Callaloo Community Feature: Schyler Butler

Can you share about how your creative journey or background led you to Callaloo? 

When I began writing professionally, I was encouraged to find Black literary journals. My mentor had been published in Callaloo years prior to our meeting, and of course, had a copy of the volume in which his work appeared. Holding that piece of history, knowing that within the well-loved cover was work written with the sole intention of engaging with African American and African Diaspora experiences, was everything. In my second year as a MFA Creative Writing student at The Ohio State University, I learned Callaloo was seeking readers and knew I'd be a fool not to apply. When the time is right, poems I've written will be printed within Callaloo, too.

Describe your experience being a reader for Callaloo:

Reading for Callaloo has been transformative. It’s clarified for me just how much power editors hold and why it’s essential to care deeply about excellence. So many people are writers, each at different stages of development, and while my first duty as a reader is to discern which submissions are strong enough for the Callaloo editors to consider for publication, it’s equally my duty to engage with each writer’s work as a beautiful, important offering, one worthy of gentle honesty.

What does being a part of Callaloo mean to you as a writer?

Being part of Callaloo means being in community with countless Black artists striving to create excellent work. It means joining and helping shape a legacy of triumph.

What inspired you to start writing in the first place?

Consciously, my love of reading. When I started gobbling up chapter books, I often thought, "Wow, this is amazing. I bet I can do this, too." Subconsciously, my mother, who loves reading; my biological father, who loves writing; and all my living family and ancestors who love and loved either / or.

Are there any upcoming projects or pieces you're working on that you'd like to share with our readers?

My debut poetry collection, Phantom Hue, is forthcoming from CavanKerry Press (Fall 2026)! It traces the inner life of a light-skinned Black woman reckoning with the inheritances of race, gender, history, and family. I am stupid excited. Silly excited. Externally, calm. This book is one of many gifts I will hand to the world.

Is there a quote that has guided you on your writing journey?

I don't remember where I found this—I am always writing notes wherever I can without context or attribution—but I have a bright pink sticky note with the words, "Put the work above all else, and trust the process." Writing is an act of faith. My journey meets the criteria tenfold.

Follow and Support Schyler’s Work

Instagram: @whistle_the_key

Website: schyler.journoportfolio.com

Interested in Becoming a Reader for Callaloo?

Click here to learn more about becoming a reader for Callaloo.

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