"A Respect for Place." Lit Mag Reading Club Chat with Anna Lena Phillips Bell, Editor of Ecotone

Editor of place-based magazine takes us behind the scenes

Aaaaand…another editor interview is in the books!

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Anna Lena Phillips Bell, Editor of Ecotone.

Ecotone’s mission is to publish and promote the best place-based work being written today. Founded in 2005 at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, on the traditional and ancestral territory of the Waccamaw, Catawba, and Cape Fear People, the award-winning magazine features writing and art that reimagine place. Our authors interpret this charge expansively. An ecotone is a transition zone between two adjacent ecological communities, containing the characteristic species of each. It is therefore a place of danger or opportunity, a testing ground. The magazine explores the ecotones between landscapes, literary genres, scientific and artistic disciplines, identities, and modes of thought. 

In our conversation, Anna Lena took us through the magazine’s editorial process. Ecotone is a teaching tool for students, and as such, has a devoted staff of student readers who treat the submissions with great attention and care. Once a work is selected for publication, it receives a lot of editorial attention from the staff.

It was interesting to hear that, as something that is often a concern among submitters is who the readers are on the other side. If the magazine is affiliated with a university, and if the readers are students, does that mean they favor work closer to their own experiences? Can older writers find a home in such a magazine?

Anna Lena assured us that this magazine welcomes work from all writers. She particularly loves publishing debut writers, and the students are eager to find fresh voices from writers at any age.

Since the magazine is dedicated to “place-based work,” we talked about how place ought to work in the pieces in order to be a good fit. Anna Lena described the most successful works as those where place is more than just a setting or background in the piece but is tied to a sense of identity for the works’ subject. As far as what places are suitable for exploration, that is something the magazine has put a lot of thought into. The short answer is: all places, whether that’s nature, city, indoor settings, outdoor, or even, if it works, family as a kind of “place.”

The magazine also publishes speculative work and the editors like to display a range of stylistic approaches. Anna Lena said she is especially interested in work that deals with climate change. She would like to see submissions in this vein.

Asked which magazines Ecotone could identify as siblings, Anna Lena named The Common, Orion, Terrain.org, Southern Review and New England Review.

Ecotone is open for submissions during the fall and winter, with specific dates during those times. Best to check their site before submitting.

Every other issue is themed, and you can see upcoming theme issues here. All submissions are considered for both themed and un-themed issues.

Beyond this, we talked about much more! What are common reasons for rejection at this magazine? Why were certain pieces chosen for the spring/summer issue? How seriously do they take the cover letter and do a writer’s credentials matter?

For all that and more, my friends, you’ll have to watch the video.

This one is for members of the Lit Mag Reading Club only. You can become a member by signing up as a paying subscriber anytime.

To all who came out today, thank you! Your faces are the thrill in my spooky near-Halloween afternoon.

And, of course, thank you to Anna Lena for taking us behind the scenes of another lovely little magazine.

Happy viewing!