What’s New in 2015 for Specter

First and foremost, I’d like to wish everyone a happy new year! 2015 will mark four years since Specter first went live with Issue Zero. Over that period of time, this literary project has taken many shapes, and has been touched and innovated upon by many different people.  And one hopes that within four years, a publication gets better, becomes stronger, and continues to improve. I think Specter will do so and much more as we plan out 2015.

One of the biggest changes…and perhaps the biggest change in Specter’s history…is to our editorial staff. There has never been one “editorial” voice for Specter; our editors have always enjoyed creative freedom and independence with respect to selecting the work that was ultimately accepted or rejected.

Over the summer, we regrettably saw the departure of Kameelah Rasheed, who helped shape Specter’s visual aesthetic and broadened our literary appeal with her in-depth writer interviews. Rion Scott and Brett E. Jenkins have been tremendous in developing the fiction and poetry “voices” for Specter, and as editorial advisors, they will continue to provide advice and assistance when needed.

So as we enter 2015, I have taken on full editorial responsibility for Specter, selecting the fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and artwork that is submitted to our queues. This transition, which has quietly occurred over the past four months, represents a huge shift for Specter. I’m forever thankful for everyone who has helped edit Specter, yet I’m excited and eager to take on this personal and professional challenge. I’m also happy to have on board three excellent readers for our fiction and poetry queues; Diamond Sharp, Jean-Luc Bouchard, and Tom Bardwell have been invaluable additions to our staff and I can’t thank them enough for the work they’ve done thus far.

We have a lot planned for Specter this year, including themed issues, the relaunch of our blog, the return of regular contributors, and more (perhaps a podcast or two). In the meantime, I’m looking forward to continuing to publish the kind of entertaining, provocative literature you’ve come to expect from Specter.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me or find me on Twitter.

Peace,

mensah demary, Editor