Roomie Terri Brandmueller asks Taryn Hubbard a few questions about writing, poetry, and working with Room. Taryn is editing our upcoming issue, 38.4 (December 2015).
Roomie Terri Brandmueller asks Taryn Hubbard a few questions about writing, poetry, and working with Room.
Taryn Hubbard joined the Room collective in November 2012. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Capilano Review, CV2, WOMANZINE, Harlequin Creature, echolocation, EVENT, filling Station, and others. Her first chapbook, RE:, was published July 2014 by dancing girl press. She lives in Surrey, B.C. and blogs at tarynhubbard.com and tweets at@tarynhubbard. She previously co-edited issue 37.1 of Room, and was the assistant editor for issues 37.3 and 37.4. She is editing our upcoming issue, 38.4 (December 2015), which is accepting submissions of writing and art on any theme until April 30, 2015.
What have you learned about literature working on Room?
That there’s lots of important work to read, share, and think about.
Tell us about your recently published chapbook.
My chapbook RE: is an excerpt from a longer piece I am working on that uses various web languages and found texts. I hope to have the full manuscript finished…soon.
Have you always written poetry?
In one way or another, I’ve written poetry. How I think about poetry and how I use it as a way to think about or document something, has changed throughout the years, and will likely continue to change. I like the page as a site; it’s limitless.
How has your experience with the Room collective informed your own writing?
I love being a part of the Room community. Most, if not all, of the collective members are writers and serious readers. It’s fun to go to each other’s readings or talk about writing once the collective meetings are finished up and there’s still wine left. I’m always learning from them or borrowing their books (thanks, Meghan!).
What makes a good Room submission?
There definitely is no one recipe for a good submission. However, basic things like reading previous issues, following Room‘s guidelines, and thinking about Room‘s mandate as a feminist literary journal are all good things to consider when putting together your submission.
Are there any genres that you think have been under-represented in Room?
We publish poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Depending on the issue, there could be more of one than the other. I’m excited for 38.4 because our commission, M. NourbeSe Philip, is sharing a new creative non-fiction piece.
Do you have any advice to emerging writers planning to submit to this issue?
Room has always published emerging writers and has been home to some of the first published writing by some excellent authors. My advice is read Room and submit your work. And submit again, and again, and again. Keep a calendar of our submission deadlines and give yourself enough time to put together something you really like.
Who are your current favourite writers?
Too many to list! I’m always reading. Right now, I have Montreal Stories by Mavis Gallant, I’ll Drown My Book (anthology), andBetween Lives by Nilofar Shidmehr on my nightstand, and on my iPad I have The First Bad Man by Miranda July. And, of course, I always enjoy reading literary journals.
