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Editor Interview: Barrio Beat: A Literary 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: Dispatches of the barrio

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

A: Arte Público Press
University of Arizona Press
Cinco Puntos Press
Esquire Magazine
City Lights Books
Hayden's Ferry Review
4 Chambers Press
Thin Air Magazine
Grove Press
University of New Mexico Press

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

A: Rudulfo Anaya
Hunter S. Thompson
Oscar Zeta Acosta
Stella Pope Duarte
Charles Bukowski
Sandra Cisneros
Henry Miller
Roberto Bolaño
Kurt Vonnegut
Richard Brautigan
John Steinbeck
Zora Neale Hurston

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

A: Based in Arizona, bilingual in English and Spanish, free to submit, Latino presence, and anthropological background.

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

A: As our name suggests, we are interested in voices from unexpected places like the barrios. From the border towns and south of the tracks. From the public schools and the inner-city sidewalks. We listen for voices that are seldom heard, but speak truth in whatever color, writing that makes the familiar, strange and the strange, familiar. Our advice is to submit writing that shows clear thought and purpose.

Q: Describe the ideal submission.

A: An ideal submission: clear writing that shows creativity of form. Writing that lingers, like the taste of smoke on your lips, garlic on your fingers. And writing that engages diverse audiences.

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

A: N/A

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

A: We believe good writing can come from any person, anywhere. Publication credits do not matter to us.

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

A: We can generally tell if a piece isn't right for us within the first couple of pages. Writing must engage us from the start.

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

A: First, each genre editor decides which work they like best. Then, the editors decide collectively which work is fit for publication.

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

A: N/A

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

A: It's very important for publishers to embrace modern technologies. We currently accept electronic submissions through Google Forms--we believe in the accessibility electronic means provide. And we encourage people to reach out to us, if they would like to submit their work in another way. We will work to accommodate submissions in any form.

Q: How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?

A: Accepted authors should expect little to no editing, other than typos and formatting to accommodate page formatting--the author gets the right to approve these small edits.

Q: Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?

A: At this time, we do not nominate to any national or international awards.