While working at AWP23 last month, I had the opportunity to work with Monica Prince, professor, activist, playwright, author, and managing editor of Santa Fe Writers Project. Her published works include How to Exterminate the Black Woman: A Choreopoem, Letters from the Other Woman, and upcoming Roadmap: A Choreopoem, set to publish this summer. While working at AWP together, I witnessed Monica sell out of the advanced copies of Roadmap, donning matching earrings modeled after her cover. I only got a small glimpse at Monica over the two days we worked together, but already I could tell that she puts in the work with SFWP. Since returning from AWP, I had the opportunity to discuss with Monica a little more about what her role is with SFWP.
Santa Fe Writers Project was founded by Andrew Gifford, the sole full-time employee of the press. However, there are several contracted employees that help to keep everything running. Monica Prince began working with the press in 2016 as a book reviewer after meeting Andrew at AWP. After contributing voluntarily for a year, the managing editor of SFWP’s quarterly publication asked Monica if she’d like to be paid for her work. “I was like, oh that’s fun. I would like to be paid. Let’s do that thing,” she told me. From there, Monica started writing interviews, book reviews, and culture rants for the quarterly. In the spring of 2018, Monica herself stepped into the role of managing editor for the quarterly. Since then, she also fills the role of editor and managing editor for the entire press. “Mainly that means I take over when Andrew is unreachable or doing other stuff for the press,” she said.
Her job at SFWP mostly entails supporting a team of authors and developmental editors, overseeing the quarterly literary magazine, and managing all the interns. In addition, she also acts as developmental editor for the manuscripts she chooses from their large influx of submissions, which is usually open year-round. “We actually are closed right now because I’m trying to revamp the quarterly, so I have all this stuff I’ve got to do,” she explained. In the past, authors could submit year-round with no submission fee, but with the rising costs on Submittable, they’ve had to introduce a fee. SFWP Quarterly accepts all prose, in nonfiction and fiction, and just started accepting poetry, book reviews, and author interviews. A reading board of interns usually handles the first reads of all submissions to narrow down selections, offer detailed comments, and try to provide meaningful feedback to as many writers as possible. If an author’s work is accepted, Monica sends out congratulatory emails and asks for updated drafts. The drafts are then sent to copy edits, then to the authors for approval, before finally being published on the website. Authors provide a bio and a quote from their piece to draw the attention of readers and to use for social media marketing. The best of the best from the year are also selected to be published in a printed publication called The Annual. “The print version gets authors extra play for their work, which I think they appreciate,” she told me.
I was curious how The Annual differs from the SFWP Literary Awards and found it’s actually two completely different projects. The Literary Awards actually happen every other year, and it’s a publication contest for full manuscripts. Usually submissions open in December and close in July. Submissions cost $30 for the authors, and they have to submit answers to a small questionnaire to explain what their book is about. “You’d be surprised at how many authors cannot tell you what their book is about. They think they are the only person who’s ever written on whatever subject they’re writing about. People have written about literally everything, and just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. You need to read more,” she concludes. For 2022, SFWP received 1200 submissions to the contest, and the team read every one. “If you don’t like this by 25 pages, vote it down and move on. But if at 25 you want to keep reading, then vote it up,” she explained. The contest seemed to me like an insurmountable task because they try to give meaningful feedback to every single submission. Sometimes authors revise and resubmit based on the feedback they receive. “We do unpublished manuscripts, previously published manuscripts that were self published or were published by micro or hybrid press that didn’t receive adequate promotional support,” she said. They prefer submissions by unrepresented authors, as opposed to authors with literary agents, because the process is simpler to sell subrights. “Agents tend to fuck it up, putting it nicely,” she confessed. Prize money and accolades draw authors, and SFWP aims to fill out their publication schedule with the contest submissions. From the 2022 contest, SFWP plans to publish six or seven of the works at their press over the next three years.
Although I am a writer, I am interested in learning what it takes to get into the publisher side of the industry. When asked for advice, Monica recommended joining reader boards. Most journals are actively looking for volunteers to read submissions, and some are willing to pay. Another way is to write book reviews of recent books or books about to be published. “You can literally email just about any publisher and ask if they have any books coming out in the next twelve months. They will send you free books to read, and you write the reviews. It’s a lot of fun. It exposes you to a lot of different types of writing, but you also better understand what is popular and what people are reading,” she said. Another benefit to writing reviews is that it can connect you with authors. Many presses are looking for reviewers to interview their authors to help support their work. “It’s a really good way to get everyone excited about the work,” she said.
“Monica Prince teaches activist and performance writing and serves as Director of Africana Studies at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. She is the author of Roadmap: A Choreopoem, How to Exterminate the Black Woman: A Choreopoem, and Letters from the Other Woman. She is the managing editor of Santa Fe Writers Project and the co-author of the suffrage play, Pageant of Agitating Women, with Anna Andes. Her work appears in Wildness, The Missouri Review, The Texas Review, The Rumpus, MadCap Review, American Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee obsessed with maxi skirts with pockets and yoga, Prince writes, teaches, and performs choreopoems across the nation.”
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