Contributor Interview: MJ McGinn
MJ McGinn's "The Hard Part is Keeping Them Alive" can be found in the Summer 2026 issue of Broad Ripple Review.
What is your favorite punctuation and a literary hot take you have?
My favorite punctuation is definitely the comma. I love their versatility. I’m not sure if this counts as a literary hot take, but I have a lot of strong feelings about lending books to people. If you share a book with someone, then they can keep it until they finish it. That should be the only deadline. They should be allowed to keep that book for a month, a year, ten years. They should be allowed to move apartments with that book, and move apartments a second time. People have their own reading lives, and they may not need to read the book you’ve lent them at this particular moment. If you’re lending someone something to read, give them as much time as they need. That should be part of the social contract.
What inspired you to write “The Hard Part is Keeping them Alive”?
I think all of my stories grow out of one line, or one little nugget of an idea. For this story, it was, “He’s just good enough that he’ll never quit.” Then I decided that the best thing a person could refuse to quit is being a SoundCloud rapper, and the rest of the story grew from there.
What is a change in the writing or publishing industry that you have enjoyed this year?
I went to AWP this year, and there were so many magazines and independent presses there which only started in the last year or two. I remember during Covid when so many places had to close, and even more recently when so many arts organizations lost their funding. It just made me feel a lot of hope for the future of literature and independent publishing.
What do you look for in a literary magazine when deciding where to submit?
I always try to read a few pieces from a literary magazine before submitting. That’s the advice they give you in grad school. The easier advice is to have friends who are writers. Friends who are also submitting, reading, and exploring. Sharing is caring, and sharing advice with your friends about a magazine you just discovered that could be the perfect home for one of their stories is the best kind of caring. Also, sometimes you tell your friend to submit to a contest that you also submitted to, and they win or get published and you don’t. That will probably make you feel weird and jealous, but feelings are good for you.
I saw that you are based in Philadelphia. Would you say the city’s culture has influenced your writing in any way?
Almost everything I write is based here in Philly. I love Philadelphia. It’s my favorite city in the world. I think all of my writing has been so influenced by the culture of Philadelphia because I have been so influenced by the culture of Philadelphia. Every day that I’m here, something happens that makes me want to write. Also, I teach middle school here, and middle school is a place full of dramas worth writing about.
Now that “The Hard Part is Keeping them Alive” has wrapped up, what’s next on the writing docket?
I’m on summer break right now. I always tell myself that I’ll get all my real writing done once summer hits. I make a little summer syllabus for myself with reading and writing goals, but I’m also moving, and I dislocated my shoulder in the students vs. teachers dodgeball game at the end of the year, so my summer writing plans are a little bit derailed right now. I think carving out time to make art during the jumble of life is always the hardest part of being an artist, but it’s also how you get the best stuff. Sometimes you’re sitting in the nose bleeds at a Phillies game typing up a poem in the Notes app.
Do you have any advice for upcoming writers looking to get their work published?
I think getting published should always be secondary. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in wanting a significant publication history that it can suck all the joy out of the creating part. Also, if you want to get published, you’re going to get a million rejection letters. That can be a drag. Writing should be fun. It should be joy-inducing, and you should never think about whether or not it’s going to get published while you’re making it.wanting a significant publication history that it can suck all the joy out of the creating part.
About the Author
MJ McGinn received his MFA from Adelphi University and was a VCCA resident. His work has been named to the Wigleaf 50 best very short stories and has previously appeared in LIT Magazine, X-R-A-Y magazine, Bridge Eight, PEN America, and elsewhere. He lives in Philadelphia.
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.
