Meet Derian Dalton, Copyeditor

Hi! My name is Derian, and I am the new Copyeditor for Tributaries! I first learned about Tributaries in discussion forums while I was enrolled as an undergraduate student at IU East—it was something I was super curious about, but I had no idea how to get myself involved. I got my first real introduction when I took my first creative writing course. At the time, I was really back-and-forth about which minor I wanted to pursue. I thought I wanted my minor to be in philosophy because I spend a good portion of my life pondering who I am and what everything means. Then I switched to creative writing (and later to anthropology), and a requirement for that creative writing course was to submit to Tributaries, where I subsequently had my poem, “Life Among the Forsaken,” published.

That was my first experience with the publishing world. I have been trying to replicate that feeling ever since. I felt an overwhelming sense of pride in my ability to create and be heard—something I have always desperately wanted but have been too afraid of pursuing for fear of not being good enough.

After my poem was published, I started getting recognition for my academic papers, as well. I have always loved writing and doing research and making it into something both creative and educational. All of this attention gave me a new sense of purpose, which is why I’ve chosen to come back to IU for the MA in English. I found that, on an intrinsic level, I was not ready to let that purpose go. Instead, I wanted to nourish it so that it could grow beyond anything that I could ever have dreamed of doing for myself.

I’ve never felt more exhilarated and at home within myself than when I’m working on a paper, a poem, or a story that I can just feel is going to turn out well. That innate sense of knowing that I am creating something incredible for both myself and for others to read is a feeling that I have come to deeply cherish. I was always a person who needed the external validation of others, but reading and writing has always been where I thrive for myself, and that is why I fell in love with Tributaries and what it has to offer not just for me, but for the people like me who find happiness and self-realization in creation.