Q) How did you learn about/become involved with Eckleburg?
Kyle Noe: I first found Eckleburg – and fell in love with its aesthetic through word of mouth when a friend recommended Whale Skull by Matt Ferner. It’s not often that a one-page story makes you stop and rethink everything for a good half hour afterwards. So I jumped at the opportunity to be part of the team.
Q) What genre do you edit/what role do you have?
KN: I evaluate and edit fiction stories that capture my attention, collaborate with our fiction contributors, and assist our Editor-in-Chief in formatting our annual print edition.
Q) What are you looking for in submissions?
KN: A strong voice that draws me in so much that I’m transported into the story world and I bump into poles on the sidewalk.
Q) What have been one or two of your favorite pieces you have seen in Eckleburg so far?
KN: “Saver’s Delight” and “The Son of Rainy Mountain“. Both brilliant and full of vision, daring with something meaningful to say. More than words.
Q) What are some publications you have/accomplishments you want to share?
KN: My main love is novels. However, I’m in the middle of collaborating with producers on a television show a friend and I created.
Q) How do you approach writing?
KN: I definitely use the madman/architect approach. First, my mind gets carried away with an idea, and the story comes in waves. Then I start figuring out what it’s really about. That’s when the hard work comes. After my first three drafts, I find two or three similar books, short stories, or screenplays and see what I can learn from them. Then I allow external influence to do its work on my stories through feedback and comparison to similar pieces.
Q) In 5 words or less, describe what kind of a journal you think Eckleburg is.
KN: Daring. Character emphasis. Strong voices.
Q) Any other promotion/interesting fact/random tid bit you want to share?
KN: The amount of enjoyment I’ve gotten out of reading submissions and collaborating with other authors, such as Mirri Glasson-Darling, Weston Cutter, Caralyn Davis, and many others, has led me to taking on a second gig as an associate editor with a literary scifi publisher, F.W. Fife.
Born and raised on a gravel road with no name in Missouri, Kyle wrote stories at the kitchen table and read everything he could get his hands on, especially anything by Douglas Adams, Erik Larson, Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Joan Didion, while his family watched Alf. He received his BA in International Affairs from The George Washington University and his MA in Writing from The Johns Hopkins University. When he isn’t writing, reading, or editing novels, you can find him working on screenplays, writing columns at The Doctor T. J. Eckleburg Review, and connecting authors at https://twitter.com/bookrumors.