Publishers today are caught in a bind: committed to the open exchange of ideas yet held accountable for the moral content of what they print. Editorial judgment is inevitable. So how should writers respond? In this episode, we unpack the complexities of modern publishing, from navigating ideological currents to understanding how social thought shapes submissions. We also look ahead, offering some predictions about where the industry might be headed next.
This episode of Roundtable includes guests:
McKenzie Watson-Fore is a writer, artist, and neighbor currently based in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado. McKenzie holds an MFA in Nonfiction from Pacific University. She writes about evangelicalism, relationships to people and place, and self-discovery. McKenzie serves as the executive editor for sneaker wave magazine and is the founder and host of the Thunderdome Conference. Her work has been nominated for Best of the Net and Best American Essays. She can usually be found drinking tea on her back porch.
Mike Itaya is the co-editor of PACT, editor-in-chief of DIRTBAG, and writes about dirtbags, always.
Matthew Kaspar: Bouncing between fact and fiction, disillusionment and inspiration, I want to use my background as a former journalist, current teacher, writer, editor and international citizen to make sense of this hill of beans.
And Host: Ben Porter is a short fiction writer who lives in Lafayette, Louisiana where he is a PhD student in English under the University Doctoral Fellowship. He is a graduate of Pacific University's MFA in Creative Writing where he was the recipient of the Pearl Scholarship. Recently, he can be read in The Madison Review, Sandy River Review, BULL, and Miracle Monocle. When not writing, Ben wrestles with his kids, drinks wine he can’t afford, and tries with all his might to play country licks on his guitar.
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Don’t Forget:
PACT is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
To find more information on guests, and previous At the Desk Interviews, visit the PACT DeskSet *At the Desk*
Topic: Interview #10 (Jeanne Yu & Therese Gleason Carr)
Time: Sep 9, 2025 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81604556467?pwd=2AHFEIt2HVobpd5pex8OlzO38YDsvu.1
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