Interview with Marilyn Brandt Smith

WG: Marilyn, anthologies about writing of people with disabilities are extremely uncommon, and were even more so when you edited Behind Our Eyes four years ago. What prompted you to put together the anthology?

MBS: I was in the right place at the right time. Our writers' group, Behind Our Eyes, was not yet incorporated with nonprofit status. In 2006 we were only six months into our Sunday night phone conferences, critiques, and planning.

We all supported our founder Sanford Rosenthal's dream of publishing a collection of our work. He invited an administrator from iUniverse on, believe it or not, White Cane day, October 15, to speak to us about POD opportunities her company had to offer. We couldn't turn down the "chance of a lifetime" offer she presented.

Time was a bit of a factor, as she would be changing jobs when iUniverse merged with Author House in the spring. We already had an offer from a talented and experienced copyeditor, Michael Koretzky, who promised to help us with a book if we got an offer. We knew we needed to come out of the gate running to be sure everyone would stay close enough to our project to see it to completion.

By Christmas there was a loose team of critiquing editors of which I was one. Our theme was indefinite, and we had questions about copyrights, etc. Submissions were not coming in as quickly as we needed them. There were probably twenty-five of us hovering over this opportunity, not quite knowing how to get started.

We didn't want our book to be an explanation of how to overcome disability or what phases of doubt and depression one must go through before being successful. Since our primary focus was to flaunt our own writing skills, we knew we had to find the right words to tell our stories, not only about successes, but about make-do solutions and serious disappointments. We wanted to show that disability was only one aspect of our daily lives, and certainly not a subject on which we all shared equal perspective or coinciding views.

I had edited small-circulation quarterlies off and on for thirty years. My background as a writer, educator, and rehabilitation specialist gave me the courage to believe I could spark the group's interest with topics and suggestions so we could come up with a collection showing our writing and our takes on disability as assets to benefit the disability community and the general public. I offered to become the primary editor. No one, not even I, knew whether I could really see it through as professionally as it deserved, but we were off and running, and I never looked back.

WG: It sounds as though some of the writing came from your group and other work came through submissions. What was your submissions process? What kind of parameters did you set up for the kind of work that you would accept?

MBS: Our submission guidelines were decided by group members attending a Sunday night phone conference, and were based on familiar numbers we thought were reasonable--fifty lines for poetry, and 2500 words for fiction, essay, and memoir. We expected to market to a broad audience, and decided to avoid political and religious controversy or partiality. Many pieces would undoubtedly reflect disability issues, but we wanted a broad representation of lifestyle, family concerns, hobbies, and general interests.

Because we had a fast-track timeline, we weren't able to reach out to the disability community beyond "word of mouth" and a few Email discussion lists and conferences. Most of us had visual loss, but we wanted to represent other disabilities as well. We were able to reach and include work from people with orthopedic, mental health, and concentration issues.

As material was edited and accepted we saw sectional themes emerging, and issued special calls for work on various subjects. We tapped resources outside our group when gaps needed filling, and we reached for examples in genre which would add zest and perspective such as flash fiction, and humor alongside compassion in discrimination scenarios.

Some eliminations were easy--wordy, teary, hostile, boring, and sloppy work. The toughest call for me was a 3500-word well-written story about mountain climbers with various disabilities submitted by Erik Weihenmayer. Erik was giving us a book cover endorsement pending his reading of the text. Because of the narrative nature of the adventure, I couldn't find a way to cut many words. He liked what he read, and understood that, tempting though it was to make an exception, we couldn't in good conscience change the rules just for him. I still hope one day to publish one of his stories in our online magazine.

In the end, twenty-seven authors provided ninety-four pieces. Submissions claimed five months, and final selection and copyediting claimed another three. Formatting and submitting, then proofing and correcting the online galleys, took another two months. The last three months were impatient waiting time for the books in-hand to emerge. After fourteen months from the date of our offer, we finally had books in-hand, and were guardedly ready to begin the next phase, promotion and marketing.

WG: Whenever editing is done by more than one person, there are always issues of disagreement that come up among the editors. Can you give any examples of the kinds of issues that came up, other than the one you mention with Eric, where you had to hammer out a compromise?

MBS: There were some editorial challenges. Our founder, who is Jewish, didn't want anything more than hints about a deity in a story. This gave some of our Christian authors a bit of resentment. Finally two well-written Christmas stories came through, neither of which had a single reference to the nativity or religious services or scriptures. Our committee simply outvoted his resistance, and both were included.

