![]() So I jumped at it, even though I was at the time still full time at The Toast. And Catapult offered me the chance to guest-edit a series of essays by other writers all focused on this topic. Obviously adoption is an issue really close to my heart, and I’ve written a lot about it. So my association with Catapult, the magazine, actually started before then because I was a guest editor for a great essay series featuring adopted writers. Catapult was established in the fall of 2015. I joined, I would say, like a year, a year after that because at the time Catapult was founded, I was still at The Toast, which closed in 2016. The magazine has been part of Catapult since it was established. So I actually was not with a magazine at the beginning. Nicole: We’ve been publishing for about four years. Kendra: So how long has Catapult been publishing pieces? I think of myself as sort of like the spoke in the wheel, you know, helping to make sure everything is kept on track. So I kind of just think of myself as sort of like the spoke in the wheel, you know, sort of helping to make sure all those different tasks are kept on track, that everyone’s collaborating and getting something out of the experience, especially the writer. It involves a lot of discussion and collaboration on everything from the writing to the art to headlines and social media. I feel like at Catapult magazine, you know, we have a really great team. So even though I’m the editor in chief, I have not and probably will never give that part up. I really think actually working with writers is my favorite part of my job. And it is like an editor-first position as opposed to being all oversight or all planning or budget. So as editor in chief of Catapult, I do edit at least usually two to three pieces a week for the magazine. And once you really get into the editing itself, I sort of like to view that as a chance to have like a workshop with each writer and like a mini workshop when we’re working on this piece together and trying to make it as strong as it can be. Right? There can be a lot of back and forth. And the same thing can happen even when we’re submitted a full draft. So it might not be an immediate “yes,” but we’ll talk about it. Like it’s a conversation because often a pitch will come in, and we can’t quite envision it yet. So I give the final thumbs up or thumbs down, although that makes it sound kind of like a tyranny. So what I do as editor in chief, I read every pitch or every draft as it comes in. So there are a number of editors on the site who work with writers. And then we have a whole roster of contributing editors who freelance for us. So they work for like books or classes or writing program, but also like to edit pieces for the magazine as they have time. And there’s also a number of contributing editors, people who work for Catapult in some other capacity as well. ![]() I have a wonderful team of editors, including my managing editor Matt Ortile, an associate editor, Mallory Soto, and an editorial assistant, Alisen Hae Ji Lichtenstein. So I very much do not edit everything myself. But, you know, at Catapult, what it means is, effectively, I am in charge of a group of editors who also work on the magazine. I think it varies a lot depending on the publication and the type of work that they typically publish. ![]() ![]() Nicole: Oh man, that’s a really good question. What is an editor in chief for listeners who may not be familiar with it? Kendra: So you’re the editor in chief of Catapult magazine. But you’re here today to talk a little bit about your work with Catapult magazine. ![]()
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