Editor Spotlight—Literally Literary
Name and role:
My name is Jess, often going by my nickname Aayla. I created LL in 2013, stepped away when I gave birth to my two children, and am excited to come back and pick up where I left off. I am the editor-in-chief of LL and edit all overflow submissions, with a special love for fiction and poetry.
The one-line bio:
I am a collector and hoarder of hobbies but have an insatiable love for literature in all its beautiful forms.
What drew you to Literally Literary specifically?
I created LL in 2013, back when you needed an invitation to create an account here on Medium. I created it in response to a large lack I witnessed both online and in person within the arts communities: authentic and varied voices. With this in mind, LL was to be a place where all writers, not just the well-known or well-connected, could share their stories. It grew in a way I never expected and has remained strong with its readership despite the lull over the past year or two. I want to honor those readers, those writers, and do LL justice once again.
What’s a piece of writing (yours or someone else’s) that changed how you think about the craft?
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There are a few reads that really stuck with me throughout my life. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt wrecked me as a preteen, enthralling me with the unexpected endings. Later, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck became an unexpected love in my twenties with its complexities of what is right and wrong at a time a person is still figuring that out for themselves.
What do you wish more writers understood about the submission/editing process?
That it takes time. As an editor, it is important to never change the vision or voice of the writer but to tailor each piece in a way that really makes it shine for the reader. It isn’t ever easy, but the end result is always wonderful to see. It is also a process I never want to rush, so that I can step out of myself and into the emotions the writer is creating and feel it fully.
Outside of editing, what are you working on or reading right now?
I am currently reading about 3 books at a time, from philosophy to history and dark fantasy! Right now I am working through Warrior Politics by Robert D. Kaplan, A Queen This Fierce and Deadly by Stacia Stark, and Generation AI by Matt Britton.
One piece of advice for someone submitting to us for the first time.
Just submit it! I think so many people fear being turned away, but there is no progress without trying, so send it, email us, and see what happens! Even if the piece comes back with private notes and revisions, it only makes you a better writer, us better editors, and the publication more diverse for our readers.
Anything you want readers or writers to know about you before you start reading their work?
I do not believe there is an idea out there that humans have not already thought of at one point in time over the last millennia, but I do believe each human has their own beautiful perspective that deserves to be shared. So just be authentic, be raw, be vulnerable…that is where the magic is.
Check out Jess Aayla Kaisk’s piece Another One.
