Krisany Blount

Those of us who have lived for any length of time know what it’s like to be frustrated. Sometimes things just aren’t going your way. Sometimes life is overwhelming and there’s nobody around to help. And sometimes you’ve been dealing with racism, sexism, homophobia, or other forms of oppression for so long that you reach a tipping point. In instances such as these, you have two choices: calm down and continue with your life as it is or announce that you’re done and do something to change your life.

Dorothy Chan and Rita Mookerjee chose the second option.

Over the summer, Chan, an assistant professor in the English department of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and Mookerjee, an assistant professor in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Iowa State University, founded a literary journal. Fed up with the racism and sexism of the literary world at large, they set out to create a space that is run by womxn of color and focused on BIPOC voices. That space is Honey Literary.

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Chan and Mookerjee about the founding of Honey Literary, the formation of their masthead, and innovation in the literary world. Be sure to check out their website for additional information and to see their submission guidelines.

Krisany Blount: Congratulations on launching Honey Literary! What was the impetus for founding a literary journal?

Rita Mookerjee: We needed something new and bold to break up the white literary scene. We kept hoping we would see diversity and innovation from journals. Many places offer that, but we still wanted more. It was clear that we had to sculpt our own space.

Dorothy Chan: Exactly. Over the summer I got fed up, so I tweeted that I’d start a BIPOC-focused, intersectional feminist literary journal run by all BIWOC. That tweet really picked up, and I realized: this is going to happen. I texted Rita. She said she was in right away, and since then, we haven’t looked back. But that’s really our attitude with everything in life. I’m thankful to have such an amazing co-founder and best friend. Rita motivates and inspires me every day.

KB: I love the name Honey Literary! Where did it come from?

RM: In brainstorming, we wanted something really femme and fun. Dorothy and I both study and write on food extensively, so that probably influenced the name as well. We were Googling a lot and making sure our brand wasn’t like anything else out there. The saint with whom I share a first name is associated with bees. I love them; I have them tattooed on my left arm. The texture of a honeycomb parallels our masthead and category breakdown—distinct segments linked by their borders. The honeycomb pattern is unmistakable. That’s what we want to be.

KB: I don’t think I’ve ever seen categories like Valentines or Animals in a literary journal before. How did you decide which categories to include? What attracted you to Valentines and Animals in particular?

DC: Fun. When I teach creative writing, some of my students are very form and/or genre oriented, while some are very prompt oriented. “Valentines” and “Animals” are instant prompts.

Honey Literary is really about breaking down barriers—enough with the gatekeeping! Part of that is challenging the idea of what a section/category in a literary journal means. We wanted fun categories. A lot of our editors write about animals and Valentines anyway. I mean, the sonnet is fourteen lines. Just like Valentine’s Day. It’s truly the perfect romantic amuse-bouche.

Rita edits and curates the poetry section, as well as the Sex, Kink, and the Erotic section. There’s really something for everyone. We’re opening up conversations and all kinds of writing. Bring it all on.

KB: Honey Literary’s masthead is quite the collection of talent! How did you select them to be editors?

DC: Rita and I have been lucky to meet so many brilliant people in our creative and academic careers. All these editors were such natural and instinctive choices, and what’s really amazing is that they all said yes immediately! We love you: Avni Vyas, Claire Meuschke, Jessica Q. Stark, Christina Giarrusso, Zakiya Cowan, Trinity Jones, Maria Clara Melo, and Gaia Rajan.

Please check out our masthead page. We each honor some of our favorite writers here. If you’re looking for reading and/or teaching recommendations, our masthead page is a great place to start!

In addition, many members of our masthead have published books and chapbooks. Check out Claire Meuschke’s debut poetry collection, UPEND (Noemi Press, 2020) and Jessica Q. Stark’s debut poetry collection, Savage Pageant (Birds, LLC 2020). Check out Avni Vyas’ collaborative chapbook with Anne Barngrover, Candy in Our Brains (CutBank Books 2014) and Rita Mookerjee’s chapbooks Becoming the Bronze Idol (Bone & Ink Press, 2019) and Protection Rituals (Drum Machine Editions, 2020).

Gaia Rajan has a chapbook coming out with Glass Poetry Series in 2020-2021. It’s titled Moth Rituals. Can you believe Gaia is only 16? She’s brilliant. She designed our entire website, and we’re so grateful. I’m always blown away by how her mind works.

I’ll be using our Twitter page to continually highlight staff and contributor achievements as well.

KB: What kind of space is Honey Literary hoping to create within the literary landscape?

RM: We are so proud of the BIWOC writers and editors who helped pave the way for us. To honor them, we want to set a new standard, but really, an anti-standard. We are big on hybrid forms, experimental work, and multigenre writing. Dorothy and I see so many places still publishing pretty poems about trees. I’m like, “Who cares?” Where is the urgency? I think urgency needs to come to the forefront of contemporary writing. There must be exigency as well.

KB: What can people do to support Honey Literary?

RM: Share with friends and send us your work! You can follow us @HoneyLiterary on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. We are so excited by the warm reception we have had from writers and journals we love.

KB: Anything else you’d like to share?

DC: In early October we’re debuting a special artist spotlight section called “Sticky Fingers” (a play on honey, of course). Our first spotlight is the inimitable K-Ming Chang, and we’re publishing her short story, “Invasive Species,” along with an interview with Editor Zakiya Cowan.

Our first issue debuts Winter 2021. Stay tuned!

Be sure to follow Honey Literary on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, and check out their website. Submissions for their first issue are open through Dec. 1.