A Conversation with Claudia Keelan, Editor

How would you describe the aesthetic guiding principle or vision of Interim? How does Interim differ from the other journals published by the Black Mountain Institute?
Because we believe the truth is always experimental, we look for work that is innovative, both in its stance to the word and to the world.  We’re interested in language qua language and the ways in which innovation makes a reader’s attention active. Interim publishes poetry, translations, poetics/essays and book reviews and we’re open to multimedia work. The Believer, as you know is largely dedicated to the essay, and Witness to fiction.

Give us a look behind the editorial curtain. What’s Interim’s process like for putting together its issues?
You know how that turned out for Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz! Since 2016, we’ve published four online issues and a print anthology each year. Associate Editor Derek Pollard has done most of the work on the online issues the past few years, including helping curate the most current online issue of contemporary Swedish poetry. Our next online issue’s focus is the body, and I believe our most international and experimental, as we’ve ventured into multimedia for the first time! I put together the print issues, usually focused around the issues of the day—this year the “me too” movement.

Who are some writers or pieces that you been particularly proud to publish or feature in Interim recently?
We’re very pleased by our current online issue, edited by Johannes Göransson, most especially by the poems of Asae Berg and Ann Jäderlund. Our newest print issue is an all women’s issue, featuring a large selection of poems by Brenda Hillman and Alice Notley, and a spectacular essay on shame by Sasha Steensen which examines, among other things, a particularly American resistance to this oldest of emotions.

What are a few things you’re excited about in the world of contemporary literature?
I think we’re in a remarkable age of translation right now and that the fact that the internet and digital media make it easier than any time in history to easily access world literature.  The websites for Asymptote and lyrikline are clear proof of this.

Finally, what’s next for Interim?
Interim, in conjunction with the University of Nevada Press, is kicking off a new series in the fall which we’re calling the Test Site Poetry Series. The first year we’ll publish the winning manuscript and plan to publish 2-3 books of poetry a year thereafter.  I’m the series editor and have asked Sherwin Bitsui, Don Revell, Sasha Steensen and Ronaldo Wilson to be on the board.  Here’s a description: “As our series title suggests, we're looking for manuscripts that engage the perilous conditions of life in the 21^st century, as they pertain to issues of social justice and the earth. The winning book will demonstrate an ethos that considers the human condition in inclusive love and sympathy, while offering the same in consideration of the earth. Because we believe the truth is always experimental, we'll especially appreciate books with innovative approaches.”

Website: https://www.interimpoetics.org/