As Indiana Review‘s Associate Editor and a fiction writer in Indiana University’s MFA program in Creative Writing, Katie Moulton has a lot on her plate. Luckily, she has proven herself more than worthy of the job. Even though one of my favorite things to do is fake-fire her on a daily basis, I do not know what I’d do without her insight, enthusiasm, deejay skills, and knack for writing literary journal-themed parodies of popular songs (more about that later). Whether she’s investigating grammar’s nitty-gritty nuances, answering emails with great aplomb, or figuring out other editorial-esque things, Katie Moulton makes the Indiana Review office a smarter, sassier, and generally wonderful place to be.
In this first installment of “Inside IR,” Katie Moulton offers some words of wisdom and reveals some surprising facts about herself.
JL: What is the last piece of writing that knocked the wind out of you?
KM: David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas (soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks). Mitchell, master book-builder, world-builder, takes off the top of my head every time, but this work blasted a gorge in my brain. As in his other works that I’ve read – Number9Dream, Black Swan Green – Mitchell plays—with wild, genius abandon—with traditional linear narrative and reveals an expanding universe of possibilities in time, soul, and fiction.
JL: What do you look for a good piece of writing to do?
KM: In fiction, the unexpected inevitable. In poetry, beauty and thrust, lines I’ve never heard before that have somehow already been written on the underside of my skin.
JL: What is your favorite thing about being an editor (so far)?
KM: EVERYTHING. I love reading work. I love messing with interns. I love strategizing and visioneering. I love feeling that I’m contributing in some small way to the larger literary conversation. I love all the energy of the IR office—editors, interns and readers rushing about, discovering writers who change the game or at least, change your day—all the hustle & bustle (that would be poetry editor Michael Mlekoday and web editor Doug Paul Case, respectively).
JL: What are some of your favorite hobbies/things to do (unrelated to IR)?
KM: I’m a volunteer DJ at Bloomington’s independent community radio station, WFHB. I drive a lot of verdant Midwestern backroads.
JL: Would you rather have a missing finger or an extra toe?
KM: Shoes are uncomfortable enough as it is, so missing finger all the way. But which one? Index? I wouldn’t want to lose my page-flipping finger. Ring, pinkie? Basically useless anyway. My hitchhiker thumb? And lose my built-in escape route? Ouch. It’s got to be the middle finger. Without it, I’d probably get in a lot less trouble. *
Well, there you have it, IR aficionados. Join us next time for an interview with our gregarious, Twitter-literate, social media-savvy Web Editor, Doug Paul Case.
