“Readers are voyeurs, not debaters. A fly on the wall doesn’t want to be lectured to. We want to observe.”
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from and what do you do when you’re not reading for NER? What made you decide to be a reader for NER, and how long have you been on staff?
Hi, I’m Megan, and I’m from DC. I’ve been with NER for almost four years now. I’m also a writer. West Virginia University Press published my short story collection Softie: Stories in December, which is super exciting because I’m a debut author. Currently trying to find more hobbies that aren’t just reading and writing (and also the time to do them).
NER can only publish a very small percentage of the submissions received. Have you ever read a submission that later got selected for publication?
Yes, “Pilgrim” by Gillian Esquivia-Cohen, which appeared in issue 44.4. It’s about a woman coming to terms with her failed relationships during a tarot card reading. The non-linear narrative structure and the writing style were unique in a way that enhanced the story. Definitely worth the read!
What is your reading process like? What do you look for in a submission?
When I evaluate a work, I try not to look at the author’s biography. I want the story to speak for itself. If it’s promising, I’ll read it all the way through. If it needs a lot of work, I usually stop after the first page (first impressions matter a lot). For everything stuck in the middle, I do a quick scan/read and stop if I come across any major faults.
Positives for me: good pacing, strong narrative voice, engaging characters. Regarding my last point, I think sometimes writers make their protagonists into these perfect paragons of social justice (which is boring), or over-the-top provocateurs whose sole purpose is to refute so-called “cancel culture” (which is also boring, and kind of annoying). When I evaluate a piece, I don’t want characters who exist to confirm or attack my political views. Readers are voyeurs, not debaters. A fly on the wall doesn’t want to be lectured to. We want to observe.
Of the pieces you’ve read in NER, which have been most memorable to you personally?
So far, my favorite NER story of all time is “Patriotic Sex” by Odette Casamayor-Cisneros, translated by Erin Goodman. I had the privilege of interviewing Casamayor-Cisneros for our Behind the Byline series. Aside from her story’s natural, casual-sounding voice, what stood out to me was the subject: an Afro-Latina woman reconciling with her current life in America and her past in Cuba. I love unique perspectives from the African diaspora. The narrator’s reflections on Cuba are so refreshing because they center around simple memories of Black Cuban girlhood instead of the government. My favorite part is when the narrator is describing these cutesy bows that her father brings back for her from the USSR. When she wears them to school, a boy in her grade pulls on them. These plot points all seem so banal (little girls and femininity, fathers away on business trips, annoying boys who can’t keep their hands to themselves), but the characters and setting make them feel radical. Imagining a Black Cuban man from the “second world” taking a break from work to shop for hair care products for his little girl challenges a lot of myths that Americans hold about Black people and Cuban nationals.
How has reading for NER influenced your own writing/creative pursuits?
I’ve become a more purposeful writer. I used to be more listless, my prose meandering and my plots full of tangents, superfluous characters, and long, exhaustive flashbacks. NER taught me that every word counts, especially when it comes to short fiction, and also that sometimes less is more. The genre’s most defining strength is mystery. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is powerful because it doesn’t reveal every detail of the titular event. The best stories turn the lack of information into an art form. They give readers the chance to fill in the details.
What do you read for pleasure? Is there something you’re reading at the moment that you would recommend?
I stick mostly to women’s fiction and YA. Recent favorites: The Most by Jessica Anthony, Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Amanda Lima, The Husbands by Holly Gramazio, Betsy Brown by Ntozake Shange, and Blubber by Judy Blume. All-time favorites off the top of my head: No No Boy by John Okada, and Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin.
Our staff readers, all volunteers, play an essential role in our editorial process and in our mission to discover new voices in contemporary literature. A full list of staff readers is available on our masthead.