A Q&A with the Incoming Editors of Exponent II Magazine
Millie Tullis and Natasha Rogers, our incoming editorial team, are hard at work preparing to transition into their new roles. Read our discussion with them to learn more about their personal journeys, aspirations and enthusiasm for the work ahead.
Interview with Millie Tullis, incoming Editor-in-Chief of Exponent II:
Tell us about your journey finding Exponent II .
When I first learned about Exponent II, I was intrigued by the unique history of the magazine and its community. I hadn’t known that communities like this existed! (Huge shoutout to Dayna Patterson’s poetry for introducing me to the big, beautiful world of feminist Mormon art.) But when I first published a poem in Exponent II and my contributor copy arrived, I was totally stunned by the beauty of the magazine itself. Every issue is designed, edited, and laid out with such thoughtful care. I realized (with delight) how little I still knew about Mormon feminist art—how much more there was to read and see and learn from Mormon feminists. And this, of course, is the amazing work that Exponent II does.
Beyond requiring many competencies and a robust skillset, this position is a labor of love. What made you decide to give your head and heart to this work at this time?
Shortly after I saw the call going out for a new Exponent II Editor-in-Chief, I read Katie Ludlow Rich and Heather Sundahl’s remarkable 50 Years of Exponent II. Reading this history deepened my admiration for what Exponent II has overcome and the unique space it creates for so many women and gender minorities across the Mormon spectrum. Rich and Sundahl did a beautiful job illustrating the labors and love behind the journal’s long history. Exponent II continues because those who were passionate about its existence gave it their time and talents. I am personally so grateful for that labor.
When I journaled about applying for this position, I had plenty of doubts, but I was haunted by Claudia Bushman’s words: “You always have room for another big job.” This probably isn’t always true for all of us (there’s only one Claudia Bushman, after all), but it felt true for me at that time. I’m in a phase in my life where I do have room for “another big job,” and I realized I would love for that job to be in service to Exponent II, a community that I think is so rare and remarkable, and a community that needs time, energy, and talents to continue for another fifty years.
What areas of your personal and professional background prepared you for this role?
I have experience working with three different literary journals, volunteering as a reader, poetry editor, social media manager, and Editor in Chief (often performing several roles at once.) In particular, my role as the Editor-in-Chief of Psaltery & Lyre has expanded my professional and personal network of writers, especially in Mormon spheres, and solidified for me how much I love running a literary journal.
A key part of Exponent II’s Editor in Chief role is working directly with writers, giving feedback and preparing pieces for publication — this is also work I really love to do. I have taught or tutored college writing for 11 years across three institutions, working as a peer tutor and a writing instructor, and participated in many, many creative writing workshop spaces. Personally, one of the most exciting parts of the Editor in Chief position is the opportunity to encourage and support other writers (new and experienced) in sharing their stories.
What has training been like?
In addition to the hope that I would bring something useful to the magazine, I knew that I would greatly benefit from being more deeply embedded in this community, and I already feel like this has been true for me — in particular, working alongside Rachel Rueckert and Carol Ann Lister Young (the outgoing editor in chief and managing editor) and Natasha Rogers (my incoming managing editor) has been an amazing opportunity. It’s hard work to put together a magazine issue, but it’s been so joyful to learn and grow with these talented women, and I’m really excited for everyone to see the Pride issue we’ve been working on together. Rachel has been incredibly generous — she has been so open about the role and offered me amazing support and advice throughout this transition. I’m happy to know that she’s earned a well-deserved break, but I’ll miss sharing this role with her.
Can you tell us a bit about your team?
I’m really thrilled to continue working with Natasha Rogers as my managing editor (our first solo issue will be fall 2025, and the theme is listen!) Natasha is so smart and kind; she also brings amazing Exponent II blogging and community experiences to the magazine team. I also grateful to continue working with Rosie Gochnour Serago (Exponent II’s layout editor), Rocio Cisneros (art editor), Abby Parcell (poetry editor), C. Chanel Earl (fiction editor), Eliza Wells (women’s theology), Liz Johnson (subscription manager), Ynna Padilla (book review editor), and a really, really generous group of volunteer readers, proofreaders, and author-editors.
Do you have any distinct ambitions or goals for your tenure as Editor-in-Chief that you’re thinking about?
It’s really remarkable to assemble such a magazine that is so historically rooted and at the same time, always being re-made, re-crafted, pulling in new voices, new art, new angles. Exponent II is a shared space in the sense that we come together in the spirit of some shared identities, but it’s also a shared space because we encounter new perspectives and new experiences, our own viewpoints are expanded by what someone has shared. In this way, our magazine and community are always being made and remade with each new issue. I don’t come into this job wanting to remake the wheel, however. I really admire the trajectory Exponent II has been on, particularly under Rachel’s leadership. I hope to continue many of these same goals forward — expanding the diversity and range of art and voices featured in the magazine (in terms of gender identities, sexual orientations, ethnicity, nationalities, and Mormon identities), grow the reach of Exponent II, and I hope to continue providing opportunities and support for new and emerging writers.
Interview with Natasha Rogers, incoming Managing Editor of Exponent II:
You have a long history with Exponent II and have supported the organization in so many ways over the years. Tell us about your Exponent II journey and how you feel about this next step!
Thank you! I first learned about Exponent II when my friend Katie Rich sent me the Spring 2021 issue with a neon sticky note peeking from the pages, marking her first published essay. I read each essay and poem, studied the artwork, and then signed up for the craft workshops hosted by Rachel Reuckert.
I’d been reading Christian feminists for years and found myself in the stories and words of women like Rachel Held Evans and Sue Monk Kidd, but I had no idea that there existed spaces for Mormon feminists to archive their rich inner lives in similar ways. Exponent II brought the stories of these Mormons, whom I’d felt so isolated from, into my home and then gave me a platform to share my own stories.
I became an Exponent II blogger in 2022 and joined the board in 2024. I continue to be awed by the voices of Mormon feminists and the way this community holds people, witnesses their stories, and then teaches us how to believe ourselves. I am thrilled and honored to continue this fifty-year legacy of Mormon feminists and their creations.
Do you have any distinct ambitions or goals for your upcoming work as Managing Editor?
I’ve been so amazed by Rachel and Carol Ann’s work, and by all the editors before them. Exponent II has evolved with each editorial voice and in response to the needs of our readers. I imagine Millie and I will shape the magazine in new and meaningful ways as time goes on.
A small thing I’m excited to see is the inclusion of a book recommendation in each author and artist bio! It’s a way to connect our readers more deeply with the people behind the work.
What are some aspects of your personal and professional background that you feel prepare you for this role?
I’ve served on the Readers Committee, worked as an Author Editor, and collaborated with guest bloggers at Exponent II. I love working with Mormon feminist authors and their stories.
As a library clerk, I engage with thousands of stories and styles, and as a contract writer, I deeply believe in the magic of storytelling.
Something I love about Exponent II is how it welcomes beginners and scholars and everything in between into collaborative spaces. I feel like I am still a beginner, and I’m grateful that Millie and Exponent II are taking a chance on me. Thank you.
What excites you most about supporting this work?
I am excited to work with and learn from Millie Tullis who is thoughtful and knowledgeable and thinks like a poet. I’m excited to engage with authors, volunteers, and the editorial team who keep me thinking and listening and feeling.
Mormon feminists are brilliant. Being in generative spaces where we are creating art and witnessing stories together sparks Big Magic like nothing else. That’s what I’m most excited about.
