Michelle Leabo is a Senior in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences majoring in English with a concentration in Literature. 

What do you do for SR?

As Content Team Manager, it is my job to keep SR’s content organized. I make sure that our spreadsheets are continually updated. One of my major responsibilities is to ensure that no work get lost. I remain in close contact with other teams and practice excellent communication between my teammates and other interns.

How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review?

I heard about Superstition Review last semester when I took a class with Patricia Murphy and answered her Call for Interns. This is the first issue of SR that I’ve been involved with.

What is your favorite section of SR? Why?

My favorite section is Interviews. They are so personal, honest, and candid; one really gains insight into the work of an author or artist by asking questions. I enjoy the intimacy that interviews allow for. I also enjoy forming interview questions and conducting them.

Who is your dream contributor to the journal? Talk about him/her.

Toni Morrison. She is such an established writer and I feel as if she could provide not only great material, but great strength to the magazine. I believe she still occasionally teaches courses; perhaps she would be willing to respond to a student-edited literally magazine.

What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?

I would like to tackle the role of the editor.

What are you most excited about for in the upcoming issue?

I am most excited to keep all of our content organized and to succeed in not losing any work. 

What was the first book you remember falling in love with and what made it so special?

I remember reading Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt in 5^th grade and absolutely falling in love with it. This book recounts a fictional family’s life throughout the Civil War. Through its characters, it taught me that people who lived even centuries ago experienced the same happiness and heartbreak as people today and that we can relate to them. Irene Hunt remains one of my favorite authors; other favorites of mine from her are The Lottery Rose and Up a Road Slowly.

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading a collection of short stories. I love the art of the short story; I am a fan of Hawthorne, Faulkner, and Joyce.

What artist have you really connected with, either in subject matter, work, or motto?

Through subject matter, work, and motto, I have connected with Faith Hill. She sings about aspects of life and love that I can relate to. Her music expresses the importance of love, friendship, and family in life. She has a very classy composure, and least in my opinion, and I admire that; she’s hardly ever found on the cover of tabloids. She has a motto that family comes first and she always seems to honestly follow it.

What are some of your favorite websites to waste time on or distract you from homework?

I’m a fan of Lucille Ball and I enjoy searching for information and memorabilia relating to her and ‘I Love Lucy’. I’m also a fan of the Duggar family from TLC’s ‘18 and Counting’ so I enjoy following them through clips on YouTube and sites of that nature. They’ve recently announced they’re expecting their 19^th child!

Mariah Beckman is an English Literature Senior at Arizona State University and is pursuing a Technical Writing Certificate.

What do you do for SR?
I review current solicitation list and update contacts, and maintain this list so that the following issues have a solicitations list to build off of. I also work with Editors to add names to list and constantly update the Solicitation List with author responses. My job consists largely of helping to garner submissions and organize the responses to those submissions to provide clear and updated list of works to be featured in Superstition Review.

How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review?
I was fortunate enough to take a class taught by one of the managing editors/founders, and was thusly recruited.

What is your favorite section of SR? Why?
I think that poetry is going to be my favorite section of SR. When I was in high school I dated this boy, and his brother was featured in “Hayden’s Ferry”, another Arizona State University literary magazine, and I remember thinking how awesome it was that he was valued enough to be represented. His submission was poetry. I really love to read poetry–no matter how busy I am, I can pick up a copy of my Cummings or Hughes or Frost collection and browse through a finished project, and that is what I love about poetry. If literature is the Christmas Tree, poetry are the Ornaments that make it dazzle even without the lights. I’m so excited to read the submissions and have an opportunity to read some up-and-comers and professionals, side-by-side, and compare the changing face of poetry today.

Who is your dream contributor to the journal? Talk about him/her.
I think that I would love to feature Mark Danielewski (author of “House of Leaves”) or Chuck Palachunik (author of the novels “Fight Club”, “Snuff”, “Choke”, etc). While each of these authors feature often mature content, their wit and eloquence are excellent artistic representations of Americans ever-changing and subversive culture. These authors publish challenging and exciting, often funny and always memorable works that have stuck with me and that I can relate to, and it would be amazing to feature one of their interviews or short stories to see what insights they could offer about writing in the 21st century.

