Aimee Bender has been my writing hero since I was in high school. I was lucky enough to take her fiction workshop several years ago, and she utterly changed my teaching and editing habits. Everything came full circle at GOOD when I had the opportunity to edit the story here. We enjoyed a rather delightful back and forth, and of course she took all of my feedback in her own surprising direction.
Role: Assigning Editor
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For the 10th anniversary issue of one of my favorite literary journals, I was asked to contribute something on a rather unusual topic (every issue of Fairy Tale Review is given a color-based theme; this was the "Emerald" issue, tied to the mythologies surrounding Oz). The weird, wildly long dystopian fantasy I came up with was ultimately nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Role: Writer
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This period of the print magazine's history was marked by meaty pieces about serious international issues; fiction from Darin Strauss threw in some much-needed humor and titillation.
Role: Top Editor
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I wrote this story in a couple of inspired hours (feeling not unlike the main character), submitted it the next day, and saw it published before the weekend. Six months later, it was listed among Wigleaf Magazine's Top (Very) Short Fictions of the year.
We'd been considering Lara Vapnyar's sexy snapshot of jet-setting extramarital experimentation for quite some time before we ran it, loving it but not quite sure if it was on brand. To our delight, the story slipped quite comfortably into our issue exploring failure and success.
Role: Top Editor
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