Alexandra Mae Photography
By Dawson Jollie
In the world of prose writing, it takes an expansive skillset to willingly shift mindset between the two roles intertwined in publication: that of writer and editor. For Elizabeth de Cleyre, it’s like holding two brains in one skull.
“I find it helpful to move between both realms,”de Cleyre said in a recent interview. “Having a writing practice helps me empathize and communicate with writers in the editing process, and having an editing practice helps me with my own revisions.”
Joining Barstow and Grand’s masthead as prose editor, de Cleyre already possesses an extensive history of writing and editing for both local and online journals such as The Millions, Brevity, EAA SportAviation, and several others. She’s also a co-founder of Dotters Books.
As a writer of prose, her love for the profession began in the third grade, when her mother introduced her to journaling. Daily journaling soon developed into something of an obsession, to the point where nowadays de Cleyre “can’t not write.” It’s become a way of life for her, a form of guidance that allows her to “find her place within” the world. However, she still understands the importance of taking a step back from her own writing to enjoy life and hold onto an identity outside professional life.
Through her previous editorial work, de Cleyre has helped over 70 writers on the road to publication. She possesses a deep understanding of the obstacles facing writers, including motivation.
““It seems like many [writers] are asking themselves whether to write at all, or whether a story is important, or whether writing matters.””
“It seems like many [writers] are asking themselves whether to write at all,” de Cleyre said, “or whether a story is important, or whether writing matters.”
Another problem lies in the less existential effort of physically starting a piece. Faced with similar struggles in her own work, she suggests seeking answers from fellow writers. De Cleyre has recently taken refuge in George Saunders’ A Swim in the Pond in the Rain—a wonderful source of craft advice through storytelling. De Cleyre also recently enjoyed Jay Nelson’s The Long Way, which employs a boat-building project as a means to describe how some things are best endured by “learning through doing,” a lesson easily applied to any writer looking to kickstart their work.
Aside from taking motivation from other writers, we can also become inspired by the editorial process itself. A process which De Cleyre compares to that of a midwife.
“It seems like an apt metaphor on its face, because in both cases, at the core is a complex and ever-changing emotional process….” Cleyre explained, “which can be euphoric one minute and bring you to your knees the next.”
Of course, publishing in local literary journals like Barstow and Grand is another way to stay inspired. From de Cleyre’s perspective, some of the lesser-known journals serve as fertile terrain for the “experimental,” drawing out their significance in their ability to take chances on creative outlets unfitting for larger journals. She holds a special place in her heart for those local journals, spending part of her MFA reviewing magazines for The Review Review, where she encountered “new writing and voices” rarely seen in larger publications.
Yet in the face of current events, de Cleyre is one of many who’ve seen the prolonged COVID pandemic drastically transform the literary industry, moving in tandem with the Black Lives Matter Movement to prompt critical questions over who’s “published” and who’s hired to do the “publishing.”
“This absolutely impacts us on a local level, from what we’re reading, to who we’re reading alongside, what conversations we’re having, who’s included in those conversations….” de Cleyre said.
Despite the uncertainty of so much social upheaval, she appreciates the substantial benefits to virtual events brought about by the pandemic. The decision to conduct literary gatherings online at the local, regional and even international levels is an economic savior for those without the means to travel.
For upcoming writers and editors, local or not, de Cleyre provides a piece of advice that’s just as important to these professions as for those outside the field: to seek therapy when the stories written begin consuming the self.
“The stories we tell ourselves can be so deeply entrenched we hardly see them, which is why it’s important to build community, to be in conversation with others, to read, and encounter other narratives.”