Moving Forward...

After three issues of Avery, two fundraisers, countless calls for submissions, and thousands of emails to and from authors, we’re sad to say that Andrew Palmer, Avery co-founder and editor—and soon-to-be proud MFA graduate from Johns Hopkins—will be leaving Avery. However, we’re very happy to say that he landed a fantastic internship at The New York Times Review of Books and will be moving to New York this summer to start his next chapter—so to speak. Andrew: we wish you all the best for your new job and, of course, your own writing. Without you, there’d be no Avery. We’re going to miss you.

Our graphic designer, Doug Mack, is also moving on to pursue his own writing. He’s traveling abroad for the next few weeks and is planning on turning his experiences into a book! Doug has been instrumental in the production of Avery and has been, in short, the most professional, talented, and fun person we could have hoped to work with. His imaginative work with the design of Avery has made it possible for us to even imagine what’s possible. Doug: you will be missed. We’ve loved working with you and we know that those who work with you in the future will love you as well. Thank you for the hard work you’ve contributed to Avery. We’re eternally grateful.

But of course, as the saying goes: when one door closes, a window opens. In our case, when two doors close, two windows open—and two fantastically brilliant people heed your call from inside and meet you at the door. Er, window. Emma Straub and Mike Fusco are officially signed on as Avery’s new fiction editor and art director. Let’s introduce you to them.

Emma is finishing her MFA at UW-Madison and will be graduating…this week. Her story “The Queen of Troy” was featured in Avery 2 and her work has been published or is forthcoming in Dossier Journal, Smith & Jenkins, and The Saint Ann’s Review. She hails from New York City and is marvelous in all the positive connotations associated with saying that—and none of the negative. Next fall she will take on UW-Madison’s Halls Emerging Artist Fellowship and will be able to focus on getting a debut novel published. She smiles often and at the right times. She’ll always be sure to ask about your loved ones—and mean it. And she sends thank you notes. And even though she went to Oberlin, we are in love with Emma.

And she’s in love with Mike. He’s is a brilliant graphic designer who can, within minutes of talking to him, make you feel 197 percent more interested in whatever you’re talking about. Just by listening and asking all the right questions. Mike’s work speaks for itself. He’s currently free-lancing and has worked on everything from book jackets, to CD inserts, to custom made posters for The Magnetic Fields (with the help of Emma), to wedding invitations—conventional and unconventional. He is a fantastically charming Italian guy and looks amazing in green. We love Mike.

And together we have begun to renew and re-energize Avery. Since Emma and Mike have come aboard, we’ve started planning a fundraiser—scratch that, fundraisers—for the fall, set into motion revisions for the website, a possible new blog, and a group on Facebook. Emma helped us realize that our blog needs more discussion of current trends in reading and the general conditions of the literary state of affairs and, of course, she was right. Somehow we turned a blog about the ups and downs of running a litmag into something more about the downs than anything else. Get ready to be “upped.”

And of course…

Avery 3 will be released this week! It will feature photography by our own Doug Mack and five unpublished short stories that you can’t get anywhere else! Stay tuned for more details and in the meantime check out everything Avery 3 at our website.