"I'm a Listener." A Chat with Emily Messall, Fiction Editor of Barren Magazine

Fiction Editor takes us behind the scenes of a magazine for gritty stories and difficult truths

Hello and Happy Monday, friends. I come with news of another editor interview, just wrapped up.

Today I had the pleasure of chatting with Emily Messall, Fiction Editor of Barren Magazine. This “is a literary publication that features fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, photography, and mixed media for hard truths, long stares, and gritty lenses.”

It is also a space that seeks to be inclusive to all writers. Emily described the magazine as a place that hopes to publish work other magazines might shy away from, either because of the subject matter or the characters featured. As an editor, Emily is drawn to work that is on the weirder side, and dark.

I wondered how a magazine that aims to be inclusive to all writers manages the sending of rejection letters. Naturally, lit mags cannot publish everyone, so some exclusion must be taking place?

Emily explained that Barren seeks to be encouraging to all writers who submit. The editors will often let writers know if a work came close to publication and what might be working well in a particular piece. Also, occasionally if a piece does not work for an upcoming issue, the editors will not reject the piece but will instead ask if they may hold on to it to be published the future.

All issues of Barren are themed. Recent themes include “Stoic,” “A Sundering” and “Fallow/Unrest.” The material published on the site is indeed often gritty and gut-wrenching. Recent and upcoming work explores themes of suicide, depression, animal abuse, cancer, and persistent alienation.

Some work on the site also includes Content Warnings. I spoke to Emily about this. How did the editors manage the line between wanting to care for readers while also appreciating that literature can and often should make readers uncomfortable? Since there are not Content Warnings on all the pieces, how did the editors decide where it was warranted and where it wasn’t?

To hear what she said, you will have to watch the video!

Additionally, we spoke about a recent note from the Editor-in-Chief, in which he says that the magazine does “not tolerate any form of racism, bigotry, sexism, harassment, political extremism, religious exclusion, or abuse of any kind from our readers, contributors, or volunteers,” and that they will “immediately investigate and take action on any report of misconduct.”

Since the notion of de-platforming writers is something we have discussed here in our own community, I was curious for a bit more of the magazine’s perspective on these matters.

Just what did Emily say? What is the magazine’s protocol when it comes to author conduct?

And, when it comes to stories, how does she feel about unlikeable characters? What kinds of work excites her most? What kinds of fictional characters are her favorite to see?

For these answers and more, my friends, go forth and watch.

Barren is currently open for photography and visual art submissions.

Their submissions for flash fiction, fiction up to 4,000 words, flash creative nonfiction and creative nonfiction up to 4,000 words will open soon. To keep in contact with the journal and find out when they’re open, be sure to check the site and/or follow them.

They will also be seeking Contributing Editors for upcoming issues. So if you’d like to get more involved in the magazine, be sure to keep in touch with them.

To all who came out to join the conversation today, thank you for tuning in! If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times: Your faces are the apples in my apple pie! (Also, I am terribly sorry that I ended the talk so abruptly. I meant to stop recording, not shut the whole thing down. Ah, blasted zoom technology! One day I will master this thing. At any rate, great, as always, to see you.)

And, of course, big thank you to Emily Messall for taking the time to pull back the curtain of another exciting little magazine.

Happy viewing!

Our next Editor Interview will be in a few days. Check here for the date and time, as well as the schedule and to register for other events this month.