Letter from the Incoming Editor

by Joy Clark

Dear Friends of eMerge,

Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Joy Clark and I am the incoming editor for eMerge, as well as the new Marketing Specialist for The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow. The literary community in Northwest Arkansas transformed me when I moved here back in 2016. Through attending literary readings, workshops, and panels in this area, I experienced a rich diversity of creative voices that created a new depth to the world when shared alongside one another. Immediately I knew that I wanted to be a part of this community. For three years I served as Fiction Editor for The Arkansas International, as well as reading submissions for Gingerbread House Literary Magazine.  In learning to read closely and edit with care, my world opened up, and my understanding of the similarities and differences among communities, environments, and experiences deepened in resonant, meaningful ways.

So it is my great honor to now get to work among this community, which Charles has nurtured so incredibly in the past five years. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue supporting the creation of eMerge, and to boost your voices, narratives, and perspectives. I hope I have many opportunities in the months ahead to talk with you all and to read your unique, compelling work.

Charles and Sandra have continued to offer their guidance and support as we make this transition. I am grateful for their presence and patience in helping me find my bearings, and I am grateful for the warm welcome I’ve already received from the Writers’ Colony team, and the contributors I’ve been in contact with. I hope together we continue to witness eMerge grow and blossom into something that holds meaning for us all.

All the best,
Joy Clark