How did Adroit Journal—one of our favorites—emerge? What was your mission at
the start and how has that changed?
Thanks so much! I started The Adroit Journal back in November
2010, as a sophomore in high school. I’d been writing for only
a few months, but I’d already decided simply being a staff
reader for my high school’s literary publication wasn’t going
to satisfy me. I’d even started (woefully) sending my work
out to such places as The New Yorker, Poetry Magazine, and
AGNI, and honestly didn’t feel like my work was being taken
seriously. (In all fairness, it probably was pretty clearly
not right for any of these publications.)
At any rate, I started The Adroit Journal to create a bridge
between the professional writing world and the teenage
writing world, two worlds that felt completely mutually
exclusive. And, to be honest, I think there were—over the past
seven years, I’ve witnessed such strides in the accessibility
young writers have to literary publications and resources,
both as readers and writers. I think that that’s perhaps the
most essential aspect of the journal’s legacy—aside from
hopefully contributing directly to the future of American
poetry and prose. Seeing this world open up and (to some
extent) embrace teen writers who aren’t lucky enough to have
practicing writers in their schools is uplifting.
While the execution has certainly developed, I think the
journal’s mission of opening the professional world of
writing to teenage writers has largely remained the same.
First, it came mainly in the form of publication alongside
established writers. Then, once it was clear we were receiving
far more submissions than we could ever hope to accommodate,
I founded the annual Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose. Once
those became incredibly selective, I founded the entirely
free & entirely online Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship
Program for high school students from around the world.
What does your writing practice look like?
It’s messy! It’s imperfect. It comes and goes, sometimes when
I need it most. But to ask for a better process would, in my
view, be asking more of my humanity than my humanity can give.
Do you keep a schedule or work when you can?
Definitely when I can—which is the only thing I wish I could
change! But I’m happy with the work I’m producing, and I keep
myself engaged & in workshops (whether formal or informal) as
best I can.
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