The Light Bulb is a new interview series by The Lumiere Review. This month, our Editor-in-Chief, Jessica Kim, will be interviewing 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 Despy Boutris, founder and editor-in-chief of The West Review, a literary journal founded on the West Coast that seeks to promote and publish quality literature from their local, national, and international communities.
I have a real soft-spot for the work The West Review is doing! How did you get the inspiration to start The West Review and what has fueled you to continue running it?
Truthfully, I started The West Review on a whim. It was back in May and—having already been quarantined for two months amid COVID—I was in search of a creative project. More than that, though, I wanted to create a journal that lifts up writers with differing and intersecting identities—and one that pays! For the moment, the payment is relatively small, though we slowly are working to increase it; we’ve doubled the initial payment already, and I’m hoping to triple it soon. I think it’s so vital that online publications compensate their contributors, and I don’t know many venues inclusive to emerging writers that do. It’s been rewarding to be able to give back to my community in this small way.
Paying writers is definitely something many literary magazines strive for and I admire the work you do to support writers. Tell me something about The West Review that can’t be found on your “About” page.
Well, our “About” page states that we aim to publish emerging creatives alongside more established ones, but it doesn’t mention just how much we value early-career writers. As an editor, it’s always so exciting to encounter a poet I’ve never heard of before—one without much of a publication history but who’s full of vision. We champion showcasing these writers and their work.
New writers have so much to offer. Is there anything that distinguishes The West Review from other literary magazines?
There are so many literary magazines out there—and so many that do wonderful work—so I think it would be hubristic to claim that The West Review is somehow different. We are among the other journals that value fresh voices and diversity, though. And, as writers ourselves, we value the time and craft that goes into writing and work to illustrate that to contributors through promotion (i.e. bragging about them), loyalty, and monetary compensation.
What do you look for in submissions? Do you have any advice for writers who submit to your magazine?
Yes! As a writer, editor, and instructor, I have certain very-prominent “hang-ups.”
When I read a poem, I always look for (1) Music, (2) deft line breaks, and (3) invention.
Firstly, of course, since poetry began as an oral tradition and was accompanied by a lyre in the ancient world, a poem’s music is vital; I search for euphony, for rhythm, for sentence variation, for an ebb and flow.
Secondly, I am enough of a formalist that I appreciate the power of the line—which can be used to increase or decrease tension, or to create and then subvert meaning, as in Jay Hopler’s “O, The Sadness Immaculate,” when he writes, “I look at the parakeets nesting in the blood / Orange trees.” I love line breaks that feel deliberate and complement the poem’s content.
Thirdly, I am queer enough that I appreciate poems that are inventive, disrupting traditional notions of what poetry is and should look like. I find myself intrigued when a poet intentionally uses cacophonous language, writes in a “borrowed” or invented form, or eschews line breaks all together with a prose poem. Our first issue included several poems (coincidentally, by queer poets) that use lists, footnotes, scattered and hyphenated words, and an interview form. I think complicating readers’ ideas of “poetry” as a form—as well as who can write it and what terrain it can cover, content-wise—is as important now as ever. As such, I often look for invention.
Could you elaborate on The West Review’s editorial process? How do you and your team determine the acceptance or rejection of a submission?
We’re a small team—there’s only two of us—and so the editorial process is relatively quick. From my experience working for other journals, I know that often only one reader looks at an individual submission, and the same is true at The West Review. I am always that first reader and the one who accepts or rejects a submission. Occasionally, my assistant editor—wonderful poet Marissa Ahmadkhani—looks through the “maybes” with me. And we always decide on solicited poems together.
What has given you joy or fulfillment as an editor? Conversely, what has been the greatest challenge you faced while running The West Review?
I have really enjoyed the act of curating issues. Rather than organizing issues alphabetically by each writer’s last name, I instead come up with the order myself, deciding on the first and last poem in the issue, which pieces belong side-by-side, etc.
I haven’t experienced any challenges while running The West Review. Doing this editing work has been a great way to relax, and it’s been so wonderful to discover and communicate with writers all around the world. It’s pure enjoyment, for me.
It’s great to hear that running The West Review has been smooth-sailing so far. Did you know that I’m equally enchanted by your own poetry? As a wonderful poet as much as an editor, which came first for you, editing or writing?
Thank you! For me, the writing always comes first. Editing for journals is a great hobby and—in some cases—a great way to supplement my small stipend as a Teaching Fellow and graduate student, but it’s not my first priority. It’s a pretty minor part of my life.
What are some of your favorite books, collections, or chapbooks?
It’s a long list! Here are some of my most favorite contemporary poetry books, specifically:
All the Gay Saints – Kayleb Rae Candrilli
Split – Cathy Linh Che
Haunt – Jody Chan
Paradise, Indiana – Bruce Snider
Not Here – Hieu Minh Nguyen
Keeper – Kasey Jueds
Wilder – Claire Wahmanholm
Prelude to Bruise – Saeed Jones
Self-Portrait as Wikipedia Entry – Dean Rader
Please – Jericho Brown
Into Each Room We Enter without Knowing – Charif Shanahan
Hard Child – Natalie Shapero
Your taste in poetry books are just immaculate. Finally tell me a fun fact about yourself!
This is my first official interview!
Despy Boutris‘s writing has been published or is forthcoming in Copper Nickel, Colorado Review, American Poetry Review, The Gettysburg Review, The Journal, Prairie Schooner, and elsewhere. Currently, she teaches at the University of Houston and serves as Poetry Editor for Gulf Coast, Guest Editor for Palette Poetry and Frontier, and Editor-in-Chief of The West Review.
Twitter: @itsdbouts
Website: despyboutris.com
Interviewed by Jessica Kim, edited by Lou Willmott.