Since 2019, the College has invited established writers and poets onto the campus to teach a unique course not typically offered by permanent faculty and engage with the local community. Zach Peckham, the sixth Jennifer Jahrling Forese Writer-in-Residence, has been selected to spend this school year teaching courses on editing, publishing, and creating a literary magazine. He authored the poetry chapbook, cycle hum (Sistrum Books, 2025), and a poetry collection titled As if And (New Mundo, 2026). He has published essays, poems, and reviews in literary journals such as APARTMENT, Annulet, Oversound, and the American Book Review. He has also held editorial positions with the Cleveland Review of Books and the Cleveland State University Poetry Center.
Peckham quit his job in marketing to study poetry writing in Ohio. He explains how he began working in advertising because of his skill and interest in writing, saying “that kind of facility with language I had was pretty transferable in advertising.” Peckham admits he had always wanted to go to graduate school for creative writing. When asked what prompted him to make the drastic decision to quit and go back to school to study poetry, he recalls, “I just got to work one day and I was just like, you can’t pay me twice as much to keep doing this.” After this realization he recounts, “I knew I had had this dream since I finished undergrad […] so I got back in touch with some of my old teachers and they were able to kind of advise me a little bit on how to approach an MFA program. I found […] a fully funded MFA in Cleveland of all places.” Peckham also decided to pursue the MFA because it would qualify him to pursue another interest of his: teaching.
Peckham first became involved in literary editing in Cleveland. In 2021, Peckham became involved with the Cleveland Review of Books as their managing editor; his involvement with the magazine turned out unconventional. He recalls reading an essay of his friend they published, “In this review, the magazine had spelled the author’s name wrong multiple times. […] They got like a bunch of things wrong. And I was just like […] I live in Cleveland. I care about this kind of writing. I don’t want the Cleveland Review of Books to be sloppy, you know? So I wrote them an email and I was like, hey, like not to be a jerk, but like there’s a bunch of typos in this piece.” Six months later, the review asked him to work with them, which Peckham described as “karma.” The publication was devoted to criticism of literature. The magazine featured a lot of “writing about writing,” Peckham explains. Peckham enjoyed his time reading and editing reviews, saying “I’m fascinated by the way that a book review can claim to be about a book, but actually be about many things.” He often authors reviews of poetry collections. Peckham rose in the ranks, and became Editor-In-Chief of the magazine, a position he stepped down last year.
When asked what type of writing he likes to publish most, Peckham said, “I feel averse to having any one sense of ‘good’ writing. […] As a reader, I want to make myself available to being changed, transformed or impacted somehow by a text, […] no matter what it is.” Peckham details how he is drawn to work that feels “risky” and “unstable.” This is where a lot of his enjoyment in small press comes from; it’s a place where writers are experimenting outside the mainstream.
The Pequod, established in 1968, is Colby’s student-run literary magazine that stopped running a few years ago. Peckham explains that the ‘reviving’ of this magazine, or some other form of literary magazine would serve various purposes: it would be a teaching tool for students interested in learning editing, and it would broadcast and represent Colby’s creative writing program in a positive way. Peckham is proposing this magazine as a part of a more formalized publishing program within the creative writing curriculum. “This fall, I’m teaching an editing and publishing class that is about theory of literary production, essentially […] in the spring, we’ll build on that foundation to actually make a publication,” Peckham details.
Peckham’s plans to activate the magazine as a teaching tool. “I’m really looking forward to opening submissions to the world, so publishing work by national global writers, alongside students.” Peckham feels strongly that in order to learn about editing as a craft, students must be trusted with “real writing.” Peckham clarifies, “I’m interested in that question of real, […] what makes a writer a real writer versus like someone who’s just practicing. I think, what better way to explore those questions and also to gain real experience in the work than to let students work on […], and make consequential decisions about what happens with that writing.”
Peckham encourages submissions, encouraging students to get involved, and advises students to approach writing freely. He calls out students who worry, “How is anyone going to care about what I’m doing? What can I do that anyone will be interested in?” Instead, his advice is, “Don’t worry about being interesting; just do what you’re interested in, authentically.”
Peckham’s currently involved in other projects whilst working on Colby’s literary magazine. He is wrapping up a poetry collection which is scheduled to come out in the spring. He also described an interesting project he’s beginning that is the combination of memoir and research on “this really weird situation” at this body of water in Massachusetts; “whatever ghosts actually are, scientifically, […] this place is thick with them,” he mysteriously mentions.
Peckham’s course will be offered in the spring, and is a great opportunity for people interested in literary editing and publishing. Professor Peckham’s interview ended with him contemplating who he’d publish if he could publish any person, dead or alive. Peckham’s answer was creative, “I think I would just want to publish a dead person. I would like to publish from beyond the grave.” This creative answer is emblematic of Peckham’s curiosity, imagination, and commitment to writing unique, boundary transcending pieces.
~ Molly Garvey `28
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