Just Gettin' Started

My little sister posted this on my wall today:

Disregarding the casual jargon (and the obvious favoritism towards me), it's referencing Shannon Green's submission that recently made it onto our official new website, menagerie.byu.edu. In class today, us on the Menagerie team were wondering whose friend she was or which of us she was related to. See, here at Menagerie, we're not used to people just randomly finding us and submitting. We've been bullying those acquaintances and buddies into sending stuff our way. Cuz they love us and all. And because they're talented, of course. But, somehow, this single (and rather clever) new post marks a new page! A new dawning! A new day!

Someone found us.

My sister did some investigating for me since she knows Shannon and it makes it less awkward that way. So I decided to email her to get her side of the story--seeing as she's sort of our favorite person right about now. And this is what I got.

Thank you so much for submitting my piece -- I was overjoyed to be accepted! 

That's called enthusiasm, people. And we love it.

What followed after that was a brief little Q&A...

How did you hear about Menagerie? 
I found Menagerie when you came to Margaret's creative writing class and introduced it to us.

What was your impression of our original website?
I first saw the site when it was still on wordpress. I liked the site and the ideas behind it, although it was a little bare! But I completely understood that it was a fairly new launch, and I absolutely loved the idea of having a cycled theme every few months.

Is this your first published piece?
Yes! This is my first published piece! I have posted work online before, but I have never been published in a real magazine.

Are you excited about this new website? 
I am extremely excited about Menagerie Magazine! I think it's a spectacular idea to give aspiring writers a chance to showcase their work!

How do you feel about the idea of only the highest rated pieces being archived on the website? Is it motivation to stay involved?
Your idea to only archive the most popular pieces is an interesting one. It certainly puts more pressure (not bad, just pressure) on the authors to market their work so they can continue to be read on the site. I just hope that my work is read enough to stay!

How are you going to market your piece?
I've already told my friends on Facebook that I have been published in the Menagerie, although I think I might need to bug them about it again if they haven't already read and commented on it! Other than that, I don't have a particularly potent way of marketing my writing.


So there you have it. Our first bona fide submitter with a palpable bit of excitement. With that in mind, it's my pleasure to start our official launch day. Menagerie is up and running and eagerly accepting any and all submissions. This is your chance to be heard and to get involved with some friendly competition to stay on top. Staying true to our name, we're accepting any and all sorts: creative writing, creative non-fiction, poetry, film, music, art, photography, etc. Please see our submissions page and follow the instructions there. If you want to see more on what we're about and how we started, visit this page or our blog, Making Menagerie. Be sure to follow us on twitter (@menagerieonline) and look out for our upcoming Facebook page. And be as excited as Shannon Green, because she is right: this is a spectacular place, and we want it to be a place where...well, a place for art to gather.