When I first learned about this cool online journal called Club Plum Literary Journal and read about its mission to offer readers and writers “an ongoing literary conversation, a resonant entry into a beautiful or strange or dark place,” I knew I wanted to be a part of it. And I was thrilled when editor Thea Swanson selected one of my writings to include in the latest issue, which came out earlier this month. Once I learned the piece had been accepted, I invited Thea to take part in a Friday Five, itself an attempt at an ongoing literary conversation. Read on for insights from Thea about the journal she founded (now in its fifth year), her thoughts on writing and creativity, and a special touch she adds to each published piece.
1. What inspired you to create Club Plum Literary Journal?
I had been a reader at a literary journal followed by an editor of another literary journal. In each role, I quickly formed clear opinions about the submissions. I also formed clear ideas about how I would do things differently — the processes — and the work I would accept. These experiences ignited a desire to create a new journal, one that was free of distractions, of ads, of busy-ness. One where the editors fall into the background. One free of exclamation points. One where the reader’s eyes go to the words. A simpler approach to the entire endeavor. A literary font was important to me, too. I did not want someone’s creative work to look like a blog post. I wanted to create a clean, literary page for each contributor. It’s also important to me to keep this going for years. I’ve had work published in literary journals that closed shortly after they opened. I think editors and publishers of new journals extend themselves too much to the point where they can’t manage the publication and eventually close simply because it is a lot of work. Yes, this is work. It requires a time commitment. So I’ve made a commitment. So far, it feels worth it, to me and many others who have expressed their appreciation.
2. What kinds of creative work are the right fit for Club Plum?
Works that surprise often find a home in Club Plum. The surprise may be in storyline or language; it may be in the momentum or an unexpected shift or lift — and that unexpected quality is often tied to emotion. Beautiful language. Skilled and careful work, free of arrogance. Works that contain pain. Mature writing; that is, writing from someone who has been through the ringer and is brave enough or free enough at this point in their lives to create and offer it up. Tight, gorgeous, long sentences that go on for some time, taking us on an emotional journey, possibly linguistic, too, without being clever but because the writer is fueled by the fury and the gumption and enough is enough and there is no stopping her now but look, here she is, stepping back, taking care with her words with editing and revising and reading and blood and crafted risk. Writing that matters. Writing that is deeply personal or political or both.
3. On the flip side of that, what kinds of creative work are not likely to be published in Club Plum?
Works that are pedantic. Scholarly works (This should be obvious from the guidelines, but we do receive standard essays with footnotes, etc.). Works that are not ready; these often come from writers early in their writing life who are excited about their work, and they should be, but the work is just not ready for literary journals. Clever writing. Lists. While we appreciate hybrid works, we aren’t fond of pieces in which the author takes center stage and the content is secondary. We don’t like experimentation for its own sake; it has to serve a purpose and/or feel organic, necessary, desirable. Teen romance. And all the obvious, definite no-nos that our safe space will not allow (racism, sexism, genderism, etc. (see guidelines)).
4. Tell us a bit about your own writing. What topics or ideas stir you to take up your pen (or laptop) and write a short story, poem, or essay?
Years ago, I began my writing journey with the short story, then went to the novel, to flash fiction, to prose poetry, to lined poetry, to essays, and now I am back to my first love, the traditional short story. Ah, but as I say that, I am currently revising a collection of slipstream flash-fiction, mostly published pieces, and joining them in an interesting way that excites me and is nontraditional. I’m also expanding a collection of traditional short stories, and I’ve got a somewhat experimental novel in process. The topics all come from living in this sad, beautiful, terrible, hopeless, hopeful world.
5. What advice do you have for writers wanting to get published in a literary journal like Club Plum?
Take a few minutes to read some of the work that is published in the literary journal you are submitting to, and you will quickly have an idea of whether or not the editors of the journal will be receptive to your writing. Writers early in their writing lives often have the misconception that if their writing is good, then all clear-headed editors will surely want it if they just read it. But good writing isn’t the only thing editors are looking for. Club Plum declines good work all the time because the work doesn’t fit with the aesthetic of the journal. Editors have likes and dislikes, too, like all readers, simply based on personal inclinations. We are all human.
Bonus question: One of the unique and interesting aspects of your journal is the “Song for” feature you include at the end of each author’s bio. How do you decide what song to include for the authors you feature?
I spend quite a bit of time searching for songs for contributors. I look into the written piece or artwork and locate phrases or themes that I can pull straight from the piece to begin a search in hopes it will bring about a song that will be a good match, whether in tone or subject matter, hopefully both. I shy away from songs that are currently known by the masses and instead hope to find obscure pieces. If the song is presented with a moving video, that is another layer that adds to the experience. If the words of a song align with the piece but the tone is off, I will keep searching. Once in a while, I cannot find any song lyrics that seem to match, and I will choose a song that seems to capture only the tone or weight of the piece. All this effort is a labor of love; it is a small way to give back to the author, and it also adds to the immersive experience of stepping into the world of someone’s work. At the launch of each issue, contributors often tell me how much they love the song I chose for them. This makes the editor-contributor relationship even more rich than it already is. As a writer, I hold dear the joyful interactions I have experienced with journal editors. I hope to perpetuate that approach with Club Plum.
Read some of Thea Swanson’s short stories and other writings.
Read this 2020 interview with Thea about “the whats and whys of Club Plum.”
Andrew Careaga 