Arrow Rock Literary Journal

Over the past 15 years, a number of students have been involved in the technical creation, management, and upkeep of Arrow Rock’s 17 issues. These student editors have dedicated much time and energy to providing the literary community with a journal that showcases the writing skills and creativity of Lindenwood’s undergraduate students. The staff changes each issue, and we have compiled a series of interviews with previous editors of Arrow Rock that discuss their experiences of working behind the scenes on our beloved literary journal.

 

Georgia Coomer

Q: What year(s) / issue(s) were you an editor on Arrow Rock?

A: I worked on Arrow Rock in the Spring of 2024 and 2025

Q: What was your biggest challenge in balancing being both a peer and an editor to fellow students?

A: The biggest challenge in balancing being both a peer and editor to fellow students is maintaining friendships while providing honest feedback that can sometimes be difficult to give or receive. When you’re friends with someone, you might feel the urge to soften criticism or avoid mentioning their flaws. However, as an editor, your role is to help improve their work, which requires honesty and often tough feedback. It can be tricky to balance the two.

Q: How did you find the experience of working with fellow students as editors?

A: I found the experience to be enlightening because my fellow students have different concerns or likes compared to my own. I might’ve been concerned about grammar, but some else might’ve been concerned about whether or not the plot makes sense for a short piece with no other context. It was also enjoyable because we got to review difference pieces with different themes and collaborated to see what was good versus what wasn’t.

Q: What did you enjoy most about being an editor?

A: It’s special when you work together with others to make something better instead of just pointing out mistakes. When you team up with people you respect, it’s more about lifting each other’s ideas than finding faults. I liked those times when someone’s idea helped a friend see their work differently, or when talking about a project led to surprising improvements. Those moments when everything makes sense can feel really good.

Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your experience with Arrow Rock?

A: My time at Arrow Rock changed how I write. I learned more than just the rules of formatting and style. I now see the revision process differently. I used to think my first draft was good enough, but now I realize how important it is to have someone else read my work. They notice mistakes I might miss! The best lesson was learning what helpful feedback looks like – clear and kind advice helps me improve. This has changed how I give and take feedback, not just in writing but in other parts of my life too.

 

Madeline Cronin

Q: What year(s) / issue(s) were you an editor on Arrow Rock?

A: I was an editor for issue 16!

Q: What was your biggest challenge in balancing being both a peer and an editor to fellow students?

A: I think my biggest challenge was to read all of the work we got! I was already an English major with lots of work to read in my workshop classes. It wasn’t too difficult, though. Some of the work we had to read in Arrow Rock was so good it wasn’t like I had to read it, I genuinely wanted to.

Q: How did you find the experience of working with fellow students as editors?

A: I really liked working with fellow students. In fact, I almost wish we worked together on more stuff. I like doing things myself and all, but I would have been interested in possibly more teamwork, even if it were temporary/for like a week or so.

Q: What did you enjoy most about being an editor?

A: Truly, I loved reading new things. I read some wonderful work, and after telling my creative writing class to submit their stuff and actually being in Arrow Rock SEEING that they actually DID submit their stuff, I was elated!

Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your experience with Arrow Rock?

A: If you are looking for a nice class to try, I so recommend Arrow Rock. I’ve never had a class like it, and to be a part of a team, even if I did things separately, gave me an opportunity like I’d never had before. I wish I submitted something. Even if I didn’t get in, I wish I tried, so if you’re thinking about submitting, DO IT!

 

Ethan Plate

Q: What year(s) / issue(s) were you an editor on Arrow Rock?

A: I was an editor for the 202 and 2023 editions of Arrow Rock.

Q: What was your biggest challenge in balancing being both a peer and an editor to fellow students?

A: My biggest challenge was in dividing labor for group projects. There were times where it was difficult to run the social media platforms, because we had to schedule which days each of us would post something.

Q: How did you find the experience of working with fellow students as editors?

A: I really enjoyed the collaboration and community of working with other students in Arrow Rock. It was nice to have a shared project with my fellow students.

Q: What did you enjoy most about being an editor?

A: I mostly enjoyed the community that came with the class. I also enjoyed the design elements of editing. We had a lot of really great art to work with, so I was proud of the final product we had.

 

Allison Brown

Q: What year(s) / issue(s) were you an editor on Arrow Rock?

A: I was an editor during the Spring semester of 2024. It was Issue 16 I believe

Q: What was your biggest challenge in balancing being both a peer and an editor to fellow students?

A: Thankfully, all identifying information was deleted from each piece so we voted blind. Working with a large team of editors made it a little unique to navigate different views on art and preferences. It was tricky trying to walk the line between knowing these contributors are students and whether we run the journal with students in mind or if we take a more professional position.

Q: How did you find the experience of working with fellow students as editors?

A: I found it very helpful to begin to practice these skills with other students I knew and was familiar with. In a lot of careers, you will likely not work with people you know starting off but it kind of mirrored that environment. Some of us did not know each other before but had grown closer by working in this setting.

Q: What did you enjoy most about being an editor?

A: I loved looking at the wide and talented selections from the student body. There were pieces that surprised me, pieces that inspired me, pieces that made me laugh. Lindenwood is full of talented and skilled artists.

 

Kaya Bain

Q: What year(s) / issue(s) were you an editor on Arrow Rock?

A: Issue 16

Q: What was your biggest challenge in balancing being both a peer and an editor to fellow students?

A: It was difficult to give negative feedback to work that may or not have been written by someone in the class.

Q: How did you find the experience of working with fellow students as editors?

A: I enjoyed working with the other students, and I think I learned a lot from them. There were times it felt like I didn’t have much to contribute to the discussion because I felt like the other students were much more qualified than I was to critique writing.

Q: What did you enjoy most about being an editor?

A: I enjoyed getting to read all the submissions. I also really enjoyed the technical side of publishing – getting it all on the website and formatted correctly.

Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your experience with Arrow Rock?

A: I had a lot of fun and would encourage anyone interested in writing or publishing to give it a try.

 

Cayley Dubray

Q: What year(s) / issue(s) were you an editor on Arrow Rock?

A: Issue 16

Q: What was your biggest challenge in balancing being both a peer and an editor to fellow students?

A: It was difficult to actually critique works and decide what we wanted to include. A lot submissions were from fellow classmates (myself included) and there were times it felt like walking on eggshells. It was difficult to actually reject things because I didn’t know how many people were in class with me when I read a piece that didn’t work for me.

Q: How did you find the experience of working with fellow students as editors?

A: I loved it. We were all inexperienced, we all worked together, we all had a common goal in mind, and it was just fun.

Q: What did you enjoy most about being an editor?

A: I enjoyed the team working together. We had a lot of cancelled classes and a lot of reading from home days, but the times we were able to work together were really fun and exciting. I wish there had been more collaboration because I felt we had a really great team. I was inspired to start my own lit mag (I haven’t, but I still think it would be fun!)

Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your experience with Arrow Rock?

A: Arrow Rock was not what I expected. I anticipated more hands-on experience and collaboration with the team, but altogether I would call Arrow Rock a positive experience. It was unlike any other class I’ve ever taken at Lindenwood and I enjoyed the change of pace and working directly with my fellow students toward a common goal. It was like a big group project in which everyone actually does their share of the work.