What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?
I would like to work with contributors whose works are chosen to fine-tune and polish their work for submission. I would love to be the person who not only delivers the great news that an individual’s work is publication-worthy, but also work with them to craft their writing and to make them the best vehicles for their art form, because written word is truly a timeless and powerful art.

What are you most excited for in the upcoming issue?
The finished product and readings are the milestones that I most look forward to for this upcoming issue. To see all of our efforts come to fruition will be amazing, and I just can’t wait.

What was the first book you remember falling in love with and what made it so special?
As a reader, there are so many books that I really appreciated and grew up with. The first book, however, that I can remember finishing and then reading all over again was Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22″. The characters in this novel were so vibrant–who doesn’t know and love a Captain Yossarian, tragic and clever anti-hero of life’s red tape? Or a Milo Minderbinder, enterprising get-rich-quick businessman with great demeanor and no conscience? Major Major, the Chaplain, Hungry Joe–there was a piece of all of America in every character, even the most despicable.

What artist have you really connected with, either in subject matter, work, or motto?
“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.”
–Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde in his “Portrait of Dorian Gray” is one of the most prosaic and devilish books I’ve ever read. I’ve always considered myself a fan of Sylvia Plath, but never of her methods–her poetry is divine, but her short works and her life fell short of what I thought her work expressed her capable of. Oscar Wilde, however, was as much a modern philosopher as he ever was a writer. Everything he said or wrote is quotable–I don’t think the man ever had a mundane thought.

“Arguments are to be avoided; they are always vulgar and often convincing.”–Wilde

What are some of your favorite websites to waste time on or distract you from homework?
I am loathe to say Facebook, but there it is. I think that I blow more of my time on Facebook then I do checking my email. I Can Has Cheeseburger.com used to be high on the list, not because I’m a freak but because I have a lot of pets and every one of them seems to be represented in adorable photo form. don’t judge me. T-Shirt Hell.com–it’s awful and wrong, but I love it. I only wish I could buy up the site. If you’ve never been, you should check it out–it’s the most offensive and off-color t-shirts you would ever not want to see.

What would be your dream class to take at ASU? What would the title be and what would it cover?
YOU: A Montage
I would like to take a class that allows a person to gather together their most favorite and expressive mediums of expression–photos, written work, audio, video, links and things and ideas and beliefs–and turn it into something tangible…like a collage that one would be graded on. The final project would be in explanation and defense of not only the project, but the personality and individual it represents. My final would be a life-size mannequin, decked out to look like me but in clothing made of my favorite works, eyes that you could look into and press my nose to see a slideshow, a button on my mouth to hear me recite something of my choosing, and spaces cut out of my arms, legs, back, whatever, to put (assuming money isn’t the issue) clips of movies like “Vanilla Sky” or “Harold and Maude” and other favorites to show viewers, in a snapshot, me. This would be like the ultimate self-exploration, and it would involve a lot of actual project work, which isn’t something that I’ve really done since high school.

Tabitha Gutierrez is a senior majoring in Business and English Creative Writing.

What do you do for SR? 

At SR, I am in charge of advertising and getting the word about SR out to the public. I write press releases/newsletter providing updates about upcoming readings, submission periods, etc. as well as pursue ways of gaining advertising.

How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review? 

I heard about the Superstition Review through an email from the English department regarding internship possibilities. I selected SR as my internship because I felt like a student run magazine was new and interesting.

What is your favorite section of SR? Why?

I especially enjoy the artwork. Being in English major, I read multiple works from various authors daily. However, I have always loved art and find that the art included in SR makes a nice change.

Who is your dream contributor to the journal? Talk about him/her.

My dream contributor would be Tim Burton. Although I am obsessed with his movies, I absolutely love his artwork that he does. He has albums filled with art for movies and characters that are truly unique. Also, I think that any stories submitted would be different and fun.

