The following is part of an interview series:
PRINT LITERARY JOURNALS in conversation with BENNINGTON REVIEW

via email in Spring 2019

MADDIE PASQUALE

What aspect of your job as editor-in-chief at Bat City were you most passionate about? What was most challenging?

LEAH HAMPTON

What our whole editorial board cares about most is treating writers well and promoting their work. We read every submission carefully, and we are always on the lookout for new and emerging voices. I took this task very seriously as editor-in-chief, as did our whole team. As is often the case with big goals, the thing you care most about is often the most challenging aspect of your job. Making sure we thoroughly read thousands of submissions, handling rejections ethically (and kindly), and working closely with the writers we published so their work looked as good as possible on the page—all of this care and passion is incredibly challenging. But it’s definitely worth it, and we’re always proud of our efforts when the issue comes out.

MADDIE PASQUALE

Can you think of a particular piece that you fought to make sure was in the magazine?

LEAH HAMPTON

I'm very lucky that the Bat City editorial team doesn’t “fight.” Some journals have confrontational board meetings, but we never have. If one editor feels really passionately about a particular piece, the group usually defers to that person’s expertise and agrees to publish it. Similarly, if I feel great about a submission, but the rest of the team is not impressed by it, I make sure to listen to the collective voice of my colleagues, because they’re often right. So, in general, we make decisions together and trust each other. That said, there are a few pieces in our current issue that I’m particularly fond of, such as the poem “Ah Bing Speaks to the Cherry Orchard” and the essay by Lee Anne Gallaway-Mitchell. Both pieces had a lot of support from our whole team.

MADDIE PASQUALE

What type of experience have you had that best prepared you to hold your position at Bat City Review?

LEAH HAMPTON

I was fairly new to literary journals when I was offered the fiction editor position a couple of years ago. I had to learn a lot from scratch. I found the editor-in-chief position easier because I had some managerial experience, and by the time I moved into that role, I knew a lot about the inner workings of Bat City. Anyone who has had jobs where they had to meet deadlines and stay VERY organized is probably going to be useful to a literary journal. My previous career as an English instructor and a technical writer also helped, especially when it came time to check final proofs for errors.

MADDIE PASQUALE

What is your fondest memory of working with Bat City?

LEAH HAMPTON

The people. I made so many friends—fellow editors at other journals, writers whose work I love, and of course my fellow BCR editors. Working for a good literary journal helps you network and become a good literary citizen.

MADDIE PASQUALE

Is there anything you would like to share about your upcoming book?

LEAH HAMPTON

Thanks for asking! My first book will be released in 2020 by Henry Holt, and it’s a short story collection about corpses, Appalachia, environmental crises, and smart women. I have a wonderful editor, and the whole process is very exciting. The title is still being finalized at the moment, but it’ll definitely be an attention grabber.

MADDIE PASQUALE received her BA in literature from Bennington College in 2019.

LEAH HAMPTON was the recent editor-in-chief of Bat City Review at the time of this interview (Spring 2019). Her short story collection, F*ckface, is forthcoming in May 2020 from Henry Holt.