My earliest memory of reading involves The Hungry Caterpillar in a widely spacious library painted in primary colors that my mother would take me to. Another early memory I have was from the first eight years of my life spent in Australia, being seated cross-legged alongside my fellow young classmates having a book read to us all. The book was The Gizmo by Paul Jennings. Skipping ahead, I recall being introduced to Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Shadow Children series. The first book captivated me. I ended up binging through the rest of the series at home, then laying on my couch reading The Missing series, lost in a book from start to finish for three hours straight.

These days I’ve fallen off a bit with how I’ve become someone who accidentally hoards library books they’ve been meaning to read but haven’t been able to get to. On the other hand, I’ve certainly been someone who accidentally stayed up overnight consumed by the need to finish a rich long fanfic with engaging stories and concepts that explored what canon tales overlooked. Personally, I’ve often found I feel my way through a text. It also affects how I write, usually with me considering a character’s inner ‘voice’ or thought process. Reading for me usually involves imagining accompanying cinematographic visuals; my finger constantly on prose’s pulse, trying to pick up rhythmic structure. In the best summary, I’ve become someone who enjoys picking apart text intuitively and taking into stock how an author’s values, worldviews, and even creative process shape their work.

What I’ve found really interesting regarding my fellow editors is that everyone appears to enjoy being challenged. Being moved by text. I’m really fascinated with the fact that my peers look to be actively provoked in terms of an emotional response—even if that may be anger or discomfort. I think it’s very valuable, and that it’s significant to also be equipped with the tools to be able to unpack or be willing to explore just why that is.
With all this in mind—seeing how my reading history, and remembering the qualities of stories that have moved me in the past, paired with observing what my peers like to read—it certainly affects our collective outlook on how we editors approach looking at poetry and prose submissions to consider for publication. It allows for some fascinating and insightful discussions as well, from the perspective of readers, editors, and budding writers!

—Jessi Joy