What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?

I think that it would be interesting to work with art selection. I would love to view and compare different works of art and discuss how others view it as well.

What are you most excited for in the upcoming issue?

I am most excited to see the results of readership. I feel like an increase would reflect a contribution that I did in advertising.

What was the first book you remember falling in love with and what made it so special?

When I was younger, I really loved the Diary of Anne Frank. Although sad, I felt like it was the perfect combination of history, youth, nonfiction, relatability, etc.

What are you currently reading?

I cannot put the final book of Twilight down. I already read the series but loved the last book that I had to read it again. I know it is a sensation but I find a real art to the way it is written.

What are some of your favorite websites to waste time on or distract you from homework?

I usually get distracted by YouTube. Not matter your mood, you can always find something to fit your desire. If I am in a funny mood, hilarious pet videos always keep your mood up. Or, if I am in an artsy mood watching people sing and try to get there name out there can be inspiring.

What would be your dream class to take at ASU? What would the title be and what would it cover?

My dream course at ASU would be a Next Step class. I think that faculty focus so much on the transition into college, getting classes, and your overall freshman year, but barely focus on your Senior year. I wish there was a class that explained the best way of breaking into career fields, what to really expect, realistic salaries, etc. How are we supposed to base degrees and majors on something so unfamiliar?

Scott Sivinski is a Senior at Arizona State University majoring in Literature, Writing and Film.

What do you do for SR?

I am formatting the work we have to be sent out to Amazon to use on Kindle.

How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review?

I heard about the Review in an email, probably from the English department.

Who is your dream contributor to the journal? Talk about him/her.

David Sedaris who is one of my favorite authors and memoirists would be a great contributor. He has stories for everything.

What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?

I would like to be involved with the nonfiction group, probably as editor.

What are you most excited for in the upcoming issue?

I just can’t wait to read all of the submissions and just see the issue in its entirety since it is something I helped produce.

What was the first book you remember falling in love with and what made it so special?

Weekend by Christopher Pike was the first book I remember loving. It was a mystery and involved people just a little older than me and it really kick-started my reading habit. I still mostly read mysteries or thrillers along with the occasional memoir.

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading the new memoir by Kathy Griffin who I find to be hilarious.

What are some of your favorite websites to waste time on or distract you from homework?

I like Entertainment Weekly’s website because it covers all aspects of entertainment including music, film and book reviews. I also like a site called dlisted because it makes fun of our cultures obsession with celebrities and his blogs are always hilarious.

Do you write? Tell us about a project you’re working on.

I do write on my own and keep a journal, but right now all I am writing is papers for other classes. I have six classes and five of them are English courses so I’m doing a lot of drafts and stuff right now and working on my applied project for graduation.

Melissa Silva is a Sophomore at Arizona State University majoring in Economics and International Relations.

What do you do for SR?
I’m the interview coordinator. I organize potential authors to interview, contact the authors and then become the communication link between the editors and authors.

How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review?
My ENG 102 teacher recommended I become involved.

What is your favorite section of SR? Why?
The interview section. I like hearing about how the authors developed each character and where the whole idea had its origins.

Who is your dream contributor to the journal?
Jonathan Safran Foer. He wrote “Everything is Illuminated” and I love his writing style. His characters are always very beautiful and complex. The format of his novels are always a little out of the box.

What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?
Because I’m a business student I think an admin job like advertising or funding would be a really great challenge to try out what I’ve learned and get some real world experience.

What are you most excited for in the upcoming issue?
I’m excited to see who the authors are that are going to be interviewed for the next issue. I’m hoping to be able to contact some of the names that I’ve read and loved.

What was the first book you remember falling in love with and what made it so special?
The first book would probably the collection of Winnie the Pooh tales my mom had from when she was younger. Now that I look back on it the lovable characters were just simplified versions of personalities I encounter now. But I loved how unique and special each character was to Christopher Robin.

