Mikaela Grantham – Editor

I am the founder and editor-in-chief of a small indie literary publisher which I started in 2014. While we do not publish many books a year, the books that we do publish have done well and we are proud of them. I champion writing that pushes the boundaries of conventional genres and work closely with writers and graphic designers in order to produce beautiful books. In 2017 our second release, MEMORY FOAM by Adam Soldofsky, received an American Book Award after being mentioned by the 21st United States Poet Laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera, in the Washington Post, and in 2019 was listed as one of Ishmael Reed's favorite poetry collections of the year. Some of our other books (see KOKOMO by Laura Theobald and TEMPORAL by Troy James Weaver) have been listed on Dennis Cooper's blog as some of his most notable reads as well. We have also been listed on Electric Literature's "Great 2017 Indie Press Preview" in April of 2017 by Michael Seidlinger, founder of Civil Coping Mechanisms.

Though we receive many submissions, we are very small, and therefore, have a highly selective acceptance rate. Part of my job requires me to take time reviewing the dozens of queries and submissions sitting in our inbox. This responsibility has given me the chance to fine tune my eye for writing that I see to have potential as well as provide insight on how to stand out in the slush pile. Additionally, I have served as an associate editor for the world premier literary journal, New Orleans Review, and the Object Lessons book series published by the Atlantic & Bloomsbury Academic.

Thorough line edits are important, but I believe the best writer/editor relationship is one that is collaborative. My approach to editing involves a back and forth discussion of the text with the author. After reading your work, I will provide you with detailed feedback in the form of a letter as well as notes and thoughts throughout the text. What does the text invoke or ask of the reader, and how does this align with your intentions as the author? What is successful about the work and where are there places where it can be stronger? Once you have had time to go over my feedback, we will have a follow up meeting where you will have the opportunity to ask me any questions. I may send you additional texts to read that I feel could inspire or help you during your creative process.

I am also a writer. You can find my poems and short stories in Hobart, The Nervous Breakdown, and New World Writing, among others. My debut collection of poems, HARDCORE, was published by Short Flight/Long Drive Books in April 2021. I edit with honesty and compassion, and I bring my spirit as a writer to my editing process. This means I will always honor your voice and vision.

My life is committed to the literary arts and helping writers get their work out into the world. I enjoy working on projects during any stage and I'd love to help you bring your writing to a place where it is ready to be published. Let's work together!