Behind the lines: What it takes to be an editor

By Angelica Fraine ’23, staff writer

Opportunity for hands-on experience is endless at The Valley, and with the academic year coming to a close, the spotlight turns to Green Blotter Literary Society, LVC’s student-run literary magazine, as the search for a new round of readers and editors begins.

Green Blotter has been a large part of the English and Creative Writing Department since its humble beginnings in 1933, and it accepts submissions from undergraduate students not just around PA, but around the world. 

With submissions flooding the inbox year-round, Green Blotter enlists the assistance of student editors and reader boards to cultivate the collection of both written and visual work for each year’s annual magazine.

“The editor roles are a lot of work, but they also teach you a lot about the literary world,” Isaac Fox, editor of both prose and reviews, said. 

Fox began working with Green Blotter as a member of the prose reader board during his freshman year, before eventually becoming assistant editor and taking on the full position after his predecessor graduated, and the experience he’s gained has opened doors for a potential professional career in the literary industry. 

“It’s taught me how a literary magazine works, if you want to be in that world, which I do,” he said. “It’s taught me the other side of the submissions process and sending things in and how to coordinate a submissions process.”

Fox explained that through his participation in Green Blotter, he’s not only grown in a professional sense, but also as a writer himself. 

“I’ve learned a lot of things that are kind of ‘submissions red-flags,’” Fox said. “Like if a piece opens with a long description of an empty room, and then a person walks in, that almost certainly is not going to be something that’s going to be good to read.”

Fox’s work can be found in the upcoming edition of the Green Blotter Literary Magazine, launching May 4, 2023. Students interested in submitting or participating in Green Blotter can find more information on Green Blotter’s website or the LVC English Department’s web page.