What are you currently reading?
I just finished “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpda Lahiri. It’s a collection of short stories. Her writing is so exact and realistic but somehow it draws a lot of emotion and sympathy from you for her characters.

What artist have you really connected with, either in subject matter, work, or motto?
I remember I read JD Salinger’s “Franny and Zooey” while I was going through a hard time. The idea of someone who would help you rationalize out of your own mind trap was a beautiful idea.

What would be your dream class to take at ASU? What would the title be and what would it cover?
The title of the class would be “Getting through the Labyrinth.” I remember in the book “Looking for Alaska”, after the suicide of one of his students, the teacher assigned the class to write a paper on how to get through the labyrinth that is life. They would look into their sources of happiness-religion, texts, friendship-and create a strategy. Finding those things that have meaning and applying them to your own life would be the goal of the class.

Dustin Diehl is a Senior at Arizona State University majoring in English Literature and minoring in Religious Studies. He is also pursuing a LGBT Certificate.

What do you do for SR?

I solicit work from non-fiction authors to be considered for publication.  I then read through submissions (both solicited and submitted) and decide which ones I think should be included.  Together, with Liz, we decide which ones to include, then send out rejection/acceptance e-mails.

How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review?

Trish is my Honors Thesis advisor and asked if I would like to participate…I said yes!

What is your favorite section of SR? Why?

I really enjoy fiction; however, I’ve been earning a deeper appreciation for non-fiction…seeing how people can take ordinary circumstances (or even not-so-ordinary circumstances) and convey them in a creative and readable form is fascinating to me.

Who is your dream contributor to the journal? Talk about him/her.

I would love for Michael Stackpole to contribute a short fiction story.  I love his Star Wars novels and he’s a local writer!

What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?

I think it would be fun to be a part of the marketing team.  I work for an online ad agency, so getting to apply my job skills to something fun like SR would be pretty cool.

What are you most excited for in the upcoming issue?

I’m really excited to read the submitted work…it’s always fun to read people’s work, especially when you find a diamond in the rough!

What was the first book you remember falling in love with and what made it so special?

The first book I fell in love with was The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare.  I loved how it deftly juxtaposed religious history, political history and fiction into a very readable and timeless story.  In high school, I adapted the book into a play script and would still love to produce a stage version of the book.

What are you currently reading?

Currently reading the Star Wars: X-Wing series by Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston.  Reading should be fun, and these books are fun! J

What are some of your favorite websites to waste time on or distract you from homework?

I’m a huge movie buff, so I’m constantly on WorstPreviews.com, a movie news blog.  I’m also an avid Star Wars fan, so I enjoy TheForce.net as well.  J

Do you write? Tell us about a project you’re working on.

I do write; usually fiction, but I’ve found non-fiction to be very satisfying as well.  I’m working on a collection of creative non-fiction essays for my Honors Thesis as well as a LGBT themed modern fantasy novel.

Andrew Larsen is a Junior at Arizona State University majoring in US History and English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Poetry.

What do you do for SR?
I am involved in nearly every aspect of the publication process for the Poetry section of Superstition Review. I solicit authors, read submissions, and select pieces for publication. I also am involved with interviewing poets for Superstition Review.

How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review?
I heard about this opportunity through several professors at Arizona State University.

What is your favorite section of SR? Why?
My favorite section of SR is probably the poetry and art section because, obviously, I find these art forms compelling.

Who is your dream contributor to the journal? Talk about him/her.
My dream contributor to the journal is J.D. Salinger. His candor and relevance in his short stories gave him acclaim and notoriety. For an incredible 20th century author to submit to the literary journal that I worked on would be quite an honor.

What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?
I’d like to try out the non-fiction section because it would be a completely new experience for me to work with non-fiction submissions.

What are you most excited for in the upcoming issue?
I’m excited to read the submissions of the authors.

What are you currently reading?
I am currently reading Henry Kissinger’s detailed history of modern international diplomacy titled Diplomacy.

