Odilia Galvan Rodriguez – Editor

I am a writer, a poet, an award-winning editor, and the publisher at Prickly Pear Publishing and Nopalli Press. As the author of seven volumes of poetry, I understand how writers want their work to be curated. My poetry and short fiction appear in many anthologies and literary journals in print and online media. From FlowerSong Press, my latest book is The Color of Light ~ Poems to the Mexica and Orisha Energies, 2019. I am the co-editor, along with the late Francisco X. Alarcón, of the award-winning anthology Poetry of Resistance: Voices for Social Justice, published by The University of Arizona Press, 2016. I have worked as the editor for several print magazines, Tricontinental Magazine in Havana, Cuba, Community Murals Magazine, San Francisco, CA, and Matrix Women's News Magazine, one of the longest-running women's publications, Santa Cruz, CA. I am currently the associate editor for Switchgrass Review, Corpus Christie, Texas. Journals which I now edit online are Cloud Women's Quarterly Journal and Anacua Literary Arts Journal.

I have edited several books, including my own, and understand the level of care and expertise a writer looks for and wishes to get from an editor. I do not assume to know what a writer wants in terms of editing -- it is their baby, so conversations are necessary to understand what the author is looking for in terms of editing. If I do not know what a person wants, I can not make them happy. So, as an editor, I think that one needs to be careful not to impose their opinions or style but rather ask the person what they are looking for and their expectations before starting any project. I work with the person until I can understand; if not, I do not take the project on. This meeting of the minds avoids any unhappiness on the author's part or a waste of money or time.