One author who was also an editor submitted two pieces about working with disabled people. Both pieces poked a little fun at the difficulty she had with communication. The story about the mentally challenged, somewhat compulsive helper was accepted. The story about the blind client who became somewhat assertive and inappropriate was not. There were some ripples and questions as to the fairness in this.

Two pieces regarding public reaction to disability came under question. In one, the author complained about the inability of a travel companion to see the inconvenience of small scheduling changes, whereas he felt that he dealt with new and devastating changes in his life after his stroke. In the second piece, a sighted helper reminded a blind man how lucky he was not to see some of the ills in the environment, and he made a rather informative response to her which some readers might have considered inappropriate in view of the help he was receiving from her. We let both stories stand as written.

There was one story involving blatant racial and disability discrimination. It involved the police, but over all had a humorous and positive tone. We liked the honesty presented, and the tolerance shown by a person in a situation in which he would never expect to find himself.

Two authors refused to consider any suggestion made for a correction in language or punctuation. They both involved relationships and subsequent deaths of close family members. Their subjectivity was so closed that they felt their loved ones would be betrayed if one word in the initial writing was changed. Both pieces were rejected.

Three pieces contained good content on previously untouched issues. The writing, however, was not adequate for publication. Both authors were willing to have their work basically restructured, and they assisted in making sure all the issues were covered adequately in the editorial rewrite.

There was one author/editor team that simply did not work. The chemistry was going to result in frustration, and probably withdrawal of a piece which offered the magic of disability perspective from a different continent. We played musical chairs, assigned a different editor, and saved everyone's dignity and the piece.

WG: Marilyn, you mention that most of the contributors to your Behind Our Eyes have visual impairments, and I think that is pretty clear from the contents as well. I'm wondering what you've done to make the anthology available to readers who are blind. Is it out on CD or were you able to get the Library for the Blind and Dyslexic to record it? Were you able to make it available in an online format so the people with screen readers are able to read it?

MBS: Since our book came out in early December 2007, there wasn't a good way to get it in the hands of visually impaired readers right away. Many authors bought copies for holiday gifts, and some readers chose to scan them directly and read through synthetic speech or Braille displays. Others used magnification equipment and software. We know a few people who used a volunteer or hired someone to read our anthology for them. We sent copies immediately to Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, now known as Learning Ally. We sent a text copy to bookshare.org, which posts thousands of books online for readers with verifiable print disabilities using speech, Braille, or magnification technology. We advertised availability at those sites through magazines oriented toward visual impairment issues, but of course there was some lag time for magazines, recording, and upload time.

About three months after the book was released, we were very complimented to learn that the National Library Service Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, through the Library of Congress, chose to offer our book in recorded form on cassette and digital cartridge, and in hardcopy and downloadable Braille format. Most material of a print on demand nature is not so fortunate. Authors often have to convince state library programs for the blind to record their work and distribute it through a library exchange program. This of course makes the work much less available for the disability population. Cost for Braille production, even on a mass market basis, is several times the cost of standard printing. Several of us purchased individual Braille copies from the printing company producing the volumes for the national program. Our catalog listing is a permanent part of the NLS/DBPH collection.

With regard to Learning Ally, As far as I know, any registered member can send one copy of the print book to them and they will record it and assign a shelf number. That was the policy four years ago when we sent them Behind Our Eyes. I don't think the girl who donated the books received her hardcopies back. A member should know or be able to find out the appropriate national phone number in order to make arrangements for mailing the copies to the studio assigned to do the recording. I've been a member for fifty-five years. Ouch! It hurts admitting that.

To say it's not easy to get a POD book recorded by NLS is an understatement. We had several people call their regional libraries and two or three people called personal friends at the national library. No one was assured that it was a done deal. We were not actually expecting it to be recorded or Brailled, so imagine our delight when it appeared one day in their catalog under "works in progress." I think it's just a luck phenomenon, because I know other authors who've tried hard without any success. In theory, a book recorded by them must have been reviewed by one or two recognized library-type publications, but I know in some cases that hasn't happened.

WG: How would someone who was interested in a cassette or Braille format of your book from the Library of Congress go about doing it?

MBS: Obviously you have to be a registered library patron. Then you simply order the book by the following numbers. Cassette is RC65632. Cassettes are on their way out in the library program. Digital books are the better choice since they provide the player, and it's new. That number is DB65632, and the digital version can be downloaded through the library's BARD site at http://bard.loc.gov. It can also be downloaded in electronic Braille format or ordered in three volumes of hardcopy Braille as BR17432. Any material borrowed through the national library program, as opposed to downloaded material, is on a read-and-return basis.

