Meet the Editors: Edythe Rodriguez
We’ve spent the past few months deep in development for our first publication The Heritage Journal: Lineage raising capital, expanding our team, and reviewing submissions.
As the first round of submission responses is set to go out very soon (keep your eyes on your inbox this month), we thought it would be a good idea to formally introduce you to our team of editors.
Up first for introductions is our poetry editor, Edythe Rodriguez.
The Bio:
Edythe is an award-winning African/Caribbean/American poet and copywriter born in Tuckahoe, NY and raised in Upper Darby, PA.
She received her BA in creative writing and Africology from Temple University and is pursuing an MFA in creative writing at Randolph College. Edythe is also a graduate of ONE School, the advertising portfolio school for Black creatives.
She is a 2023 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargenberg Fellowship finalist and a fellow of PEN America, The Watering Hole, Brooklyn Poets, and elsewhere. Edythe has taught at Temple University and with numerous literary orgs like Blue Stoop, Barrelhouse Mag, and others.
Her debut chapbook, We, the Spirits, is forthcoming from Button Poetry.
The Interview:
Q1: Can you share a bit about your background and what drew you to Heritage? What are you most excited about in your role as Poetry Editor?
I’ve been a fan of Taylar and her poems and her projects for years. Knowing how she works, I felt Heritage would be a thoughtful, community-centric offering and… it is. I’m most excited about getting excited, if that makes sense? About feeling poems in my body and letting the reader experience that, too. About getting to hold work from communities I treasure and doing them the utmost justice.
Q2: Share a fun fact or hobby outside of your professional life that helps you stay creative and inspired.
I’m an obnoxious battle rap fan. I feel like most of my creative hobbies get wrapped up in the “profession” of being a writer, but battle rap is a craft that’s still pure fun to me. I can just be a fan in awe of the craftmanship.
Pictured: Edythe performing at Breedlove, a poetry open mic in Philadelphia.
Q3: If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be, and what would you ask them?
I need to speak with Eva from Deliver Us From Eva. What did she put in them beans?!
Q4: Do you have a favorite quote that inspires you? Share it with us. What does this quote mean to you?
I’m going back and forth about getting this tattooed, but it’s from Nikki Giovanni’s “Poem for a Lady Whose Voice I Like”. It reads “... show me someone not full of herself / and i’ll show you a hungry person”. Right?!?! She wrote that. It’s really a response to society’s constant attempts to humble women, but it instantly read to me as permission. Mama Nikki said I can be full of myself if I want to, so bye!!
You’re sure to hear more from Edythe in the future, both through Heritage and her personal work which we are so excited about! In the meantime, you can stay up to date with her by using the links below.
More introductions coming soon!