editors speak

My Light Magazine
Jennifer Gladen, Editor

This month, we have a visit with Jennifer Gladen, Editor of My Light Magazine. This lovely new e-magazine focuses on helping Catholic children (and other Christian children) deepen their relationship with God. We’re delighted that Jennifer had time to share with us about her magazine and what she’d like to see from writers.

KMW: What inspired you to create MY LIGHT magazine? What are your inspirations?
JG: My own spiritual growth inspired me to begin MY LIGHT. As I've grown, I realized that even though I felt close to God before and felt I knew Him, I was missing something. I was missing the special connection we were meant to have with God. As I grew, I found myself in awe of how great it is to have a real relationship with God. I now love things about the Catholic faith that I once thought of only as "duties" or "obligations". I said to myself, "Imagine what this relationship would be like if I've been like this since childhood." It was then that I knew I could use my writing to help children foster that relationship. The purpose of MY LIGHT, through stories, poems, Bible stories and more, is to be a tool in accomplishing that goal. Having a relationship with God and knowing your faith brings an abundant amount of joy. And I want to share that with children.

KMW: The readers of Kid Magazine Writers are professional freelancers, so naturally, their first interest is in getting content into MY LIGHT so what kind of content is most open to freelancers? What do you need most?
JG: Our greatest needs, other than a few more illustrators, are Bible stories from the New Testament, articles on the Catholic Faith : such as profiles of Saints, the Mass, Sacraments, the Beatitudes, etc., and crafts and puzzles. I especially am in need of work (fiction and non fiction) for the younger group of 4-6. Also, we do get plenty of poems, but I will consider poetry about Jesus, Mary , Joseph, the saints, and acknowledging God's gifts first.

KMW: Do you prefer to see queries (to see if the idea has appeal) or finished manuscripts? I know you like submissions via email -- are there any format tips that would help you?
JG: I prefer completed manuscripts at this time. As for formatting, we need manuscripts attached as .doc and images as JPG. The ideal manuscript will have no indentations with a line skipped between paragraphs. It helps when putting the magazine together.

KMW: Could you describe what you look for most in a story? As a Catholic magazine, does every story need a strong religious focus? Are you open to stories told in rhyme? Would you consider a story in play format?
JG: For stories, they don't have to have strong religious undertones. I love stories that have the Catholic life tied in naturally in the stories. Most of our readers are Catholic school students or children who attend the Catholic Church - so these natural tie-ins are also natural in their lives. I don't mind struggles with things like going to mass or confession, as long as the character learns the necessity of these things. A perfect example of this is the story "The Living Rosary” by Marjorie Flathers in our August debut issue. For the younger children, I will consider stories in rhyme. I've found in young children rhyme seems to hold their attention longer. Plays will be considered on special occasions (like Christmas, Easter, annunciation, etc). They won't be a regular feature for now.

KMW: I know you cover several age spans, as an editor -- are there any tips you can give for knowing how to write for very young readers as opposed to the older group?
JG: For young readers, keep it short and try to see the world through their eyes. The attention of the younger children evaporates instantly. I also find occasional onomatopoeia, plenty of action, and repetition helpful. For older readers, try to include situations where they could picture themselves in. If they can't relate to the character, they won't keep reading.

KMW: Now, I know you accept crafts because I saw the great "how to make a Rosary" piece in your first issue. What kinds of crafts appeal to you most?
JG: Thanks Jan, I think the simpler the craft the better. I like crafts the children can use or give to parents, teachers, etc. Crafts in any way which enrich the children's understanding of the Catholic faith are always preferred.

KMW: How can writers get your writers guidelines? And is there anything outside the guidelines that you might want writers to be aware of? And if there is any part of the guidelines that folks seem to miss regularly, this is a good spot to highlight those.
JG: Guidelines can be found at our website or on our blog. Manuscripts that adhere to the guidelines will have first preference for publication. Please be sure to include your bio (up to 50 words) along with any links you want me to share. This is important in allowing me to give back to our talented authors and illustrators.

KMW: What rights do you ask from your writers? Will you accept reprints? How long does a piece stay on the site? Do you use contracts?
JG: We accept reprints as long as the original publisher granted those rights to the author. Since we are a nonpaying market at this time, we only require one time electronic rights plus 1 year in archives. Each piece of work will be up for 1 month until the next issue comes out.

KMW: Do you accept material from writers under 18?
JG: We do accept submissions from children, provided they have parental permission. We love to see classroom writing projects as well.

KMW: Do you accept illustration submissions? If so, what do you want to see from illustrators?
JG: We are still accepting submissions from illustrators. Bright, colorful artwork catches my attention first. Illustrators' Guidelines can be found at our website or on our blog.

KMW: What changes do you dream of for MY LIGHT in the future?
JG: Oh, we're brewing up some nice additions to the magazine as we speak. We are working on a Saints page, where we will provide articles on the lives of different saints. We're also working on a series of paper dolls to include as a regular feature. Stay tuned. We're growing by leaps and bounds.

This page last updated on 01 September 2008