Contributor Interview: Kristine Langley Mahler

Kristine Langley Mahler's "A Plate, a Name, a Pile of Dirt" can be found in the Winter 2026 issue of Broad Ripple Review.

What is your favorite punctuation and a literary hot take you have?

I’m an inveterate ALL CAPS user—that might not be official punctuation, but it’s my favorite by far, and is connected to my hot take, which is MORE ALL CAPS PLEASE!

What inspired you to write “A Plate, a Name, a Pile of Dirt”?

I began this piece a handful of years ago as I was rearranging my office space and considering what I had kept near me, and why.

What’s one change you wish to see in the writing/publishing industry for 2026? 

More small press books getting their due!

I saw that you have three books published. Do you have a preference between long-form and short-form pieces? Or do you think there are fun elements in both?

Thank you! I’ve found that the older I get, the more time I want to spend inside an essay—I write very few flash pieces now, because I keep wanting to expand them into something longer. I think both long-form and short-form are critical and delightful ways to approach a topic, it just depends on what the writer wants to accomplish and what the subject matter seems to request.

I also noted that you’re the director for Split/Lip Press. Is it hard being a publisher as someone who also understands the gruelling submission process? Has the experience taught you more about submitting your own work?

I’ve spent over ten years now as either a reader for literary journals or working for a small press, and I absolutely believe that it’s a valuable experience for anyone who wants to submit to journals or presses—you learn how subjective/objective decisions can be, and how much goes into them (and that’s both positive and negative!). I’m a much better submitter now, and I truly don’t take declines as personally.

Now that “A Plate, a Name, a Pile of Dirt” has wrapped up, what’s next on the writing docket?

Just hoping to spin the straw of my more recent scribbling into gold!

Do you have any advice for upcoming writers looking to get their work published?

Read the journals where you’re submitting, consider whether your work is a good fit/aligned with their mission, and then shoot your shot.

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About the Author

Kristine Langley Mahler is the author of three nonfiction books, A Calendar is a Snakeskin, Curing Season: Artifacts, and Teen Queen Training (forthcoming 2026). A memoirist experimenting with the truth on the suburban prairie, Kristine makes her home outside Omaha, Nebraska. She is the director of Split/Lip Press.

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About the Interviewer

Ollie Sikes (they/them) is an evolving queer writer, editor, and creator based in Dallas, TX. They completed a double BA in Creative Writing and Theatre at Butler University. Besides volunteering with Broad Ripple Review, they also serve as Content Creator for the little things literary magazine. Their poetry has been published with Synchronized Chaos. You can follow them on Instagram @ollie.sikes.