In this edition of Inside the Den, we’re featuring Kimberly Potthast, who has been reading fiction and flash fiction submissions for Black Fox for just over a year. With a background in literary journals and an MFA in creative writing, Kimberly brings both experience and curiosity to the editorial process. She approaches each submission with an openness to voice, perspective, and emotional resonance—qualities that continue to shape the work we’re proud to publish.
Black Fox Literary Magazine: How did you become a reader for Black Fox?
Kimberly Potthast: After I finished grad school, I found myself really missing getting to read and interact with unpublished stories. Reading for lit mags was a big part of my college experience, and it helped me figure out what I wanted my own writing to look like. I found out Black Fox had openings, I loved the vibes, and the rest is history!
BFLM: What kinds of stories or themes are you most drawn to?
KP: I’m drawn to stories that capture an emotion and make the reader feel it themselves.
BFLM: What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to reading a submission?
KP: Casual fatphobia. I personally don’t find commenting on other people’s weight to be funny—especially when the character doing it is supposed to be sympathetic to the reader!
BFLM: What makes a submission stand out (in a good way)?
KP: Submissions that stand out to me are often ones that show me a unique perspective. Reinterpretations of older stories, centering characters who aren’t normally centered, exploring cultures that are different from my own—I love the way that subs like that make me think differently!
BFLM: What’s something you’ve learned from reading submissions that surprised you?
KP: I was surprised at how many good stories don’t get chosen. I can really like a story but still not think it’s ready to be published. It’s helped me handle rejection when I send out my own work. I try to remember that the people reading it want what’s best for me and my story—and if it’s not ready, or not right for them, or just not right for them right now, then I’m glad they told me no.
BFLM: What’s a story you love and think about often?
KP: “Space Cat” by Emily Costa. Masterclass of flash fiction: capturing a complex emotion with simple language, knowing all the rules so that you can break them.
BFLM: If your personality were a literary genre, what would it be—and why?
KP: A really weird prose poem that sparks a fire in you for reasons you can’t quite express, and you show it to your friends and family because you’re obsessed with it, and they don’t really get it, but they love that you get it.
BFLM: Many thanks, Kimberly, for the care and thoughtfulness you bring to every submission. Your openness to new perspectives and commitment to meaningful storytelling make a lasting impact on our fiction team.
Stay tuned for more staff spotlights in upcoming editions of Inside the Den—because every page begins with a reader.
Kimberly Potthast (she/they) is a Missouri-based writer. She earned her MFA through the University of Missouri St. Louis and has also read for wigleaf, The Missouri Review, and Boulevard.
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