What does it mean to publish a literary magazine with a “provincial” flavor? That is a question that I will be grappling with as I profile the Virginia-based literary magazine Shenandoah, and I was thrilled that Ron brought his experience developing a magazine with firm roots in the remotest US state to class. As he pointed out, Alaska tends to exist on the fringe of our thoughts here on the East Coast; despite being geographically enormous in comparison to other states, the human population is quite small and there is only one Congressman. How can we effectively share and promote an editorial vision that is based in places that are dear to us if these places don’t seem to resonate with the world at large? A place like Anchorage, Alaska is no New York City or Los Angeles—to the naked eye, that is. If one looks closer, any place can reveal a fascinating history and take on a profound significance. Ron has successfully found a means of tying Alaska to the literary world, but the question of how place-based editorial visions achieve success and recognition could apply to creative work based in any location. What if, for example, I wanted to publish a small anthology of poems based on the visits I’ve made to see my grandparents in Saint Petersburg, Florida?
“Provincialism is tribalism related to place.”
-Ron Spatz, 9/16/2020
Place-based writing has always been significant to me as a reader, writer, and editor. I am a firm believer in the idea that people leave pieces of their soul in all of the places that are dear to them. Ron’s definition of “provincialism” as it pertains to little magazines is an interesting one; it implies not only a strong loyalty to a particular place but also strong connections to the people and communities within that place. A person cannot propel a literary journal to success alone, and I wonder if our connections to places are so strongly shaped by the social ties we have there that it is almost impossible to differentiate the places we love from the people we know. As Ron has worked on developing the Alaska Quarterly Review over the years, he seems to have prioritized introducing the voices, faces, and communities of Alaska to those who don’t know them. As he mentioned, you don’t really know everything about a community when you first arrive. Literature, and the little magazine in particular, is a wonderful way to transport us to places we don’t know well and help us feel as though we’ve “arrived” to those places. Authors and their communities are essential to making this “connection to place” happen.
Ron also mentioned that he initially envisioned MFA students at the University of Alaska helping to select pieces for the magazine in order to gain professional experience, and this seems to be a striking example of bringing the “provincial” to center stage. Local communities have the opportunity to shine not just in the writing that is selected for a magazine, but also in the group of editors who collaborate to produce it. I wish that he had talked a bit more about how his experience teaching English and Creative Writing—and students at the University of Alaska, in particular—has informed his editorial vision for the magazine. When he taught students, did their ambitions as writers and their relationships with the University of Alaska community/State of Alaska further his passion for literary provincialism? Did his students introduce or reintroduce him to unconventional writing styles and inspire him to take on pieces like novellas that other little magazines turn down?
Local communities have the opportunity to shine not just in the writing that is selected for a magazine, but also in the group of editors who collaborate to produce it.
Ever more inspiring was Ron’s discussion of how he selects and nurtures his editors. It seems like he is focused primarily on helping his editors develop a strong sense of self so that they can be the most outstanding “gatekeepers” possible. I was particularly interested in his philosophy that being honest with who you are and understanding your own prejudices are essential to the process of editing. He certainly strives to instill this self-knowledge in his editors by asking them to pay close attention to the pieces that they like or the pieces that they feel inclined to reject. What a wonderfully intimate way to bring editors into the AQR community! Ron is not looking for his editors to avoid messing up. In fact, he is looking for them to mess up and use their mistakes or regrets to inform their self-knowledge.
“You have to be honest with who you are…You will be making bad decisions. You’ll be saying no to people who are great or will be great.”
Ron Spatz, 9/16/2020
Overall, there are two kinds of community that I see Ron fostering: a place-based community and an editorial community. These two types of communities are not separate; there is a large amount of overlap. Just as the people we associate with a particular place shape our perceptions of that place, the people we associate with writing and editing—the people in our “creative networks”—help us grow and change as writers and editors.
“How can we effectively share and promote an editorial vision that is based in places that are dear to us if these places don’t seem to resonate with the world at large?” This, and the question of “provincialism” is really interesting, isn’t it? How do we assert that the small, local places we come from (whether they are in Alaska or in a borough of NY) are tied to the larger cultural zeitgeist? How/when does placed-based consciouness tip into “provincialism”? It’s an important and worthy question… with all that it holds, good and bad.
“f one looks closer, any place can reveal a fascinating history and take on a profound significance. ” — true. And yet. There is a difference in being tied to place and ANCHORED in place. Consider those nuances and ramifications as it applies to your own life.
” I wish that he had talked a bit more about how his experience teaching English and Creative Writing—and students at the University of Alaska, in particular—has informed his editorial vision for the magazine.” — what a great question. I wish we’d had time to ask this, but I ALSO encourage you to reach out and ask the question yourself. It’s a good one.
“being honest with who you are and understanding your own prejudices are essential to the process of editing.” — YES. Your self and your prejudices are at once your weaknesses and your potential strengths, as long as you see both clearly.