One Hundred Submissions Later 📬
Plus: An essay from Moy Zhong
blog.fifty-seven // Moy here. No, you don’t normally find my voice in your email inbox, but it’s a bit befitting of our season-long theme (“WHERE DID YOU GO?”), no?
Most of my work appears in the print magazine, which I design. And it’s been a crazy week, because we just passed one hundred submissions for our next issue! CRAZY! Personal essays, works of fiction, completed pieces, first drafts, photos, comics, and more.
We (Nate, Shua, and I) can’t thank everyone enough for your enthusiasm and time…it really, really means a lot. Thank you for your stories and ideas; thank you for your willingness to share; thank you for wanting to be a part of this big project.
We’ve got a lot to think about. We’ll be communicating with everyone who submitted pitches this upcoming week (fingers crossed), as well as sending next steps to everyone whose stories we want to move forward with.
In regards to today’s blog: Nate previously explained some of the thinking behind the theme, and I thought I’d add in my own two cents, too.
— MZ
P.S. Last blog, we spoke with sports creator Andrew Fenichel about freedom of opportunity and reaching the proverbial mountaintop. You can read it here.
I’m nearing two years into post-grad adult life, and I’m far from having mastered the fleeting adult relationship. Everyone in my life (myself included) keeps leaving for a few days, a few weeks, and then over a month. Over and over and over.
Every meet-up is a catch-up, and rightfully so. So much can happen in such little time.
I love catching up. I love listening to people talk about their lives. During our last production cycle, I was out of town for over a month, in a new city every few days. My only answer when asked how I was doing was a pathetic, “It’s been alright…I’m good.”
Every time I leave and come back, I feel like a lifetime has passed. In catch-up conversations, I find myself asking more questions than sharing clear answers.
How much do I reveal?
What is relevant to the person I’m talking to?
Do I share just the fun parts?
They don’t need to know the real reason I was gone, right?
Our upcoming slate of stories and videos are very, very diverse, but I think they cover subjects who will navigate the same (or, at the very least, similar) quandaries in our coverage. These questions are particularly relevant to people on the Internet, as the Internet is an integral way with which we check in with the world.
Sometimes, it feels like you have to justify why you deserve to give an update to the web’s grand audience—at least, if you overthink, like me.
I hope we navigate this theme in a way that makes catch-ups less daunting, and more meaningful. At the same time, not to negate myself, but the theme doesn’t have to be so serious! I am very prone to overanalyzing and applying meaning to the mundane.
I enjoy doing this (for the most part). Yet I also found the theme “WHERE DID YOU GO?” charming because of how casual the question is. The answer doesn’t have to be so poignant, either.
Yes, I think readers come to Creator Mag for some deep thoughts about the Internet, but I’d like to think you’d be similarly delighted if you asked a friend where they’ve been, and the answer is as simple as home or work or just the grocery store.
To conclude: I have to say that you’re in for a treat.
Nate here—one last thing before you go. We’re excited to share that we’re collaborating with creator and community-builder Colleen Yu to bring her “Let’s Ripple” event series to the Windy City.
In a divided time, stories are a universal bridge that bring us closer together. We’re all storytellers, and everyone has a unique narrative to share. Yet stories also help us build empathy, as they show us how we’re not that different from each other, after all.
“Short Story Long” takes inspiration from this phenomenon, and the verbal storytelling workshop will commence on Saturday, May 31. Here’s what you can expect:
Instruction from an award-winning storytelling professional, focusing on a no-phones, getting-back-to-the-basics approach to writing (and sharing) stories.
During the second half of the workshop, attendees will share their stories with small groups; a select crop will then perform in front of the entire room.
We'll be hosting 80 creators, creatives, and musicians, with a catered lunch and a live musical performance to round out the day!
Ticket sales open tomorrow—and “Let’s Ripple” events sell out quickly. Make sure you’re following us on Instagram to be the first to know when tickets are live.
P.S. For our Chicago-based readers, we’ll also be hosting an “Office Hours” co-working meetup this Tuesday in the West Loop. It’s completely free to attend—details & RSVP here.
Thanks for reading! Shoot us a reply, comment, or DM if anything resonated with you in particular—we respond to them all.
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