Callie Arnold started working with The New Territory as an editorial fellow in September 2025. She was introduced to The NT by one of her former English professors, Dr. Kristin Van Tassel, who had a poem in Issue 18. Through her work with the magazine, she found an opportunity to enter the competitive field of the literary industry from the comfort of her own home in Hillsboro, Kansas, allowing her to develop her literary skills in a low-pressure environment. She finds her time with the magazine has also been made rewarding by the chances it has provided her to network with individuals outside of her circle and the community that it brought. The NT has inspired her to generate original works again, and with her new experience in the submissions process, has brought her a better understanding of the lengths literary works must endure to be accepted for publication.
“Regional writing matters not only because it’s underrepresented and reveals a beauty otherwise unknown to the rest of the world, but regional writing sheds ugly monikers and allows us to return to each other without shame or restlessness. What makes a Midwesterner has nothing to do with an accent, a common vocabulary, or a birth certificate. To be Midwestern is to appreciate the charm of what’s here and I intend to always support those who are inspired by that,” said Callie Arnold on the importance of regional writing.