Some writing days are easier than others. Some days, writing is impossible. I confess that I am in awe of anyone who continues to write, who cultivates a practice that can only come from their own inner world, who is attuned to what their body and heart have to say. I approach editing with this sense of reverence for where the writer comes from, how difficult and stripping the work of sharing their writing may be. I only hope that writers can approach their work and themselves with such care and reverence, and show that same care and reverence to those around them, to the worlds they inhabit.
By extension of the ethos of the publisher for whom I work, I am drawn to writing that is in conversation with the multiple contexts, histories, and politics. Nothing comes from a vacuum; works that can open up the entangled, often troubled and contradictory constellation of being have the potential to touch readers, to invite them to share the same world for that fleeting moment. I say this carefully as publishers have different viewpoints and tastes, and sometimes rejection or acceptance by a press is a simple matter of alignment. Researching and understanding what kinds of works a publisher may be interested in can help demystify the process. We are your readers and want to advocate for what you do.
—Juwon Jun, associate editor, Wendy’s Subway