The Light Bulb is a new interview series by The Lumiere Review. Our Editor-in-Chief, Jessica Kim, has interviewed editors of various regional, national, and international literary magazines to shed some light on the work they are doing. Many editors are writers themselves, and we hope that these conversations bridge the gap between these two identities by giving editors a chance to discuss their contributions and motivations and writers a chance to learn about the editorial process, preferences, and interests behind these magazines. We believe in amplifying a diverse range of publications and editors in the ever-expanding literary scene through this series.
This time round, we have Christopher Allen, editor-in-chief of SmokeLong Quarterly, a magazine dedicated to bringing the best flash narratives to the web, whether written by widely published authors or those new to the craft. SmokeLong publishes flash narratives that are 1000 words or fewer.
SmokeLong Quarterly is doing some phenomenal work and I love every piece you put out. How and why did you start editing for SmokeLong?
Thank you for the opportunity to talk about SmokeLong, Jessica! In 2014, for personal reasons I’d just stepped away from the daily online journal Metazen, a journal I loved, when Tara Laskowski asked if I wanted to be the managing editor at SmokeLong. A good friend and then-editor at SmokeLong, Gay Degani, had recommended me. A few months later, Tara asked if I’d be willing, after some settling in, to take over. I’ve always loved and respected the journal, so the answer to that question was easy. The transition took a couple of years. We wanted to make sure that SmokeLong continued with the care and vision the founder, Dave Clapper, had invested in the journal. His vision was that SmokeLong should always be free to read, never charge a submission fee, and always exclusively publish flash.
Tell me something about SmokeLong that can’t be found on your “About” page.
Hmmm. Well, we’re fairly chatty on that About page, but let’s see. Did you know that SmokeLong is no longer based in the United States? As an online journal, it’s always existed somewhere in the ether, but now that we conduct workshops, pay contributors, and compensate our editors for writing reviews and blog posts, we also have to pay taxes . . . in Germany.
In that vein, is there anything that distinguishes SmokeLong from other journals?
We conduct an interview with each author we publish and include lots of writers from the flash community in this process. We have a large, dedicated team that ensures a fast turnaround on submissions. We exchange books during the holidays. We publish only flash: narratives 1000 words or fewer. Earlier this year we quietly opened the gates to non-fiction and hybrid narratives.
What do you look for in submissions? Do you have any advice for writers who are looking to submit?
Write something you love, create a situation and characters that make you feel something, add something new to the narrative. We want to read a compelling, emotionally affecting story that’s exciting at the sentence level.
We read submissions blind, so please don’t spend hours drafting a cover letter we won’t see.
Could you elaborate on SmokeLong’s editorial process? How do you and your team determine the acceptance or rejection of a submission?
Each submission is read blind by two of our submissions editors. If these two editors/readers vote MAYBE or YES on the submission, it goes to our senior editors. If at least two of the senior editors vote YES or MAYBE, the submission is sent to the quarterly guest editor. At this stage, 6-8 editors engage in a lot of discussion, especially if we think the piece needs an edit. In the end, I take everyone’s ideas into consideration and make the final decision, which is quite often to send the writer a message asking if they are open to edits.
We usually get all of this done within a couple of weeks. If your submission is taking longer than two weeks, it means we are discussing your story. That’s a good thing. I’m proud of our team’s dedication and thoughtfulness. I hope each of them knows how much I appreciate them.
Some of the reasons we reject a submission:
The writing is perfectly OK but lacks emotional resonance.
The story shows promise but is a few drafts away from being publishable.
The writer clearly hasn’t read the journal (or other journals similar to SmokeLong).
The writing is pretty good, even exceptional, but lacks the satisfying arc of a story.
What has given you joy or fulfillment as an editor? Conversely, what has been the greatest challenge you faced while running SmokeLong?
Finding stories I love is the most fulfilling part of being an editor, but also nominating writers for awards. I love that part. We’re always looking for new awards. I love paying writers and editors too. That’s so satisfying. The challenges are all worth it.
You’re also an award-winning writer with lots of published short stories and flash fiction pieces. Which came first for you, editing or writing? Is there a particular role you prioritize? Or do both positions come hand-in-hand?
Thank you. This past year I’ve done quite a bit more teaching and editing than writing. I keep promising myself that this week is going to be all about my new story. I love editing and teaching, so I’m not complaining. Writing definitely came first in my life–with the amazing story “CobraMan!” written by my 10-year-old self.
There was a time when the two positions went more hand-in-hand than they do right now. SmokeLong is experiencing a moment of amazing growth, so my focus needs to be there. We have so many projects in the works: workshops, our Grand Micro Competition coming up in March-May, and a website redesign. It’s a full-time job.
It’s also worth mentioning that, especially right now, we should be reading writers of color, so I see my role in the community now as an amplifier. We hope these writers see SmokeLong as a place for their voices.
What are some of your favorite books, collections, or chapbooks?
I’ve been so busy editing and teaching that I haven’t been able to read much lately—which is crazy to say since I read over 5000 submissions for SmokeLong in 2020 (we received 8500). I’ve read maybe a hundred stories online in the past year, and I’ve bought lots of books. The last book I bought and actually finished, because it was amazing and compelling and sharp, was Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Body and Other Parties. The list of books I bought but abandoned after 20 or so pages is so long. Wait! I read George Saunders’ Fox 8. What a delightful book.
Please use this space to brag about yourself, whether that be about your debut collection, forthcoming work, or something entirely non-writerly.
Thank you. I’m not good at self-promotion. But please do buy my collection, Other Household Toxins. It will make my publisher happy!
Finally tell me a fun fact about yourself!
I’m a nomad.
Christopher Allen is the editor in chief of SmokeLong Quarterly. His work has appeared in The Best Small Fictions, Split Lip Magazine, Booth, and Indiana Review, as well as in over a hundred other fine journals and anthologies. Allen has judged the Bath Flash Fiction Award, The Cambridge Prize for Flash Fiction, and others. He is a nomad.
Interviewed by Jessica Kim, edited by Lou Willmott.