What are some of your favorite websites to waste time on or distract you from homework?
I revert back to Daytrotter to read music reviews when I am stuck doing homework.

What would be your dream class to take at ASU? What would the title be and what would it cover?
I would love to take a UD course on the influences of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter series. ENG 415-Harry Potter, a Mythology would discuss the relationship between the series and the iconography, symbolism, and literary motifs that Rowling uses to create her narrative. This all sounds less nerdy in my head.

What are your feelings on digital medium?
I am a contemporary Luddite. In my opinion, this notion of systematic “interconnectedness” with concepts like the internet and computer chip leave us further displaced from ourselves and each other.

Nicole Dunlap is a English Literature Senior at Arizona State University. She is currently the Photoshop Editor for Superstition Review.

What do you do for SR?
So far I have been formatting headshots and designing various banners and logos for the website and advertisements.  I plan to continue these activities throughout the semester and I also plan to do any miscellaneous tasks that will be given to a photoshop editor. 

How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review?
I first heard about Superstition Review through an advertisement for needed interns.

What is your favorite section of SR? Why?
I like the non-fiction section, just because I tend towards the creative non-fiction genre. 

Who is your dream contributor to the journal?
I would love if my friend Kara would contribute some of her artwork.  She does mostly performance art, but her paintings and prints are amazing, I would love to help publish some of her art.

What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?
I would love to be a non-fiction editor.  I would love to read submissions and get a feel for the behind-the-scenes operations of the publication process.

What are you most excited for in the upcoming issue?
I’m excited to read the submissions, of course.  But I’m mostly excited to see how the redesigning of the website will look. 

What was the first book you remember falling in love with and what made it so special?
I’ve had several favorite books but the earliest one that I can remember is a book called Sirena.  It was a young adult novel about the Siren mermaids – the author wrote a series of novels that reworked common stories or fairytales.  She put her own twist on them, added in a bit of drama and made them all great for teenagers to read. 

What are some of your favorite websites to waste time on or distract you from homework?
www.stumbleupon.com (if you don’t have an account here, you need to make one)

www.etsy.com

www.flickr.com

What are your feelings on digital medium?
I’m hoping that being involved with Superstition Review will help rid of me this opinion, but it’s hard for me to take digital literary pieces seriously.  Blogs have to be especially entertaining or humorous for me to like them.  And similarly, literature needs to be especially engaging to hold my attention.  I’m also a person who prefers a photo to a digital file, a printed page over a pdf.  I just like tangible things better.

Do you create art? Tell us about a project you’re working on.

I’m always tweeking my own photographs, trying to decide on a series to shoot, a series to put together.  Currently, I’m working on putting together a poetry/photography book.  I’ve printed out a sentence or two on a transparency so I can bring it into the darkroom with me to make it a part of the printing process. 

Jenny Brundage, a senior at Arizona State University majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in Communcations, is currently one of the Superstition Review Art Editors.

What do you do for SR? Please list job activities/explanation.
Art Editor–solicit art, help decide both what’s chosen and how it’s displayed, do artist interviews, acquire and edit artists’ bios, acquire artist pics for their bios.

How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review?
I don’t recall. I do remember being my favorite teachers I’ve had at ASU–although we’ve never met in real life.

What is your favorite section of SR? Why?
Art, because it truly suits the digital medium.

Who is your dream contributor to the journal?
Dorothea Tanning. She’s somewhere near the century mark, but still alive and working. She was assosciated with the Surrealist and Dadaist movements, as an artist, but really did her own thing. She’s a legendary painter, a skilled poet, and an excellent creative non-fiction author.

What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?
One of the managerial or PR types of positions.

What are you most excited for in the upcoming issue?
I’m most excited to see the completed issue, all new and shiny.

What was the first book you remember falling in love with and what made it so special?
No Flying in the House in Kindergarten was my first big book, and so it was an achievement as well as a fun book.

What are you currently reading?
I recently finished volume 5 of Ross Campbell’s Wet Moon, which was amazing and ended on a huge cliffhanger.

