News & Notes

The Best Thing About Fiction

A Q&A With John Holman

“White Folks,” a short story in our September 2020 issue, was written by John Holman, who grew up in Durham, North Carolina, just a few miles from The Sun’s editorial offices in Chapel Hill. Holman was preparing to teach an online class at Georgia State University for the first time due to the pandemic when Sun Associate Editor Finn Cohen caught up with him.

A Certain Type of Magic

A Q&A with Gary Jackson

Jackson’s poem in our February 2020 issue, “After the Reading,” details a fraught exchange after a poetry reading. Over e-mail he discussed listening to (and writing, and editing, and loving) poetry, and his affection for superhero comics -- especially the bad guys.

Devin Murphy on Adventure, Empathy, and Learning to Open Up

Murphy says he has submitted stories to The Sun for about a decade, but this is the first we’ve published. We caught up to discuss his new story, his maritime exploits, and the most valuable lessons he learned from a mentor.

Farewell My Lovelies

Colleen Donfield’s Goodbye after Twenty-Five Years at The Sun

We’re grateful to Colleen for the years she’s spent shepherding manuscripts, encouraging writers, and shaping so many of the pieces we’ve published in The Sun.

Staff Profile: Senior Editor Andrew Snee

This year Andrew celebrated not only his fiftieth birthday but also twenty-five years at The Sun.

Featured Contributor:
Parnaz Foroutan

Parnaz Foroutan’s essay “A Single Suitcase” appears in our July 2019 issue. We asked her about living with the threat of wildfires, emigrating from Iran, and writing her forthcoming memoir, Home Is a Stranger.

Reader Profile:
Al Bazzoli

Ever since the eighties, when a friend shared an issue with him, Al Bazzoli has been reading The Sun. He’s also used writing from The Sun when teaching at medical school, given gift subscriptions, and donated to the magazine for the past twenty years. [unlisted-photo class="outset-center-small"]3[/unlisted-photo] Most memorable piece: “Stories of...

Featured Contributor:
Doug Crandell

We asked Doug about masculinity, memory, and what it was like to see his book highlighted on a popular Netflix series.

Featured Contributor:
Sparrow

We asked Sparrow about Twitter, Trump, and playing the flutophone in an anti-rock band.

Featured Contributor:
Debbie Urbanski

Debbie Urbanski’s story “You Are Our Witness” appeared in our April 2019 issue. We asked her about letting go of her characters, blending realism and fantasy, and more.