Express Media and Voiceworks are so thrilled to announce Selina Moir-Wilson as the new Voiceworks editor!

Selina is a writer, editor and comics artist. Their work has appeared or is forthcoming in Voiceworks, The Big Issue, Going Down Swinging and others. They are a 2023 SEVENTH Gallery emerging writer in residence and were a 2022 Toolkits: Graphic Narratives participant.

To introduce Selina and get to know them a little better, we asked them a few questions about what they love about Voiceworks, their own work, and how they’re hoping to champion writing and art for young people in this role.

 

1) What about being the Voiceworks Editor are you most excited about?

There are literally a million things I’m excited for, Voiceworks is epic and I’m so thrilled to be editor. One thing I’m particularly excited for is to work with Mia (our Creative Producer) on the Voiceworks launches. We have grand plans for these events. Grand plans!!

2) Are you a writer/artist yourself? What do you like to create, and what do you like to read?

I am! I’m a writer and comics artist. At the moment I mostly do poetry and comics, but I’m fiction-curious. I find it really generative to make work in response to something, i.e. a text, an artwork, a person, etc. I’ve made a lot of work in response to my muse Justin Bieber. When it comes to reading, I look for close observation and humour. People like Eileen Myles, Patrizia Cavalli, Alison Bechdel and Tommi Parrish are a few favourites that come to mind. I’m an Anne Carson-head of course, and I’m obsessed with π.o at the moment—he’s so funny and his poetry is so alive. I like writers and artists that can have fun but also take the work seriously. Being too self-serious sucks, but being dedicated to your craft rocks.

3) What is something you hope to see from Voiceworks now you are at the helm?

I’ve been really inspired going through our archives and seeing the grassroots DIY energy that Voiceworks carried in the 90s and early 2000s. As a zinester I’m very drawn to underground publishing, so I’d like to find a way to marry that DIY energy with our current more literary vibe. Literary journals sometimes have this air of cold distance about them where they keep their readers at arm’s length. I prefer a more intimate reading experience for a publication like Voiceworks, so I’m keen to draw on our archives for more of that energy. I’d also like to experiment with publishing different kinds of work, like reviews and interviews. We interviewed Paul Dalla Rosa and Eda Gunaydin recently which was great. I’m interested in doing some audio publishing too. And I want to make stickers. Big dreams!!!