Meet the Editors: Cassie Calcaterra
In celebration of submissions opening, we are reintroducing ourselves! Get to know our editors—today with Poetry editor, Cassie Calcaterra!
What is your biggest inspiration as a writer/editor/artist?
The connection between dreamstates and reality excites me.
Dreams; memories; the surreal. I spend a lot of time thinking about memory, especially. The way some memories are stored in our bodies and come to the surface when we least expect it. The way some stick to music or scent. And, of course, the way some get lost in the ether.
What draws you to literary and/or art spaces?
These spaces not only provide me with a sense of community and belonging, they also push me to grow. I’m in constant awe of the magic that happens in these spaces and the feeling we all get when art deeply impacts us. I want that feeling as often as possible.
Do you have a go-to editing or reading spot?
Yes, my little balcony even though the Chicago wind has a mind of her own and will occasionally make the pages of my book, or journal, flutter. Fresh air is always worth the risk.
Anything new and exciting you’re working on/toward as an artist?
I’ve gotten into bookbinding recently! Making journals, sketchbooks, and photo books as gifts for friends and family. I want to level up on my bookbinding skills before I start selling them, so I’m taking another class to learn more binding techniques. Super stoked!
Cassie Calcaterra is a Midwestern poet and amateur clown. They’re a graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Creative Writing and a minor in Fine Art. They previously worked as a junior editor for Columbia Poetry Review.
Some of their poems reside in The Huron River Review, Allium—A Journal of Poetry & Prose, and Mulberry Literary, prior to taking up an editorial role.
You can find them sporadically being foolish on Instagram @cazz.crimson.