Recent Articles & Essays

Emily Louise Smith Publishing Lab Lookout Books UNCW.jpg

The Overnight Success of Lookout Books |
Literary Publishing in the Twenty-First Century

“By teaching students to craft stories around our titles, we’re empowering them to pitch their own ideas, to compel investors and clients, and thus succeed in any field. Those who eventually publish their own writing will be more engaged authors.”

Emily Louise Smith solo motherhood home House Method.JPG

What Becoming a Mother Has Taught Me About Home | House Method

“I’d invested years and a small fortune in my education, honed a particular set of talents and skills that seemed, from what I could tell, to actually matter to people in my profession, skills I also teach—none of which was serving me especially well in new motherhood.”

Running Wrightsville Beach home Emily Louise Smith.jpg

The Paradox of Stillness | Salt

“If you could isolate the frames, you’d see a woman shedding winter layers of fleece and gloves in favor of shorts and a tank top. You’d see my face become a red berry in July, wet hair curl at the nape of my neck. You might not notice a woman praying, her senses heightened, how acutely aware I am when I’m running.”


Articles on Publishing

The Next Generation of Editors and Publishers in Boulevard’s Publishing Symposium

The Overnight Success of Lookout Books in Literary Publishing in the Twenty-First Century, eds. Kurowski, Miller, Prufer (Milkweed)

About the cover of Ecotone’s Sound issue 20


Selected Interviews

with printmaker Andrew Blanchard in Ecotone 22

with author Jeff Sharlet in Ecotone 19


Dispatches on the unique joys and challenges of solo parenthood, 2018–present


When blogs were cool: an archive 2010–2015