22: Annie Marhefka on Embracing Your Identity as a Writer & Publishing with a Small Press

Entrepreneurs & Artists with Tiffany Aurora

Annie Marhefka is the Executive Director of Yellow Arrow Publishing, a small, independent publisher in Baltimore. She's also a writer, primarily of non-fiction and poetry. In this episode, we talked about what it's like to work with a small press; how "telling a story that needs to be told" is one of the best ways to make your work stand out; the role of vulnerability in writing; how her own identity as a writer has shifted over the years; what it looks like to build real, genuine community with other writers who are cheering you on; and much more.

Yellow Arrow Publishing: https://www.yellowarrowpublishing.com/
Annie Marhefka: https://anniemarhefka.com/ This episode is sponsored in part by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.

Key Moments:

00:32 - Episode overview

02:58 - Overview and Origin Story of Yellow Arrow Publishing

05:02 - Annie shares about the mid-career shift she made to return to writing, which ultimately led to her becoming Executive Director of Yellow Arrow Publishing

06:30 - Differences between a small, independent press and a larger publishing house

08:00 - The submission process for Yellow Arrow Publishing

10:37 - Volunteering at a small press might be one of the best things you can do for your own writing.

11:47 - Annie talks about using writing to process grief, relationships, and the uglier, darker truths we don't love to talk about.

13:26 - Tips for going deeper in your writing.

14:39 - The role of vulnerability in writing a story that rings true to the reader, and the way that creating art IN COMMUNITY can help you find that vulnerability.

16:25 - Yellow Arrow programming for writers

18:38 - Yellow Arrow's focus on women-identifying writers

19:41 - Annie's approach to her own writing practice, including how she schedules structured time each week for editing.

22:27 - In non-fiction and memoir, a lot of the challenge is figuring out why you feel a need to explore this particular topic.

22:39 - Annie discusses how her writing has evolved through the different seasons of her life, including changes to her identity as a writer.

26:59 - How Yellow Arrow Publishing and other presses may change in the coming years as reading trends change.

28:40 - What's the likelihood of getting paid for your submission if it's accepted for publication?

32:06 - Annie shares one of her favorite books from the past year.

32:50 - The medium of a story impacts who will want to read it.

32:55 - Stories that are memorable are the ones that leave you feeling like you know the writer and you understand why they felt compelled to put those words onto the page. You feel like that story needs to exist and you needed to read it.

34:20 - Publishing with a small press is one of the best ways to start (or continue) building your platform as a writer.

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Also mentioned in this episode:

• "I believe in God, and other lies we tell our mothers" by Annie Marhefka
• "You Could Make This Place Beautiful" by Maggie Smith
• Door Is A Jar Literary Magazine

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If you enjoyed this episode, you also might enjoy:

• Jennia D'Lima on Bringing Your Writing To Life through Emotion, Dialogue, and Voice (Episode 17)
• Emma Snyder on Owning Bookstores, Learning To Ask for Help, and the Surprising Satisfaction of the Entrepreneurial Life (Episode 8)
• A.M. Parilla on Writing Serial Web Novels and Making a Character Memorable (Episode 1)

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This show is hosted by Tiffany Aurora: https://tiffanyaurora.com