Conversation with Assistant Substack Editor and Writer J.G.P. MacAdam | CF Behind-the-Scenes

Assistant Substack Editor J.G.P. MacAdam shares why he joined Consequence Forum, how his personal life affects his writing, and more!

Writer and Assistant Substack Editor, J.G.P. MacAdam

Tell us about yourself!

Hi, my name’s Jon and I’m on the Substack team at Consequence Forum. My full name is a mouthful: Jonathan-George Patrick MacAdam, so I tend to initialize to just J.G.P. MacAdam, though I’ve gone by many other handles: Mac, MacAttack, Dad, Mola, as in mola mola, or sunfish (don’t ask), among others. 

I write a lot about the military and veterans. I’m currently working on a series of essays about people I served with and their time in service, what my relationship was to them, and what ended up happening with them once they got out. I recently received a lot of feedback from people online telling me that these stories needed to be told, so I’ve set myself to working on them. Other work: I’ve got a novel manuscript out on submission, a novelette coming out through Emerge Literary, due in 2024, as well as a lyric essay “Zora Zombie Wars” forthcoming from Consequence. I’m at jgpmacadam.com, if you want to know more, follow links to my work, or contact me, and I’m also on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram. Just google my name. 

When did you join CF and what brought you to CF?

I joined CF in literally the last couple of months, so I’m brand-spanking new. I got an invite from Matt Krajniak to help out with the Substack team and I’m glad I said yes because from what I’ve seen so far there is so much going on behind the scenes at a literary journal/forum like CF; it’s simultaneously mind-boggling, titillating, and more than a little intimidating. A really great learning experience. 

What do you do at CF?

Right now, I’m mostly doing outreach to potential authors/contributors for Substack. I’m also working on interviews, reviews, and contributing a couple of articles of my own here and there. 

What do you enjoy most about your work at CF?

I’ve never attended a creative writing course or MFA program, and though I’ve noodled around with the idea of workshops I’ve never been able to attend for various reasons. So, my connections to the literary world are literally (ha) only through social media, connecting with other authors online, and through editors who’ve accepted my work for publication or given me feedback. So, networking and meeting other authors/creatives writing within the same subgenre as I am is what I enjoy most; it’s like meeting people who speak the same language as you. 

How important do you think literary journals like CF are for the literary community and aspiring writers?