“I think it’s important to strive for your work to have lasting power, for it to be clear-eyed and brave with a singular vision and voice, in whatever way that means to you. While easier said than done, I’d say don’t get so caught up in the logistical details of the path to publication that you lose sight of your art, the only thing that really matters. There is no formula, and a literary career can be so varied, with so much out of your control. Give yourself the space to grow, learn, and change. Be an engaged literary citizen, and find your way to the publishing house whose books you admire, whose community of writers you see yourself part of, and whose editors see the ambition of your artistic and intellectual pursuits.”
—Rasheeda Saka, editor, Seven Stories Press
Photo credit: Joshua Thermidor