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Editor Interview: Crab Fat Magazine

This interview is provided for archival purposes. The listing is not currently active.

Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.

A: Queer. Feminist. Weird.

Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?

A: Caseyrenee: I love reading Them, Vetch, The Fem, Scum, Rogue Agent, Reality Beach, Witch Craft, and others that explore experimental, queer, and feminist work.
Ella Ann: I'm still finding my vibe within the world of publications. I love The Fem and Luna Luna and I also enjoyed the first issue of qu.ee/r Magazine. I'm always on the lookout for feminist and queer publishers and magazines or just quirky and weird literature.

Q: If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?

A: Caseyrenee: Fatima Asghar, Stacey Waite, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Meggie Nelson, Anais Nin, Susan Minot, Octavia Butler, Sylvia Plath, William Blake, Thomas Paine, Thomas Morton, Anne Rice, David Sedaris, George R.R. Martin, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Peter Shaffer, Hunter S. Thompson, and pretty much any and all queer poets that I come across.
Ella Ann: Anne Rice, Sherrilyn Kenyon, JK Rowling, Edgar Allen Poe, William Blake, Sarah Dessen, and Joan Didion.

Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?

A: Caseyrenee: Crab Fat is all about weird language, different perspectives, and all things queer. The thing I love most is innovative description and poetry that cuts deep, exposing readers to the raw side of life.
Ella Ann: I love prose that makes readers feel something on a deep level. Emotional connection to literature is a powerful thing.

Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?

A: Read our guidelines. Read what we're publishing too. Don't submit religious work to us, we're a staff of atheists, and get enough religious thought living in the Bible Belt. There are a lot of venues for that kind of work, we're just not one of them.

Q: Describe the ideal submission.

A: Quirky, experimental, feminist, queer rolled into one!

Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

A: About half of writers/artists do not submit bios with their work. Please submit a bio! It really helps us.

Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?

A: Cover letters are nice, we like them, but we don't like lists of publications. We like quirky original bios that give us a sense of who you are.

Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?

A: We read the entirety of the work. Each piece submitted to Crab Fat is given it's fair chance.

Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?

A: There are no hoops to jump through. If we like what you submit we accept it, if not, well, it's not personal, it's just not for us.

Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?

A: Caseyrenee: I try to read at least twice a week, and it is typically an hours-long endeavor. I do my best to respond within 4 to 8 weeks, though it's typically sooner.
Ella Ann: Before we were on Submittable I would read 2-3 times per week for hours and hours because Caseyrenee and I would have to send messages back and forth to one another about submissions, and that took more time. Now it's much easier and the process is the same for both of us. Submittable really streamlined the process on both the submitter's end and ours.

Q: How important do you feel it is for publishers to embrace modern technologies?

A: Very important! We are living in an increasingly technological world, so to not be with the times makes you obsolete. Electronic submissions and eJournals keep the literary world fresh and give traditional publishers a run for their money.