DUOTROPE INTERVIEW WITH EDITOR CHARLOTTE UNGAR
January 21, 2026
VOLTA Editor Charlotte Ungar was featured on Duotrope's Editor Interview series, in which she discussed her favorite writers, her editing process, and more.
Reposted from Duotrope:
Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.
A: Eclectic assertiveness.
Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?
A: Plume Poetry, Brevity, Lake Effect, Boston Review, AGNI, The Yale Review, DIALOGIST, New England Review, Ploughshares, The Academy of American Poets' Poem-a-Day Series, Southeast Review, Copper Nickel.
Q: Who are your favorite writers?
A: Russell Edson, Dean Young, Moisei Fishbein, Ben Lerner, Gertrude Stein, are just a few!
Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?
A: We are living in a moment of relentless visual encounter. The irony is that, despite this saturation, few literary spaces truly dignify visual art as an equal partner to language. VOLTA was created in 2025 as an online magazine dedicated to changing this reality—not only by publishing fresh, exciting voices that challenge literary convention alongside a wide range of visual art, but also by utilizing the power of the online world to reinvigorate the written word for our generation. The name comes from the poetic turn: the moment a piece pivots and startles itself into seeing the world in new ways—what we might call “the art of recklessness.”
Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?
A: Read voraciously; literature helps literature. Recognize what you are inheriting—how words are expansive and difficult and cool—so that you may learn to disobey what you think you know. “The poem is always smarter than you,” good! Your work is most alive when it arrives without expectation, is not predetermined, and does not rely upon factual truth but rather creates its own.
Q: Describe the ideal submission.
A: It’s like nowhere you’ve been before and yet it is absolutely familiar.
Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?
A: It’s rarely a matter of anyone getting anything “wrong.” It’s more a matter of fit—whether a piece speaks to the sensibilities of VOLTA’s readers and to what our editorial team is actively drawn to. We’re especially interested in emerging writers, and we’ve had the privilege of being a first publisher for multiple writers and artists.
Q: How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?
A: We read cover letters. We want to know who you are, the title of your submission, and how you found us. Publication credits are welcome if you want to include them, but they don’t carry weight in the decision.
Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?
A: Every submission is read by multiple readers. If a piece shows clear promise, we continue reading—often to the end. We also recognize that some work develops gradually, so we make an effort not to base decisions solely on the opening when there are indicators the piece may strengthen as it proceeds.
Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?
A: After a piece makes it through initial screening, it’s reread and discussed by the editorial team. We consider its craft, any editorial needs, and whether it fits the issue’s overall balance. A strong piece may still be declined if we already have similar work or if it doesn’t help shape the issue as a whole.
Q: What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?
A: I spend a lot of my time managing the VOLTA website, responding to emails, corresponding with our social media editor, and doing outreach. During production I do a lot of work for the design side of things.
Q: How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?
A: When a piece is accepted for publication, I always brief the author on our suggested edits (if there are any). We never alter the pieces in any way without consulting and working with the author first. Generally, poetry receives the least amount of editing, whereas fiction or nonfiction might receive more.
Q: Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?
A: We nominate for a variety of awards, including Best New Poets, the Best of Net Anthology, and the Pushcart Prize.