Golden Kindness, Wearing the Editor’s Hat, and Traversing the Eddies and Currents of Publishing with David Beaumier

by J.W. Donley

Hello! My name is J.W. and I am one of the three editors of HamLit. I thought it would be exciting for our readers to get to know the one editor on the team who, before he was part of the team, was published in HamLit. Today we have the amazing David Beaumier, writer extraordinaire and tango maestro.

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JWD: How did you originally hear about and then get involved with HamLit? 

DB: I was lucky enough to be friends with the original two editors! We had all been talking about what would take over for Clover: A Literary Rag after they had their last printing, and I had communicated that I didn’t think The Writers Corner Anthology would be able to pick up the slack. 

JWD: You’ve been published in three issues. I’m going to make you pick. Which was your favorite theme?

DB: I don’t know that I have a favorite theme, but I do think my favorite story is The Sound of Being, which was my first story published by HamLit under the theme Second Place. Most of my stories then and after had some connection to Greek myth, and that felt like a breakaway from something I had been leaning on for quite some time.

JWD: What has been your favorite writing project?

DB: I think the one that I keep coming back to is a collection of short stories that are modernized Greek myths. I’ve started and finished other projects, but when it comes time to revise, I keep looking back at that one. The working title for that project is The Mourning Fields in reference to the part of the Greek afterlife reserved for those who pursued unrequited love in bad faith. I was initially inspired to write these after seeing Polaroid Stories by Naomi Iizuka.

JWD: Thinking about the many authors featured, have any other published stories stuck out to you in a particular way? 

DB: That’s become a slightly different question for me since stepping into an editorial role at HamLit. I think Alexandra Lucas’ writing always stands out to me when I read her, and I’m always so grateful to live in proximity to such a talented author (she’s in every issue, so pick one and enjoy.) All the stories in our Life Expectancy Issue stand out to me as that was the first time I sat on the other side of the submission screen. Having never worked with blind submissions, I really relished not knowing who wrote what and just taking pleasure in the work as I would with any short story. Other authors who have stood out to me are Van Peltekian, Erika Shepard, and Elizabeth Scott Tervo. The most recent standouts are Kaitlin Schmidt’s Until We Can Look and Walli Ann Wisniewski’s Generation Gap in the Due West issue. Go read them! 

JWD: Has publication with HamLit helped your own writing endeavors?

DB: It has in ways I don’t yet fully understand. I’ve spent the last decade in the publishing industry, so I feel like sometimes it’s difficult to see the eddies and currents when you’re in the river. However, I notice that even working somewhere like Chanticleer Book Reviews and Media that has a deep focus on marketing, especially for indie authors, I’m always surprised that people are more excited and invested in my volunteer work for HamLit. I know that the connections I’m making now through HamLit are going to continue to have a positive impact in my writing life far beyond what I could predict. 

JWD: As one of the co-editors of HamLit, what do you feel is the most important role of regional journals? And how does HamLit tackle this role?

DB: This is such a great question. First off, I feel like no writing journal, regional or otherwise, can do everything. That said, here are some key takeaways I think we all can do:

• Stewardship: I believe everyone in the writing world has an obligation to care deeply for the space. With journals, this means holding to integrity and commitment to quality. 
• Community: This may feel obvious, but being able to interact and participate directly with authors and readers in real ways is awesome. I love that HamLit’s focus has always been on finding a space for new authors to have their voice heard and jumpstart their writing journey. Being able to help with our first ever live reading was so special, and I can’t wait for more!
• Inclusivity: Everyone has a seat at the table in creative communities. As a regional journal, I want us to make sure we offer thoughtful and open consideration to people who are often intentionally left out of the space and the conversation.

HamLit cares so deeply about making a good impact on authors. We recently began offering honorariums so authors could say they received a semi-pro publication to help lower the boundaries of gatekeeping, even though we pay out of pocket for those. 

As I mentioned–with community–we recently hosted our first in-person reading, we plan to table at the Chuckanut Writers Conference, and we already have plans for our next reading in October for the spooky HamLit After Dark special issue release! 

Finally, for inclusivity, I think the outreach we do on social media, through our newsletter, and presentations at places like Whatcom Writers and Publishers, Skagit Valley Writers, and Village Books helps demystify and spread the word to as many people as possible that they can submit to HamLit! Having a blind submission process also helps avoid some elements of unconscious bias, and I’m grateful to work with two excellent co-editors to support that. 

[Prior to this interview’s publication, we held our second in-person reading event at Zuanich Park, where we deeply enjoyed getting to connect with our writers as well as the greater community at the Chuckanut Writers Conference in late June.]

JWD: What writing adventures await the amazing David Beaumier over the horizon? 

DB: Most of my plans right now involve continuing to support authors as best I can. With the Chanticleer Authors Conference wrapped up, my next big project is The Writers Corner Anthology for 2024. The last time I ran this, I realized just how much help I need as the publication has grown beyond my ability to manage alone, so the first step will be creating a project plan. If everything goes well, you can expect to see a publication sometime between September and November. 

JWD: If you could offer one piece of advice to writers seeking publication for the first time, what would you share? 

DB: This always changes, but I think today I’ll steal the advice D.D. Black gave at his keynote address at the Chanticleer Conference: Write the next thing. What you’re submitting now is great, but we learn by creating and continuing on. Having more work to choose from will never hurt your chances of getting published somewhere. 

JWD: Any final thoughts? 

DB: My golden rule for all things writing is to always be kind. This writing world is a small place, and you can always keep your cool and speak to people from a place of empathy that will get around and more people will be excited to work with you and go the extra mile!

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And that was the amazing David Beaumier. Personally, I am proud to be part of the HamLit team with both him and Rochelle.

Until next time, read often and widely,

J.W.

David’s short fiction can be found in the first three HamLit season issues: “Medusa”, Winter Issue: No Man’s Land; “The Sound of Being”, Summer Issue: Second Place; “Siren”, Spring Issue: Alter Ego