teatime talks: kayla allen & jamie uy
by editor-in-chief christina
Teatime Talks is our interview series. Essentially, it’s where we do the virtual equivalent of taking some very cool people out for tea and asking them some probing questions. Then we post the results of our interrogation conversation on our staff blog for all to enjoy.
Today, we’re thrilled to feature two past contributors as guests—Kayla Allen and Jamie Uy! Both of them run publishing projects of their own that are truly spotlight-worthy.
First up, we have Kayla Allen (ladykeladry) who’s written one piece for the Trail, “La Vie En Jaune”. Here’s a little bit about her:
Kayla Allen is an English major at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Her work has previously appeared in Spectrum, Northeastern’s literary arts magazine. She likes fantasy books, musical theatre, and puppies.
She recently founded a venture called 308 Press, which we’ll be interviewing her about today:
308 Press publishes new and emerging writers. We want stories in a variety of genres and formats; we’re looking for work that is fresh and exciting. We are based in Boston, MA.
The press is currently taking submissions on a rolling basis for its “308 Words” project—original flash fiction exactly 308 words in length—so be sure to check that out after reading this interview!
TT: Why did you found 308 Press?
KA: This year, I've really been making an effort to submit my writing to literary magazines. In the process, I found that I had my own ideas for anthologies and magazines and projects, and I wanted to create another venue for new and emerging writers to submit their work to. I started a press rather than just a magazine so I can publish a number of different magazines from one platform.
TT: What types of projects is 308 Press looking to specialize in?
KA: I want to explore different genres, styles, and forms of writing. For example, I just closed submissions for an anthology of letters and opened submissions for a flash fiction project. (Submit, folks!)
At some point in the future, I also want to start a semi-regular fantasy/speculative fiction magazine. I fell in love with fantasy as a child and it has never lost its magic for me.
TT: Do you have any wildly far-fetched dreams for the press? (Never fear, you can tell us.)
KA: I'd love to create print magazines someday. I'm definitely releasing everything in digital formats, but I love print books and I want to learn how to make, sell, and distribute them.
I also want to get more people involved! I don't have enough work right now to necessitate other staff members, but I love collaborating with people and I hope I can expand the press to include others.
TT: What kinds of readers does 308 Press hope to attract?
KA: Excited readers! I'm not looking for any one community, such as just fantasy readers or just poetry readers, because I would like 308 Press to publish a wide variety of work. I hope to attract readers with adventurous palates.
TT: Finally, as always, we must ask about tea. If 308 Press threw a tea party, what writers would you invite?
KA: Oscar Wilde, Steven Brust, and Jane Austen. I'd like to see them all wittily insult each other over tea.
Next, we’d like to welcome Jamie Uy (1amastronaut), whose poem “we wanted to be princesses” has appeared in the Trail. Here’s a bit about her:
Jamie Uy, Singapore, 16. Jamie is a Filipino-Chinese-Singaporean teen writer whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Huffington Post, Singapore American, The F (Finely Filipino) Magazine, GREYstone, Miracle, and Wild Orphan, among other publications. She is a Commended Foyle Young Poet, and her anthology, The 1 AM Astronaut and Other Poems, was published in 2012. She has recently become obsessed with Murakami novels and songwriting.
Jamie is the managing editor at Parallel Ink, a publication that our poetry editor Topaz recently wrote about in a past staff blog post.
Parallel Ink (a.k.a. PI or π) is an international online literary and art publication for students from 12- to 18-years-old. Our staff has over twenty teenage editors, translators, and artists around the world.
Here’s their mission statement:
To encourage young writers and artists to grow by providing genuine feedback on all submissions.
To bring out the best in young writers and artists by publishing a high-standard lit+art magazine.
To create a friendly, international online community of young writers and artists.
PI takes submissions from students ages 12 to 18 on a rolling basis.
TT: Parallel Ink is specifically meant to showcase young writers and artists (which we here at the Trail think is amazing!). Why did you create a youth-focused publication?
JU: Jiyoon, Puinoon, and I (the co-founders) were all still in our preteen years when we started PI. We personally experienced (and still continue to experience!) the struggles of being young writers and artists. We loved our school, but we wanted a different space for creative students like us around the world to come together, explore their craft, receive meaningful feedback, and grow artistically. This became clear to me when I first started writing poetry seriously. I received a lot of rejections but never knew exactly why my writing was declined, and how to improve. Jiyoon, Puinoon, and I decided that we wanted to encourage young writers and artists to grow as much as possible. A lot of our passion for Parallel Ink stems from our passion about youth potential, and our own personal experiences as we've tried to become better writers and artists.
TT: It seems like the PI team members hail from a wide variety of cultures and areas around the world. How do you think this international aspect has impacted how the magazine runs?
JU: Well, first thing, it makes arranging Skype conferences an absolute nightmare! We have span so many time zones, it's near impossible to get all the staff together for a digital hangout. All jokes aside though, the international aspect of PI has had an enormous impact on how the magazine runs; mostly, it's pushed it to become an online publication. Jiyoon, Puinoon, and I did this consciously - Parallel Ink was born out of our chance friendship in an international school, and we wanted to continue telling stories and making art with our friends around the world. We could only do this online. As a result, much of the behind-the-scenes work is all concentrated on Google Drive and emails.
In terms of the ideology running the magazine, the internationalism has made us open to just about anything and everything. We make it a point to read submissions from all genres of art and writing. We also publish Thai, Chinese, Spanish, French, translations and commentaries on accepted works, because we believe that this promotes awareness and appreciation for the languages and stories of different cultures.
TT: What is one thing you want every potential submitter or reader to know about Parallel Ink?
JU: We're teenagers like you - no one on the staff is over eighteen - and we don't bite! We're here to encourage you to grow creatively, not discourage you. Please do feel free to send us anything creative you feel might work for the magazine. We understand what it's like to have angst, school pressure, and the burning desire to make good art - so we pride ourselves in taking your submissions seriously. Every submission is read by two editors and you'll definitely receive more than a simple acceptance or rejection email; you'll get genuine feedback from us. Of course, we're not the world's reigning literary and art experts, and lots in these fields are subjective, but we guarantee that our feedback will reflect our honest opinions on good art.
TT: What's the best thing about running Parallel Ink?
JU: The people I meet and connect with. Whenever I open the submission responses form, I've overwhelmed by the fact that in the span of a few hours, we might get submissions from England, South Africa, India, Mexico, and the U.S. - it is so surreal. It makes me so happy to think that there's young writers and artists around the world who trust us enough to submit their work. There's also been some very serendipitous moments. For example, Sachi Shah, who contributed art and poetry for our December 2013 issue, actually moved to my school and it was amazing to become friends with one of PI's contributors in person.
TT: And lastly, the obligatory tea question: If Parallel Ink were a type of tea, what would it be and why?
JU: After much deliberation, I would have to say pearl milk tea, since it's sweet, a nice pick-me-up snack, a little different from the norm, and gives you some food for thought!
Thanks for visiting the staff blog, Kayla and Jamie! And Trail friends, be sure to check out these great publishing / reading opportunities.
