From Dandridge, Tennessee, Abby Lewis has taken the helm as editor for The Mockingbird, ETSU’s literary magazine.
Lewis graduated from ETSU in 2017 and is currently pursuing a dual master’s degree in English and communication and storytelling studies. In the time she has been at the school, she has both submitted works to The Mockingbird and reviewed submissions.
“I went here for two years as an undergraduate, and I was a reader my senior year,” said Lewis. “I submitted both years. The first year I did not read; I volunteered to read then I submitted to all four categories, which means I could not be a reader. Then as a graduate, I have been a reader and submitter.”
As editor, Lewis helps gather a team of readers to look through the submissions in four categories: poetry, fiction, non-fiction prose and drama. She hopes that given the pandemic, she will have the chance to reach more people who might be interested in getting involved.
“We usually have about a dozen readers,” Lewis said. “I think we may have even more of a chance now that it is not restricted to the Literature and Language department. That is one of the things I want to work on is getting other departments and students from other programs submitting their work and getting involved in this. ”
Lewis talked about other ways COVID-19 has impacted her job with The Mockingbird, including missing going into her designated office space and talking to other graduate assistants in the department. Mockingbird faculty advisor and professor Jesse Graves reflected on the absence of a gathering staff community as well.
“The Mockingbird has an office in Burleson Hall and the editor uses that room as a sort of workspace to assemble the editorial staff and to go through submissions,” said Graves. “They just use it as an all around sort of gathering place for The Mockingbird. That is a sad, sort of missed chance at some camaraderie for the staff, but you know that we are all sort of dealing with adapting in that way and trying to build that camaraderie.”
Both Graves and Lewis expressed fear that students might be burnt out on writing during COVID-19, but they hope that the situation will be a catalyst of inspiration for works to submit.
“I am trying to think of ways we can encourage people to [write creatively],” Lewis said. “Maybe people can submit little self-reflections of their experiences with the pandemic, we could have a very unique issue that way.”
Although normally The Mockingbird editor would make an appearance in creative writing classes promoting the publication, Lewis will make her first presentation to students in Dr. Graves’s Introduction to Poetry class on Monday via Zoom.
Submissions are accepted now through Nov. 2 through The Mockingbird website. For more information, visit etsu.edu/cas/litlang/mockingbird/.
