If we're juvenile...then I don't wanna grow up

Dearest Overkillers,

I wonder if anyone reads this overblog, but regardless if people do or not, I write this with a furrowed brow. Today, among the many cheerful, enthusiastic responses regarding the latest issue of our beloved OK, I received one unhappy one via text message that went a little something like this (and "by a little something," I mean exactly):

"Who edits Overkill?"
Me: No one. We leaves mistakes in so it's up to authors if they care or not. Part of the whole free form deal.
"I don't know. Its an interesting concept but i think a lot of the writing is juvenille. It doesn't seem like its inspiring great writing yet ya know"
Me: Haha we don't take ourselves seriously enough to aim for inspiring great writing. then we'd have to censor offensive pieces which we love.
"I was curious who charles victor szasz is"
Me: (thinking) Oh my god.

Okay. I really don't want to use this blog as a tool to belittle anyone in any sense, but I feel like such criticism should be addressed when we make ourselves very clear about what we're about. We reserve the right to protect the identities of all our writers and we will never violate that right to maintain that trust. Our writers produce some controversial pieces and some offensive pieces and might otherwise not submit such wonderful writing if they had to sign their names. I don't think it's cowardly to use a pen name or pseudonym; I think it's smart to give the campus something to think and talk about without having a name to point fingers at. This makes people uncomfortable and "livid," as we've seen with our last issue. So point fingers at us. We publish it. Freedom of speech shouldn't come with an mandatory name tag, and we absolutely accept angry or offended responses. But don't ask us to reveal author identities, whether out of anger or curiosity.

#2. We don't edit pieces. If stuff is misspelled, then it's on the author. If something is typed up passionately or angrily, then yeah, there'll be mistakes. If the author cares to fix it, then he or she will. If the author does not, then that's how it goes. IT'S FREEFORM!

Also-- we don't inspire great writing? We inspired WRITING, and I think that's a damn big deal on this campus. I immediately regretted my response about not taking ourselves seriously enough, because we do, and we've worked hard to get funding and publicity and writers, but I don't want people going around thinking that we want to be the next Allegheny Literary Review. Can't there just be expression? Can't there just be satire and photography and poetry and a means to show it? I happen to think the writing in our magazine is superb, creative, and human. And, granted these criticisms were texted to me, I think the argument for juvenile writing is quite undermined by the fact that this person failed at contractions and misspelled juvenile (and has never contributed anything...so show me "great writing!").

All this being said, please don't think we don't want constructive criticism. I want it, I love it, I need it, baby, oh yeah. But I can't respect criticism that doesn't consider what we stand for and what we are.

On a happier note, I hope ya'll are enjoying Issue Numero Tres!

All my love,
Katrina