give readers a good insight into who these people are and what they value. I asked “What is your favorite quote?” and “If you could have any superpower, what superpower would you have and why?”
Ari Miller and Noah Mazer are the section heads of poetry for Gandy Dancer. Ari says that her favorite quote is “If we keep waiting for the right time, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives,” and her chosen super power would be Teleportation because then she “can see [her] momma on Long Island whenever [she] wants.” Noah Mazer takes his favorite quote from Kayne West, who says, “Maybe I couldn’t be skinny and tall but I’ll settle for being the greatest artist of all time as a consolation.” Noah’s chosen superpower would be “turning into a rock, but only once, and it’s permanent.”
Grace Gilbert, the creative nonfiction editor, and Olivia Cockerham, the art editor, reveals the creativity in our staff. Grace Gilbert’s favorite quote is by Stephen King: “I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs.” Grace “would like to be able to converse with inanimate objects because they probably have more interesting stories to tell than [she] ever will. Perhaps then [she] could find all of the hair ties and socks that [she’s] lost throughout the years.” Olivia’s favorite quote is “Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving,” by Terry Pratchett, and her comment on her superpower is “I would like to be able to psychically manifest all the ideas I have onto paper without having to pick up a pen. You know, cut out the middleman.” Look for this sense of humor in the Art and Creative Non-Fiction included in our spring issue.
Finally, the fiction editors Casey Vincelette and Frank Bruno provided interesting responses. Frank’s favorite quote is “Sometimes I feel like I’m a god, but I’m not a god” by Frank Ocean, and for a superpower he would “like to be able to function with one hour of sleep the same way [he] can function with ten, then [he] could do everything [he] wants to do.” Next, Casey had some good answers, which provided me with some insight into who she is. Her favorite quote is from Rocky Horror Picture Show: “Rose tint my world, keep me safe from my trouble and pain.” About superpowers, she says this: “When I was a kid, I always wanted to fly because I read those Maximum Ride books and I thought that was rad. But, I think that today the thing I would prize the most is mind reading. I think my biggest interest in life is people, and I think that if I could get inside of someone’s head and hear their story from their own thought processes, I think that would be an incredible, eye-opening experience.” This interest in people suggests the fiction in Gandy Dancer 6.2 will be character rich.
Overall, our editorial staff is composed of unique people who each bring their own strengths to our publication team. Through their leadership, Gandy Dancer 6.2 will certainly include compelling writing.
Check out this article for great interview questions!