Rooted in Nature, Open to Surprise: Aaron Lelito on Wild Roof Journal

This month, we’re bringing you a conversation with Wild Roof Journal’s founding editor Aaron Lelito. Since its inception, Wild Roof has carved out a distinctive space in the literary landscape—one that celebrates nature writing in all its forms while maintaining an editorial vision that's both rigorous and welcoming. What began as Aaron's personal journey back to reading and creative expression has evolved into a thriving publication now in its 34th issue, recognized for its consistency, quality, and commitment to fostering genuine literary community.

In this conversation, Aaron shares the origins of Wild Roof Journal, his editorial philosophy, and what it means to build a publication that balances accessibility with substance. Whether you're a seasoned submitter or new to the literary journal world, Aaron's insights offer a refreshing perspective on what makes good writing resonate and how independent publications can create spaces where writers at all stages feel genuinely supported.

1. Can you share the origin story of Wild Roof Journal? What was the initial spark or

gap you were hoping to fill in the literary landscape?

There were a few sparks that got Wild Roof Journal started. The precursor to it all was

reconnecting with my love of reading. Back in 2018-2019, I was working as an English

professor, so I decided to make myself a reading list. I took a few authors I was interested in

and a few themes I wanted to explore, and mapped out all the books I was able to purchase or

download from the school library. And I ended up putting a pretty good dent in the list.

However, I wasn’t really making anything. I remember having a sense that I needed to do

something with all this reading. Through a bunch of creative experimenting and a few dead

ends, I recognized that what I was drawn to most, creatively, was nature. And initially, this

developed as visual expression with photography. Fast forward a bit, I then recognized that

showing off my own creative output had the unintended consequence of learning about the lit

mag world—navigating the submission process, brushing off rejection messages, and the

occasional thrill of getting something published. What became most appealing during this

time was connecting with other creative people and helping to support what they do.

It was a process that happened over a couple of years—exploring academic interests, getting

familiar with visual art, and stepping into the submission process for publication—

but there was one morning I remember, where the idea of creating my own lit mag popped

into my head! Being connected to people’s creative journeys has been an honor and a joy ever

since. What I appreciate most about the larger literary community is the sense of

interdependence that is cultivated.

2. How would you describe the kind of work that Wild Roof gravitates toward? Are

there particular themes, styles, or qualities that consistently catch your editorial eye?

Wild Roof Journal has a particular interest in nature and the environment, including the

intersection of “wild” nature and “civilized” society (which is to say that we do not entirely

consist of poems about trees and rocks but do think those things are cool).

I find that umbrella of “nature and environment” covers quite a wide range of subject matter,

however. Some types of work that are appealing might be called “hands in the dirt,” as they

express a direct, lived experience with aspects of the natural world. On the other hand, work

that explores the inner landscape of consciousness and the mysteries of the self is appealing,

too. Above all, the emphasis is on the quality of the writing, both in terms of a genuine voice

and stylistic craft.

What catches our eye is work that offers multiple layers, a depth and complexity that rewards

a reader who spends time with the piece. The counter-balance to that is our emphasis on work

that is accessible. An English grad student should find WRJ substantial enough to chew on

analytically, and a passionate poetry hobbyist should find WRJ relatable enough to mesh into

their everyday lives.

3. What does the review and selection process look like at Wild Roof? How do you

balance editorial vision with staying open to surprises?

I definitely want to stay open to surprises, whether that is first-time submitters or pieces that

challenge us as readers. The editorial vision for each issue is more of a loose template. Our

issues are presented in three galleries, and we have an admittedly subjective way of filling

them. Sometimes the pieces in a gallery have a prominent emotional impact, other times, lush

imagery, and other times, character-driven pieces stand out.

Back to the surprise element, these templates are loose enough to allow us to focus on the

quality of the submissions rather than considering how they’ll fit within the context of the

issue.

Our vision is to provide a welcoming environment based on collaboration and shared

interests (in other words, we’re not interested in a gatekeep-y ivory tower vibe).

4. You’ve now published multiple issues—how has your sense of Wild Roof’s identity

evolved since you started? Have there been any unexpected directions or discoveries

along the way?

We’re currently working on our Issue 34 for summer, so we’ve been around for a bit now.

What’s evolved the most is gaining visibility and credibility among our literary peers. I take

the unflashy elements of consistency and reliability very seriously, so when WRJ appears on

“best of” lists, “cool places to submit” compilations, or interview features like this, it is

incredibility validating, and I see it as a step toward being one of the top online publications

out there. And I’m grateful for it!

On that note, one example is that one piece we published (Sandie Friedman’s, “This Is

Josephine”) was selected by Diane Suess to be included in the Best Microfiction 2026

collection. After several nominations for yearly awards, this was our first winner.

It’s also great to see the quality of the work in our issues has continued to build. While I am

impressed with some writers new to publishing (which is awesome, welcome aboard to you),

I am also pleased to see established writers, whose work I have already encountered and am a

fan of, submit for publication.

Since beginning Wild Roof Journal, one unexpected direction was starting to write my own

poems and coming out with my first collection, The Half Turn, in 2023. I have a new poetry

collection in the works too. Additionally, a fun project that came about somewhat

unexpectedly is a collaboration with several WRJ contributors called If We: Connections

Through Creative Process , which combines handwritten notebook pages with nature

photographs.

5. What advice would you give to writers submitting to literary journals? Any do’s or

don’ts that come from your experience on the editorial side?

Do: Make submission files easy to work with. Use standard fonts, have clear titles listed,

provide a ready-to-publish bio statement.

Do: Consider including a variety of style or subject matter within a submission. Take chances

with what you include. Send your strongest pieces rather than try to anticipate what would fit

our tastes.

Don’t: Overdo special formatting or non-conventional layouts. While we do include pieces

with special formatting, there is a practical limitation to how many of them I can include in

an issue because of the extra effort involved with ensuring that the visual layout is

represented accurately on-screen.

6. What can readers and potential submitters expect from Wild Roof in the coming

year? Any new directions, special issues, or experiments you’re excited about?

One area I’m excited about is the opportunity to share more on the Wild Roof Journal

Substack. We have a running series of guest posts from our contributors that gives us

wonderful insight into their creative lives. Also, I love supporting new releases from friends

of WRJ—these can be excerpts of forthcoming books, interviews, or author commentary on

published work. It’s all a great way to be embedded in the literary community and to connect

with like-minded creators out there.

In terms of other possibilities for upcoming issues, I would like to have an issue that features

a guest editor, someone who has a hand in selecting and arranging the pieces for an issue. I

would also love to include poetry from a mainstream writer or two . . . some name

recognition! (Which, of course, would give a boost to the other writers included too. I’m

always looking out for the indie DIYers grinding away.)

Lastly, I’ll say that I’m open to new directions I haven’t yet considered. Creativity, and pretty

much the whole human experience, is fascinating, weird, and mysterious, and I do not believe

that creative pursuits are separate from the rest of life. I look forward to engaging with all the

ways people express their realities, their currents, pasts, dream worlds, fits of doubt, and

bursts of intuition.

Wild Roof is currently open for submissions. Visit wildroofjournal.com to read their latest issue, explore their Substack for contributor features and creative insights, and submit your own work. You can also follow them on social media @wildroofjournal to stay connected with their community.