What are some of your favorite literary links?
My favorite writing site is Ralan.com, and most of my other favorites (Submitting to the Black Hole, Preditors and Editors, etc…) link from there. It’s where I check market listings and hear information. Plus, it’s free! I also subscribe to the free mini-version of Publishers Weekly.

Have you ever submitted to or been published in a literary/art magazine? How was that process? What was it like, waiting?
Yes, I have had a story in The Pedestal Magazine, which you can still find in their archives (“The Jig”). They were quick to reply with a “yes”–I think it was under two months. It was standard process: sign the contract and get the check. It was nice having my story discussed in that issue’s intro, not just seeing the story itself appear.

I’ve never had my art in any literary magazines (might’ve modeled for, but not created). I’ve had paintings and photography in larger shows (subject-specific, not my work featured) at Alwun House in the past. I’ve sold a commission before, but don’t really focus on art because I’m not that great at it.

Senior English Literature Major Sean Carstensen is the Prose Team Manager for Superstition Review.

What do you do for SR?
It’s my responsibility to function as a liaison between the prose editors and management of SR. The Prose team as a whole is responsible for selecting the works to be published in the upcoming issue; my role in the team is to keep sight of the larger picture and assist the prose editors in any way I can while simultaneously working to streamline communication within the SR team.

How did you hear about or get involved with Superstition Review?
I found out about Superstition Review through an English Department email encouraging students to apply for the internship. It sounded like something I would be interested in, so I applied and decided to take a summer course which would prepare me for a management position in the Fall 2009 issue. Being involved in publishing a literary journal was more appealing to me than the traditional types of internships.

What is your favorite section of SR? Why?
My favorite section of SR would have to be the poetry. The density of meaning and ambiguity of the poems is what separates them from prose: I can read a fiction/nonfiction piece once through and feel as though I have a solid idea of the message; poems are completely different. The first read through a poem familiarizes me with the meter and structure, but the meaning often remains uncertain and ambiguous even after several reads.

Who is your dream contributor to the journal? Talk about him/her.
I feel like Stephen King would be an extremely interesting interview. After reading previous interviews, I would want to ask him about his writing process because it sounds different from traditional methods which emphasis planning and structure: King incorporates a degree of spontaneity and oftentimes does not know how his main plot conflicts will be resolved.

What job, other than your own, would you like to try out in the journal?
Blogging has always been something I’d like to try out and I think that it would be exciting to be responsible for an ongoing blog about Superstition Review. I think that a lot of potential readers will first find out about SR through the blog, and I believe that maintaining the page would be an intriguing combination of journalism and marketing.

What are you most excited for in the upcoming issue?
I’m really hoping to discover some new writers through the open submissions. I know that we’ll receive quality work from the solicited submissions, but I would be thrilled to see some unsolicited work make its way into the final issue as well.

What was the first book you remember falling in love with and what made it so special?
One day my fourth grade teacher started reading us a book called The Phantom Tollbooth and I was absolutely transfixed. Later that day I happened to see the same book in my older brother’s room, so I stole it and proceeded to finish the entire thing. The mash up of wordplay, riddles and rhymes in the story of a boy named Milo were completely overwhelming and unlike anything I had seen before.

What artist have you really connected with, either in subject matter, work, or motto?
I would have to say Oscar Wilde. The Picture of Dorian Gray was an eye opening read, but it’s really Wilde’s criticism that I connect with: the notion that an observer deduces meaning from art by contributing part of their self to the work was new to me.

What would be your dream class to take at ASU? What would the title be and what would it cover?
A class on Aleister Crowley-I’ve read some less than complementary things about him, but have never actually read any of his work. I believe someone once called him “the wickedest man in the world” and I would be interested to see what a writer has to say to earn such harsh criticism.

Do you write? Tell us about a project you’re working on.
I have recently reconnected with 3 of my old friends from high school and we’re trying to start mailing a journal between the four of us; we’ll be able to reflect on how much has changed in four years while staying touch with one another in a unique fashion.