In less than a year, Amber Budd has built something incredible for the online literary world with The Orange Rose Literary Magazine. Since launching The Orange Rose last July, she has published five issues, each one of which is filled with a broad range of writing–short stories, nonfiction, flash and micro fiction, and poetry from writers well known, lesser known, and unknown–as well as visual art and photography. (Note to writers: Amber’s call for prose submissions for Issue 6 ends May 31, so get busy! [Orange Rose has already hit its cap for poetry submissions.) I’ve had three short stories appear in Amber’s magazine (in issues 2, 4, and 5, which was a pet-themed issue in honor of Amber’s recently departed orange cat, Biscotti). I also received one kindly worded rejection email from her.
Amber is a Missouri-based writer (as am I) who, at age 24, juggles her editor-in-chief work with her pursuit of an MFA in writing, which she began last fall. She holds an AFA and BA in Creative Writing and previously served as editor for Arrow Rock Literary Journal and as a reader for Fractured Lit. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple magazines and journals, and she is currently writing her first novel that will eventually serve as her master’s thesis. Though her chronic illnesses limit her day-to-day capabilities, she uses her free time, according to her bio, “to replay the same two video games for the millionth time, crochet while binge-watching her current TV obsession, and squeeze in D&D sessions with her friends.”
1. What inspired you to create The Orange Rose?
I started The Orange Rose the summer after I graduated with my bachelor’s, in the wake of a publishing class that was focused on literary magazines rather than big presses. The main goal of that course was to find a decent selection of magazines we liked (40, to be exact), compile a report on the magazines, and then submit at least one piece to each of them. Doing that, of course, taught me a lot about submitting to online literary magazines, but it also provided insight into how these magazines operate behind the scenes. Combined with what I learned from working as a junior editor in the school’s undergrad literary magazine, I had enough knowledge to start my own magazine (that I named after the two cats I had at the time). I so loved reading submissions, copyediting, organizing issues, and promoting the school’s magazine that I was thrilled at the prospect of trying the process by myself.
Most importantly, though, I spend a lot of time at home due to my chronic illnesses, and I wanted a way to be involved with the writing community that wasn’t just another online workshopping group. I was always so excited and elated every time a magazine accepted my work, and this was my way of creating that same excitement for someone else. Literary magazines exist to uplift the work of other writers, and that’s always been my main priority with The Orange Rose.
2. As editor-in-chief, what kinds of stories, poems, nonfiction pieces are you seeking to include in your literary magazine?
I’m looking for pieces that are vibrant and striking, with characters and situations that are compelling for their human complexity. Messy and colorful characters/speakers that stick with you after the piece is finished. Also, stories that showcase each writer’s particular style–the beauty of writing is its versatility, and I want to see pieces (whether poetry, fiction, or nonfiction) that vary along the spectrum of possibility.
3. You’re currently pursuing your MFA. Why did you decide to enroll in that program, and how is it helping you as an editor and writer?
A lot of things contributed to my choice of pursuing an MFA. For one, my ultimate non-writing goal is to become a college professor, and you need at least a master’s degree to do that. As much as I would love to make writing my full-time job, I want something to fall back on that can still support my needs. But writing is my biggest passion, full stop. There are plenty of writers who became masters of their craft without an MFA, but an MFA felt like the best way for me, personally, to learn about the fine intricacies of writing that I didn’t get to learn in my undergraduate studies.
The main difference with the MFA is that everyone comes in knowing the fundamentals of writing–we don’t have to spend one or two years teaching everyone the basics of character and craft. What that means is I can take classes that either target my weaker skills in writing or introduce me to new genres, and I come out of each semester with a clearer understanding of the nuances of craft that I can apply to my work as an editor. It’s also a great way to experiment with new styles and forms; I’ve done my most interesting work as a result of my classes.
4. Talk a bit about your own writing. Where do you get your ideas for short stories and other pieces?
A younger version of me dreamed of writing fantasy stories, like the ones I read growing up. Instead, I’ve written quite a number of stories involving medical complications or serving as allegories for chronic illnesses. Not a surprise, considering I was diagnosed with my first illness at a ripe eleven years old and spent an exhausting amount of my teenage years at weekly doctors’ visits. I’m only 24 now, so much of my writing is informed by what I experienced in those early years of being sick. Which wasn’t all depressing! You see a lot of people in waiting rooms and winding hospital hallways, many of whom don’t have the luxury of putting their lives on hold during the hour-plus waits when doctors are behind. So many of my stories are inspired by the type of people I saw passing me by as they came and went for appointments, or the conversations they had with their companions. There was such a wide spectrum of human experience and vulnerability in medical compounds, and memories of those people have always stuck with me and bled into my writing. But some of my more abstract ideas come from simply letting my brain wander. I have ADHD, and while my rapid-fire brain can be a nuisance sometimes, it also means that a wandering brain can lead to a lot of intriguing ideas I wouldn’t have come up with otherwise!
5. Finally, what advice would you give to young writers just starting out?
Read, read, read! You can study writing techniques until the cows come home, but often the best way to learn is to see the craft in practice, which can only be done by reading. So read like a writer, and see if you can identify what makes a certain book or poem function as a cohesive piece. And remember that first drafts are meant to be “bad.” That’s when you’re getting the idea onto the page and figuring out what’s important about the story. You’re laying down all the puzzle pieces, essentially, and the second and third (and fourth and fifth…) drafts are where you arrange those pieces into something magnificent. I’ve seen a lot of writers get discouraged because their first drafts weren’t on par with published and well-acclaimed novels. And that’s how it’s supposed to be! Most of your favorite writers will write terrible first drafts, but it’s only because those terrible drafts existed that they could create the great piece you know them for.
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Connect with Amber on Instagram at @amberbuddwrites. Follow The Orange Rose Literary Magazine on Instagram (@theorangerose_litmag) and X/Twitter (@OrangeRoseMag).
Andrew Careaga 