From Reader to Editor

Hello everyone! My name is Taylor, and I am the current creative nonfiction editor for Tributaries. This is my second year being a part of IU East’s literary journal, and I’m so excited to see all the amazing work our submitters will be sharing with us!

I first heard of Tributaries when I joined IU East in the 2022 fall semester and saw a table advertising them at student orientation. At the time, my biggest thought regarding it was whether I’d be able to write something good enough for the staff to accept. I figured I would give it a shot at some point during the semester but decided not to hold my breath over it.

A couple of weeks later, I received an email from the English Department’s chair, Dr. Perkins, asking if I was interested in possibly becoming an intern for Tributaries. I immediately jumped on the opportunity and was connected with the journal’s faculty advisor, Dr. Brodeur, who let me join that semester as a reader. I’d had a few of my creative writing pieces published in my high school’s literary journal, so while I was familiar with the writer’s perspective on submissions, I was excited to experience what it was like on the other side as an editor.

I loved reading and getting a “first look” at the pieces we’d be publishing and enjoyed being a part of the staff discussions over Zoom, especially when hearing everyone’s differing thoughts and opinions on our submissions. I think my favorite part, though, was during the 2023 spring semester, when the Tributaries staff and ENG-W 280 students all worked together to create the final draft of the journal’s manuscript. Thumbing through my worn manuscript and looking over my suggestions and edits covering the papers made the fact set in that this whole experience was real and not something I had conjured up during a fit of boredom. I was helping edit a real manuscript for a real literary journal that real people were going to pick up and read. The realization made me giddy.

After seeing the journal printed and being able to hold it in my hands and flip through its pages (and even earn a christening paper cut in the process), I felt pride in the work we had all done and for the students whose pieces we had published, and I was determined to be a part of Tributaries again next year. During the summer, I applied for a position with the staff, and the rest is history!

I’m so excited to continue working with my fellow Tributaries staff members and the creators submitting their works to us. Let’s make this year’s literary journal our best one yet!