More Than a Spotlight

The “Meet Our Staff” series on our social media channels may appear at first glance to be a straightforward gesture of recognition. It is certainly that, but it is also something larger. It is an articulation of how Broad Ripple Review understands its role as a literary journal and how we want to be accountable to the writers who trust us with their work.

Publishing can often feel impersonal. Writers send work into an electronic portal and receive a short reply weeks or months later. The process can create the impression of a faceless machine, a void that consumes effort and gives back a single line of text. We resist that model. A journal is not a machine. A journal is a group of readers and editors who are making choices, discussing standards, and wrestling with questions of craft and vision. By introducing our staff, we make that human infrastructure visible.

There is a practical dimension to this. When contributors know who is reading, they know that their submissions are being weighed with seriousness, not dismissed in haste. Every reader brings particular sensitivities, tastes, and commitments. Some are drawn to risk, some to precision of craft, some to emotional depth. Our staff is diverse in this sense, and the balance among them shapes what Broad Ripple Review ultimately becomes. Sharing who they are helps contributors understand that acceptance or decline is never arbitrary, but part of an intentional editorial conversation.

There is also a philosophical dimension. At Broad Ripple Review we believe that publishing is not only about selecting excellent work but also about sustaining community. Writers are not simply sending words into the dark. They are engaging in dialogue with editors, other writers, and readers. That dialogue gains strength when the people behind the journal step forward. Literature flourishes when the walls between “editorial” and “creative” are less opaque.

Finally, there is the ethical dimension. We ask writers to take risks when they submit, to send us work that may be raw, vulnerable, or deeply personal. That deserves to be met by more than silence. It deserves acknowledgment of the real humans who are holding that work with care. “Meet Our Staff” is our way of showing that stewardship is not abstract. It is embodied in individuals who value what writers have entrusted to us.

A Note of Gratitude
Every member of our team is a volunteer. They give their time and attention freely, without financial compensation, because they believe in literature and in the writers who create it. As writers ourselves, we owe a profound debt to the many volunteers across literary publishing who make these magazines possible. Without them, there would be fewer places for work to live, fewer communities in which it could be honored, and fewer readers to carry it forward.

We Are Growing — Join Us
Broad Ripple Review currently has several volunteer editorial roles open. We seek committed readers and editors who share our devotion to prose: those who value precision of language, emotional resonance, structural clarity, and literary risk.

• Prose Readers — to assist with short fiction and creative nonfiction, helping with discerning structure, tone, and voice.

• Reviews & Interviews Editor — to guide our Reviews/Interviews section, including book reviews, author interviews, and editorial content that amplifies author voices and literary conversations.

• Copy Editor — to polish accepted submissions, ensuring consistency, clarity, and attention to detail while preserving authorial voice.

If you believe in literary work as an act of care, if you wish to help shape a space where writers’ voices are heard with respect, we welcome your application. All roles are remote, asynchronous, and flexible. Apply here.

Closing Assurance
When you encounter a “Meet Our Staff” post, it is not simply a photograph and a brief bio. It is part of our editorial philosophy in action. It is an assurance that your work is treated with respect, by people who believe in literature’s capacity to matter, and by a community that sees publishing as an act of care.

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