The Peak

Special Features Editor Nadeen Kharputly chats with Shenandoah contributor Matthew Vollmer about what it’s like to live in his small town of Blacksburg, Virginia.

Contributor Rob Macaisa Colgate highlights the significance of collection, reflection, and accessibility to the process of creating their debut. Rob’s poem “The Body Is Not An Apology Except For Mine Sometimes” appears in issue 74.1-2.

In this Q&A, Nadia Alexis talks about her new collection of poetry and photography, Beyond the Watershed, which focuses on various experiences of a Haitian American daughter and her Haitian immigrant mother.

Nonfiction editor DW McKinney and former associate editor Moriah Katz have essays in the anthology Mamas, Martyrs, and Jezebels: Myths, Legends, and Other Lies You’ve Been Told About Black Women (Black Lawrence Press, 2024). Corresponding through a living document, they discussed their individual essays, their dream anthologies, and taking up space as Black women writers.

Special Features Editor Nadeen Kharputly interviews Shenandoah contributor Megan Mayhew Bergman to learn about what it’s like to live in her small town of Shaftsbury, VT.

Shenandoah contributor Desiree Santana discusses what shaped her poem “The Starving Time,” which was a runner-up for the Graybeal-Gowen Prize and appears in issue 73.2.

Shenandoah contributor Michelle Donahue shares some of her revision process for her short story “Moon Jump,” which appeared in issue 73.2.

Welcome to Small Town Dispatches, a new feature on The Peak that recognizes the efforts of sustaining a writing practice in places with unconventional resources. In this installment, Special Features editor Nadeen Kharputly interviews Shenandoah contributor Melissa Helton about living in Hindman, Kentucky.

Helena Pantsis discusses her vision, including original artwork and genre-defying writing, for their debut story anthology. Their artwork “Again Boy” was featured in issue 73.2.