Earlier this year, Callaloo, the literary journal that publishes the scholarly and creative work of writers across the African diaspora, welcomed Kyla Kupferstein Torres, its new executive editor and executive director of the Callaloo Foundation, Inc., marking the beginning of a new chapter for the storied publication.
Settling into her new role, Torres is excited to carry forward the vision of her predecessor, Dr. Charles H. Rowell, while adding her own touch.
“He’s seeded this incredible route, and things have been a bit fallow, but the seeds are all there,” she says. “Once I put it out there, I usually get a lot of enthusiasm back. Wherever I go, people are excited to hear that Callaloo is back.”
Torres assumed leadership in January, seasoned by an extensive career in education, literature, and publishing—all of which made her stand out to Melvin White, chairman of the board of the Callaloo Foundation, Inc.
“She brings a wealth of experience in publishing journals, but she also is quite knowledgeable about nonprofits and fundraising,” he says. “And thirdly, she is deeply knowledgeable of Black literary genres, and she knows the mission of Callaloo [and] what it’s been doing for [the last] 50 years.”
Mark Winston Griffith, a longtime friend and new board member, says that Torres’s combination of creative and administrative skills makes her a great fit for the job.
“I think that when it comes to something like running a literary journal, that’s exactly what you need, right? If you have someone who’s a great writer of fiction but doesn’t know how to run an organization [or] doesn’t know how to publish a magazine, then they’re not right for the position. If you have someone who’s good at pumping out publications but has no love, respect, and honor for Black literature, then they don’t belong there [either]. And so I think she carries those two threads, those two streams, with her into the work.”
In her new role, Torres explains that she has four main priorities: returning the journal to its quarterly publishing schedule; fundraising; finding a new university home; and reinvigorating interest in the journal both nationally and internationally.
Dr. Rowell’s retirement in 2020, followed by the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the journal, veering it away from its usual course of business over the past four years.
Torres says the journal’s publications have been sporadic in recent years, but that they’re on schedule to publish four issues this year.
“Right now, we’re going through a period of stabilization. We’ve published five issues over five years,” she says. “I’m really pleased and proud to say that we are on track, not just to do the four, but to really have our first issue of the next volume prepared. We’re cooking with gas, and we will reach that goal.”
Fundraising is also a pressing concern for the self-funded publication, as well as securing a university home—an affiliation that remains critical for its longevity. Until 2020, Callaloo was always affiliated with a university. It began at Southern University and has spent the longest part of its life at Texas A&M. The foundation relied on these relationships to produce the journal, explains White. However, since Dr. Rowell’s retirement, the journal has been without a home, requiring Callaloo to produce it themselves.
“Because Callaloo is a scholarly journal, and universities bring scholarship and scholars …. particularly universities that are prominent in the Black literature space, African American studies, and global African American studies, diaspora studies,” he says. “It just brings the most forward-thinking academic minds in those spaces to Callaloo, and so the creativity that comes out of that university setting is integral to what Callaloo has done for the past 50 years.”
While the journal primarily exists in print, online issues are also available at an affordable cost. However, Torres says they are looking for other ways to engage people with the journal, mentioning an upcoming symposium to be held at Howard University in the fall.
“That’s just about how we bring people into conversation about compelling issues. How do we have tough conversations, things that maybe in the Black community we don’t like to talk about a lot?” she says.
Along with events like the symposium, Torres wants to increase digital engagement with readers.
“I think that we have to figure out a way to have more dynamic content available online to bring people in and have a home on the internet that is content-rich, that people want to engage with and interact with,” she says. “As opposed to just a place where you can buy the journal or subscribe to it, or access an article or interview for pay. I think we have to figure out a balance between those things.”
Torres’s goals and aspirations represent a new era for the journal, embodying a generational shift vital for its continued existence, White explains.
“The long-term vision is to ensure the publication of the journal in perpetuity. Kyla is essential to that mission. First of all, she represents a generational change; a connectivity between what I would call the senior generation and, importantly, the young and upcoming generation to make Callaloo more relevant to them,” he says. “We’re living in a different age now of social media and so forth, and we’d like to see Callaloo inhabit those spaces. Kyla brings the perspective, the skills, and the connections to make all of that happen.”
As Torres adjusts to her role, she moves forward with profound reverence for the publication. “It’s a very lucky thing for me that I found my way to the job,” she says. “I have a great deal of responsibility and a great deal of dedication to ensuring that it’s done well.”