As this week’s Litfest drew to an end, Trinity Literary Society’s (Lit Soc) Publishing Panel was the sixth and penultimate event before the society’s weekend away. The event took place yesterday in the the College Historical Society’s (the Hist) conversation room, with noise from downstairs in the Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) often disrupting the small but engaged crowd.
The event’s Facebook page included some slightly misleading details, considering the focus of the discussion. The description of the afternoon stated “the publishing industry can often seem like a giant mystical place, unattainable without the holy grail. Let people from the industry shatter this fabricated illusion by discussing the realities of the world of bookselling!” After two hours of discussion, I learned very little about the world of book-selling, with the discussion focusing more on literary journals.
The panel was comprised of three members, firstly Laura McCormack, a fourth-year English student and co-founder of the college’s feminist journal nemesis. Saul Philbin Bowman was the second participant, a poet and editor of a quarterly zine entitled This is Not Where I Belong*. The third panel member was Claire Hennessy, the most established name of the trio in publishing. Hennessy has published 13 books, indicating a wealth of knowledge in the industry. However, this experience was mostly overlooked in discussion, which focused upon her editorship of a literary journal named Banshee.
After the guests and their journals were introduced, conversation began about how the panel deals with their submissions. Both Hennessy and McCormack shared their desire to give constructive feedback to those who’ve sent in work, but acknowledged that it’s not always possible as time spent editing publishable content must be prioritised. The discourse flowed naturally, with plenty of interaction between the crowd and speakers, and the speakers amongst themselves. The importance of collaboration and teamwork was debated next, resulting in some witty remarks from McCormack about her struggle with micromanagement tendencies, joking about her perfectionism and its effect on nemesis page numbers.
The structure and layout of the participants’ journals was also discussed, along with the importance of an online presence that reflects the publication’s sense of being. The speakers were given a chance to explain in depth how they named their projects. Interestingly, Bowman said that the asterix in This is Not Where I Belong* creates an opportunity for writer’s work to appear as if it’s the album name of a band with the same name as his periodical. When it comes to the titles of submissions, Hennessy’s pet peeves include those that try too hard to be deep, to be quirky, or those that are written in Latin.
The small details that a journal editor slaves over were divulged to the crowd, including spelling, grammar and the order that works are compiled in each issue. When asked about trends in submissions and what the editors are sick of seeing, the speakers’ responses provided some comic relief. Hennessy and Bowman are tired of reading about breakups, while McCormack and her co-editor Jenny Moran tire of racism being overlooked. Before finishing up, the Lit Soc committee members conversed with the panel about staying hopeful despite rejection emails from publishers. Hennessy suggested that one always assumes rejection, so as to avoid disappointment.
This event was altogether very pleasant, even if it diverted from expectations. The head of Lit Soc, Ruth Atkins, did a great job in leading a conversation about the challenges of journal editing and the gratification obtained from such work. Each panel member succeeded in getting their points across whilst seeming totally at ease and maintaining a light-hearted tone. On the other hand, the event could have easily been condensed, as some subjects were brought up numerous times. The decision of the society to focus upon the theme of “marginalised voices”, created an opportunity for a good political discussion. While those seeking tips on publishing might have been disappointed, the evening still provided some great insight for those who attended.