Let me also tell you about Bookshare. Of course you know, or need to know, that synthesized speech is not a good way to read poetry unless you read it line by line. However, Bookshare does offer the possibility for people with verifiable print disabilities to read using refreshable Braille, speech, or screen magnification. Books are distributed in a specialized, encrypted format in order to comply with copyright law. Members pay $50 per year for unlimited downloads. I don't believe you have to be a member to offer material to them. You send them a copy of the book in a text format, and they prepare it for distribution through their site. For info about Bookshare,you can go to http://www.bookshare.org.

Bookshare still offers, as far as I know, the option to have a printed Braille copy of any book in their collection embossed. It is not cheap to do this. At the time we did our book, I chose to have them print an unproofread version which was considerably cheaper than a fully transcribed and proofread version. It was a bad choice. I don't know if they still have both options.

WG: Marilyn, in addition to Behind Our Eyes, you also edit, Magnets and Ladders. Can you tell us about that magazine?

MBS:After the publication of our anthology, we spent a couple of years working on sales and promoting our group on lists and by word of mouth. The interviews, articles, and readings were wonderful publicity; but as always happens, there was a lull after the storm subsided. We needed a project to keep our name at the forefront and to offer authors a chance to keep publishing. I spearheaded an effort to start an online magazine. Others in the group were enthusiastic, and one of our authors came up with our name, "Magnets and Ladders." We are magnetically drawn to the art of being creative and writing something worth sharing with others. Certainly the advancement from ambition to reward is like climbing a ladder--it doesn't happen in one leap for most writers.

At this point we publish twice a year. Each magazine contains stories, ideas about writing, poems, and essays often in the form of memoir. We usually have a seasonal section, but our organizational pattern is flexible. Authors and poets submitting need not be Behind Our Eyes members. We encourage them to attend a phone conference and join the mailing list to gain the full benefits from our endeavor.

I have a team of six who assist me with critiques, rewrites, and final copyediting. One of our readers who wrote copy in a different life offered to use his Braille display for final proofing.

We do not feature articles on disability per se. If disability plays a part in some insight through a memoir or is the basis for a funny story, it's a welcome contribution. There are many magazines with "how-to" and "what's new" focuses on resolving personal conflicts, equipment, and other disability issues. Our focus is more literary in nature. We do not carry religious or political opinion pieces nor do we support disability causes, worthy though they may be.

Our status as a 501C3 nonprofit organization is relatively new. Establishing financial support without charging dues is difficult, but we have managed it so far.

Rewards for publication in our magazine or for contest winners come in the form of publication. We will be doing a second anthology soon, and details will appear on both websites as soon as they are firmed up among the editors and publisher. Keep checking for guidelines at both our websites, www.behindoureyes.org and www.magnetsandladders.org.

Submission guidelines are posted on the Magnets and Ladders website. Disabled writers are encouraged to submit material. The magazine is available online or through an Email subscription. For those qualifying as Library of Congress DBPH patrons, it can be read on a read-and-return basis via digital cartridge. The Perkins library records a human narration, and distributes it by request to cooperating libraries. Information about this service is in the latest issue.

WG: Can you give our readers an idea of what you might be look be looking for in your anthology submissions in case they are interested in participating?

MBS: We are in the very early stages of planning our second anthology. Sectional themes will emerge as material is received and approved. Fiction, poetry, memoir, and essay have been our usual formats; however we are an open-minded group, so inquiries about other writing styles are welcome. Any submission to our Magnets and Ladders online magazine is automatically under consideration for the anthology, unless the author requests otherwise.

Our Behind Our Eyes website requires some updating, and is under revision in late April, so anyone interested in submitting should keep checking for complete submission guidelines and other pertinent information about the anthology.

WG: Marilyn, I want to wish you good luck with your work and thank you for such an informative interview. Before we wrap things up, is there anything else that you would like to add that we may not have mentioned?

MBS: I'd just like to add that I have been editing one thing or another for a good chunk of the past forty-five years. Each challenge is different because guidelines and circumstances are different. For me it's been a continuous course in composition, content evaluation, delegation and response to associates' hard work, and soothing, praising, and guiding writers along the way if they need it or ask for it. I was a teacher before I was a serious writer or editor.

I often have reality brought home to me when a piece I've submitted is rejected; edited in a way I don't like; or probed for greater detail. It keeps me humble and, I hope, fair. It reminds me that we are all in pursuit of writing success together--just sometimes wearing different hats for a while. When a compilation I've edited is complimented, I experience the same reward in confidence that comes with writing a good piece, having it published, and knowing that it is well received by the intended audience.