July Editor Spotlight: Kiara Valdez
Ashyle Noelle • Jul 19, 2022

BIO

Kiara Valdez is an Afro-Dominican writer and an editor at First Second. She was born and raised in New York City (shout out to Washington Heights) and has been an avid comics reader all her life. She graduated from Williams College with a double major in English Literature and Japanese, and spends her free time reading, writing, and enjoying a long list of other hobbies she can't keep up with.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME AN EDITOR?

I decided I'd be a comics editor at 16. The naive thought at the time was, "I love comics and reading, but I don't want to do them myself, so I'll support the people who make them! Plus I'll get paid to read."

WHAT'S REWARDING ABOUT BEING AN EDITOR?


I really love being part of the team that takes a little nugget of an idea, and a person's dream, and makes it into something we can eventually (like 3+ years with a graphic novel) hold in our hands.

WHAT DO YOU FIND CHALLENGING ABOUT BEING A BLACK EDITOR IN PUBLISHING?


It's challenging that there are so few of us in general, but it's even worse in the comics scene. Even as the comics industry is making strides with representation and diversity when it comes to content and creators, it is drastically dragging behind when it comes to editors, and people in-house who work on the comics. Editors are tastemakers, and at times, gatekeepers, so it's SO important to have Black comics editors who are looking out for our stories—who understand us when acquiring and when editing. It'll only make change happen that much faster if Black folk also have a seat at that table.

WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 THINGS YOU LOOK FOR IN A SUBMISSION?


1. Fills something I don't have on my own list or that is missing in the market when it comes to representation.

2. Knows itself and the audience it wants to reach.

3. Has a lot of heart.

NAME A BOOK YOU RECENTLY READ AND CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT.


This is a pretty recent obsession but Percy Jackson! I didn't read it as a kid and because I am so excited for the T.V show, I decided to read them now. I am an incredibly slow reader in general, but especially when it comes to prose, but these books are reminding me of what exactly I loved so much about reading as a child. It's taking me back to those hours I'd spend by myself in the library, lost in a book. Also, it doesn't trigger the "comics editor" part of my brain so that's a plus.

WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED IN PUBLISHING?

My desire to publish for kids and teens that look or feel the way I did so many years back. I never felt seen, but I want to make sure they do.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR WRITERS ON SUB?


The process is grueling, but eventually your story will connect with the person it was meant for. And then you'll see that all the grinding was worth it.

FUN QUESTION! TIME FOR A BLACK PUBLISHING BLOCK PARTY! WHAT SONG(S) MUST BE ON THE PLAYLIST?


- Whine Up by Kat DeLuna

- Up by Cardi B

- La Negra Tiene Tumbao by Celia Cruz

WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU?


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