Moving Mountains: One Magazine Editor's Goal

by H. D. Lail

Naomi Horii is the editor of Many Mountains Moving, a literary journal of diverse, contemporary voices. Started in 1995, Many Mountains Moving has published the best poetry, fiction, and essays by emerging and established writers, such as Robert Bly, Sherman Alexie, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Adrienne Rich, Ursula K. Le Guin, Luis Alberto Urrea, and Allen Ginsburg. The journal also introduces up-and-coming artists by showcasing their work. In addition to publishing a literary journal, Naomi Horii also organizes readings and art shows and holds an annual literary contest. She is also a department editor for the Geological Society of America and is very active in her Boulder, Colorado arts community. She has been awarded a Rocky Mountain Women's Institute fellowship for writing.

WB: In what ways do you and Many Mountains Moving foster and encourage the writer, as well as support the industry?

N. Horii: We try our best to help our contributing writers in any way we can. One of our writers mentioned that a literary agent contacted her, having seen her story in Many Mountains Moving. It made us happy that our journal is out there and being read. Also, some of our work has been reprinted in Best American Poetry, which was very encouraging for our writers.

WB: What is your policy regarding submissions from new and emerging writers?

NH: We welcome submissions from new and emerging writers. We always hope to discover some remarkable young talent and to be his or her first publication.

WB: Do you feel you are more flexible than most small presses in your editorial rules?

NH: No, not really, although we are certainly open to many different styles of writing; at the same time, we certainly have our preferences.

WB: Do you find you have to be more flexible when editing work submitted by writers of different nationalities and backgrounds, or do you take the same approach with everyone?

NH: The quality of the writing is the ONLY thing that counts. We certainly welcome and hope that writers and artists from all different walks of life will submit their work, but we don't give preferential treatment to anyone because of their nationality or background. Sometimes, because the subtitle of our journal is "a literary journal of diverse contemporary voices," I believe writers think they can't submit because they're white or think that they need to write about some sort of "multicultural" issue. This is not at all what Many Mountains Moving is about. We're publishing a wonderful poem by Rita Kiefer, who wrote about being an ex-nun — that is certainly a unique and interesting background and it is, most importantly, an incredible poem. That's all that matters to us.

WB: In what ways do you feel literary journals differ from other magazines that include fiction and poetry, such as The New Yorker. How do these differences affect the writer?

NH: The New Yorker certainly has an advantage in that it has funds to pay the writers and pay them well, and they are thus able to attract some incredible talent. On the other hand, it is sometimes easier to break into the publishing world by sending to the smaller magazines. In fact, I heard The New Yorker is no longer accepting unsolicited work. Also, I think other magazines may be more open to different and experimental kinds of work.

WB: Do you offer personal feedback to writers when possible?

NH: We try to when the writers request feedback. It's hard, though, as we get so many thousands of submissions every year.

WB: Why did you feel the need to introduce yet another literary journal to the market?

NH: I was teaching at a community college, working constantly and making $600 a semester. I figured, as long as I'm not making any money, I would do exactly what I want to and hence the birth of Many Mountains Moving. Also, two integral parts of my life have always been literature and the issue of harmony among people of different backgrounds. Many Mountains Moving was my way of putting my energy into these two elements that have always been very close to my heart. Some people have a misconception that Many Mountains Moving only wants works dealing with people of colour, or works dealing with issues such as race relations. This is not true. We are looking for great works from people of any and every walk of life. But I did feel that there needed to be a literary forum for all different voices that didn't impose outside expectations that might sometimes appear with a more mainstream publication. For example, as an Asian-American writer, I once wrote a story about a white middle-class family. My teacher told me that I should write about something "authentic," meaning something Asian, even though I grew up in white, middle-class America. Also, I know an exceptional Asian-American writer who was told by many publishing houses that her work was "nothing like Amy Tan," that the "English was too good." It seemed to me a strange criticism that imposed one editor's expectations of a writer that was put upon her simply because of her ethnic background. I wanted Many Mountains Moving to be different.

WB: How did you feel qualified to start a new literary journal?

NH: Who knows whether or not I'm really qualified, but the journal is my passion and I'm crazy enough to work constantly for no money, which is probably a large part of the qualifications for anyone in the publishing business. Also, I used to work as an adviser at the Missouri Review and learned a lot from Speer Morgan and the incredible staff there.

WB: Briefly explain what it's like to be an editor and what writers can do to make your job easier.

NH: If you really want to be published, you should take the time to read the submission guidelines and also read through a copy of whatever publication you're submitting to. Also, support the different literary journals. It amazes me when writers complain that journals don't pay or are surprised when journals fold, when they never bothered to buy them.

WB: How does your role as writer affect your role as editor? Do you feel you have become a stronger writer than you were before founding the magazine?

NH: Ironically, I'm much less of a writer than I was before founding the journal, the reason being that I no longer have any time to work on my own writing. I'm working on remedying this problem, however.

WB: Do you feel literary journals are a good market for emerging writers?

NH: Definitely. Many of the great writers start out with, and still submit to, literary journals.

WB: Who are some writers whose work you admire?

NH: Naomi Shihab Nye, Haruki Murakami, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabelle Allende, Katherine Porter.

WB: Do you specialize in editing a specific kind of writing (poetry, short story, essay, etc.)?

NH: I edit the prose. As far as the poetry, we tend to leave that alone. Occasionally, the poetry editor might suggest changing a word, or maybe leaving out a line, but the writer has the final say.

WB: What range of editing do you perform (e.g., substantive or copy editing)?

NH: It really depends on the piece. For some stories or essays that were incredible, but needed to be edited substantially, I've gone ahead and edited. Some pieces, on the other hand, I've left as is or simply changed a word or two.

WB: What has become of some of the more talented authors you have showcased in your journal?

NH: Some, as I mentioned before, have been discovered by agents who found their work through Many Mountains Moving. Many have gone on to win well-deserved awards. For example, Michael Dorsey, an exceptional fiction writer, went on to win the Colorado Council on the Arts fellowship for fiction, and a publisher is now looking at his short-story collection, Between Dreams.

WB: Do you attribute part of their successes to your ability as an editor?

NH: They do the hard part!

WB: Do you plan to publish on the Web?

NH: We're thinking about it. Right now, we're working on putting excerpts from work on the Web, but the copyright laws, etc., for the Internet are still a little murky for my comfort, and I feel, as an editor, I should be responsible for protecting our authors' work. If we do decide to publish on the Web, we would only do so with each writer's permission.

WB: Do you think you will have to alter your editing approach to suit the on-line medium and audience? <

A name="para37">NH: We wouldn't change our approach at all.

WB: What advice can you offer writers who want to break into literary journals?

NH: Take the time to research the different journals, and figure out which journal would be the best home for each piece you submit. There are a lot of great journals out there — the Missouri Review, Crab Orchard, Prairie Schooner, Black Warrior Review. Don't just throw your work out there to a bunch of different journals and submit blindly. Also, never give up. Some of our contributors have submitted six times before we ever picked up any of their work. Also, I know of writers who have sent the same story to thirteen different places (rejected at each place), were then picked up by a journal, and then picked for Best American Stories. If you really want to be a writer, do it and keep doing it and never quit.

H. D. Lail is a freelance writer and editor who specializes in on-line publications and outdoor recreation magazines. She hopes to one day finish the science fiction novel that has been plaguing her day and night, demanding to be written.

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