Heidi Nobles, Publisher and Senior Editor, has spent her career dedicated to books and writers. She’s edited for university presses, big and small commercial publishers, and as a freelancer. She’s edited both fiction and nonfiction, both popular and scholarly. In her academic life, she’s studied the form, function, and development of literature—she has a master’s in English literature, an MFA in creative writing, and a PhD in rhetoric and composition, and her research focuses on editorial theory and the teaching of writing across disciplines. Heidi’s career has always spanned both editing and academia, ever since she took her first publishing job at the university press when she was studying literary criticism for her master’s degree. Today, she teaches writing and editing in the English department at the University of Virginia. She feels the most professional satisfaction when she can work with authors to concept and develop holistic books that are at once meaningful, humane, interesting, and playful. You can read more about her on her faculty page or her digital portfolio.
Christian Daichi Carlson, Assistant Editor, joined us as a PhD Candidate in English at the University of Virginia. He is currently working on a dissertation about ecology, politics, and poetics in the United States during the interwar period. Having perpetually had a passing interest in how a book gets made, he was finally able to glimpse into that process by working on this project. He's especially thankful to have had the opportunity to develop a familiarity with so many aspects of the publishing world, skills which will stick with him down the line.
Margaret Ennen, Assistant Editor, joined us as a fourth-year English major at the University of Virginia. She has always loved reading and writing, and this love has only grown through her literature studies at UVA. She wrote her thesis about the role of illustrations in nineteenth-century poetry through the English Distinguished Majors Program. While working as a senior bookseller with Barnes & Noble, Margaret grew more interested in the editing and publishing processes that shape a book from an idea into a physical product for people to read and share. She has also worked as a copyeditor with The Cavalier Daily and as a UVA library circulation assistant. Margaret is passionate about a collaborative, adaptable, and supportive approach to editing, and she is currently interning at Princeton University Press.
Grace Gent, Assistant Editor, joined us as a second-year English major at the University of Virginia. She first realized she enjoyed writing in second grade, when she wrote her own mythological origin story of the American bobcat. Tragically, the twenty-page manuscript has been lost to time. Since then, she has been involved in several publications, on Grounds and beyond. She previously worked as a submissions manager at Synthesis Publications, and as an editorial intern at New City Community Press. In addition to the academic papers she has written in her studies, Grace has written culture pieces, personal essays, and short stories. Through her peers, she has learned that the collaborative process between writer and editor is invaluable. After undergrad, she plans to pursue and MA and continue to work in publishing.
Erin Hall, Assistant Editor, graduated from the University of Virginia with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and History, focusing on nineteenth-century global fiction and East Asian gender history. She joined us while earning her master’s in English Education with the intent of teaching at a secondary level. In her desire to fully understand what she would one day be teaching, Erin found and fostered a great admiration for the editing and publishing process. Seeing how a book moves from an idea into a physical item for the world to enjoy is a great fascination that she is continually working on unraveling.
Julia Hyde, Assistant Editor, joined us as a fourth-year Creative Writing and American Studies major at the University of Virginia. Between her English major-adjacent coursework and experience in leadership at publications across Grounds, she developed a fondness, curiosity, and then passion for the publication process. Julia has written satire, culture pieces, short stories and more—all while enjoying the opportunity to create spreads on InDesign for the pieces and see them come to life in physical form. From workshops to pitch meetings, Julia learned that what she values most about editing and publishing are their inherently collaborative natures and the unique perspectives both authors and editors bring to the table. Additionally, throughout college, she was employed as a barista and a UVA Center for Digital Editing student worker.
Greta Marle, Assistant Editor, joined us as a second-year MA student in English at the University of Virginia. She saved herself thousands of dollars when she realized the pre-med track was no longer for her and all she wanted to do was read books, think about books, and talk/rant about books. This naturally led to a growing interest in the publishing industry. Greta worked for The Cavalier Daily for two years on their copy staff during her undergrad, giving her a look into the editorial process. She has also worked for Barnes & Noble as a bookseller, which gave her a space to share her love of books with others. Currently, she teaches first-year writing to UVA students as part of her degree. Alongside her passion for editing and publishing process, Greta is also interested in how genre affects a book’s life and how social media affects how books are marketed.
Maddie Mislock, Assistant Editor, joined us as a fourth-year studying English, Religious Studies, and Health & Wellbeing at the University of Virginia. She is currently Editor-In-Chief of Bearings, a student-run journal, where she has spent the past few years writing self-reflective essays and editing. In addition, she works for the University's Outdoor Adventure program as a trip leader and challenge course facilitator. Maddie has a deep fascination with editing—especially copyediting—and the process of transforming a work of writing. She is a staunch defender of the Oxford comma and a lover of em dashes. After graduation, she plans to pursue careers in both editing and the outdoors, perhaps someday combining the two.
M Stiffler, Assistant Editor, is infinitely grateful that their obsession with Sylvia Plath finally found a home in their academic life. Since finishing up work on Fig Years, they survived a second semester of teaching UVA first years and graduated with their MA of English with a concentration in language arts pedagogy. What comes next? Who knows! More teaching, probably. What they do know, however, is that this was one of the most fun projects they've worked on, perhaps ever. Many, many, many thanks to Heidi and Jess.