Barrelhousing with Lindsey Trout Hughes, New Assistant Books Editor

Barrelhouse is very excited to welcome memoirist and theater artist Lindsey Trout Hughes as our newest Assistant Books Editor! Lindsey will help select and shape our next nonfiction title, so we asked her to introduce herself and tell us a little bit about what excites her most in potential memoir projects.

1) First tell us about the things you do that aren’t Barrelhouse-adjacent.

I’m Head of Programming at the London Writers’ Salon, where I’m also a host of Writers’ Hour, free daily writing sprints. I’m also a freelance writer, writing coach, and developmental editor for memoir.

Right now, I'm working on a memoir about playing Ophelia while navigating new motherhood. It's part personal narrative, part literary portrait, and also delves into some fun exploration of New York City as told through historical productions of Hamlet. It's about desire, motherhood as a generative creative force, and the tension and beauty of making art with friends.

2) What made you want to work with us?

This feels like a full-circle moment! I took my very first nonfiction workshop through Barrelhouse (with Lilly!), which is how I started writing essays and, eventually, my memoir.

I read Kristin Keane’s An Encyclopedia of Bending Time in a single sitting, so I'm very excited to play a helping hand in bringing more books like it into the world.

3) What are you looking for in nonfiction submissions? What makes a manuscript stand out from the rest of the pile?

When I’m reading submissions, I find myself looking for the heart of the questions each manuscript is asking. Are they messy enough? Are they risky enough? Are they beautiful enough? Are they questions I want to spend time with?

I’m also compelled by manuscripts that intentionally do surprising and playful things with form.

4) Who are some of your favorite nonfiction writers?

I love Annie Dillard’s writing very much. I have “Living Like Weasels” printed and tacked to the corkboard above my desk.

Some other favorites: Melissa Febos, Alexander Chee, Elissa Washuta, CJ Hauser, Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, and Lidia Yuknavitch.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t add that Lilly Dancyger’s Negative Space is one of my favorite memoirs—it’s a touchstone and a teacher for me. 

5) If you could change one thing about the current publishing world, what would it be?

So much significant change is necessary, of course, but I wish the publishing ecosystem made more room for innovation and risk. More weird, more wonder.

6) We’re legally obligated to ask you this: what’s your favorite Patrick Swayze movie?

Someday I’ll write an essay about the 70-second “Love Is Strange” sequence in Dirty Dancing.

Note: Barrelhouse is currently open for submissions of Nonfiction books (closes February 19, 2023)

We're interested in full-length memoirs and essay collections that combine personal narrative with... something else. That could be reportage, criticism, history, etc. We're especially interested in projects where the external element has something to do with pop culture, and projects that do something unexpected and original with form and structure. Full submission guidelines are here.