The minds and hands behind Ateneo de Manila University’s Academic Journals

In this issue: Angel Tomintz, Chief Copy Editor, Kritika Kultura

For the first installment of “The minds and hands behind Ateneo de Manila University's Academic Journals,” we talk to Angelica Maria Tomintz of Kritika Kultura (KK). Tomintz's involvement with KK began in 2014; she has been the journal's chief copy editor since 2020. 

KK is an open access Scopus indexed journal for the Department of English's literary, language, and cultural studies. KK's open access makes it accessible to students and academics globally. Since its founding in 2002 by Dr. Ma Luisa T. Reyes, the journal has published works of internationally noted writers and scholars such as E. San Juan Jr. and Christine Lim.

Tell me about yourself.
I'm Angelica Maria D. Tomintz; you can call me Angel. I'm 31 years old. I studied in Ateneo de Manila for college, taking up interdisciplinary studies with literature and creative writing tracks. After college, I went straight to get a master's degree in Literary and Cultural Studies.

While studying, I also started teaching with the English department. In 2014 when I started teaching, I began to get involved with KK. I wasn't in academe through and through, but now I'm back to teaching. I'm an instructor at the department and the chief copy editor of Kritika Kultura.

What inspired you to pursue this career path?
It started when I was in college; I couldn't quite remember a particular day but I did enjoy many of my literature classes. So I thought, 'Maybe I'm good at it; maybe I should push through with it.' When I was already in my MA years, I realized that depth of understanding I could gain by reading text that way, so I took it seriously. Then, my three years in Vienna, Austria doing editing work made me realize that I wanted to push through with it. I would edit copies for art and sometimes University-related topics.

Seeing their grasp of the English language as influenced by the German-speaking context in Austria has made me appreciate the copy editing that happens because back then when I started with KK, I felt that we were not the writers. What is our relationship with this text that we're copy editing? Should the author know more about it? What is our role? It was then that I realized that there is something you could contribute as the copy editor. We are the first reader. We're like the testing ground because how it will be perceived could also be how we see it.

                                         Angelica hosting a Kritika Kultura Lecture. (December 2014)

What do you enjoy about your job? And what is the most challenging part of it?
What I enjoy the most about my job is working with information; that's what I like the most—working with data and making sure that it gets to people and that the people can get the correct information. So I love that part where we try to negotiate with the author regarding the changes to help them be able to speak their voice. Because one tricky thing, and it's also related to my favorite part, is that sometimes you think there's a standard English because our publication mainly publishes in English, but we also publish in Filipino.

But when it comes to English articles, we have to remember that it comes in many forms -UK, English, and American US English. Our regional colleagues also have their way of interpreting English, And this is something that we try to reconcile. Sometimes you can see how even the native tongue of the writer influences the way they write in English, and not knowing all the native languages in the world is also something that I need to cross. So how do I negotiate to account for the author’s individuality and intersectionality? So that's the challenge, it's a tricky thing, but it's also what I enjoy.

What is the proudest achievement you've had in your career?
Good question. I'm happy with us having been able to publish on time, especially in this pandemic. We encountered many delays due to the pandemic. Every time we finish a manuscript and the authors express gratitude, I'm proud.

What is your favorite article in Kritika Kultura that you'd like to recommend for others to read?
My favorite article is from Kritika Kultura No.37 (2021), titled: "Matter Really Matters: A Poetic Material Islamecocritical Reading of Inanimateness Animism" by Inas Samy Abolfotoh. It's about material Islam ecocriticism. I like it because of the subject. It's different because my upbringing is more on the Filipino-Christian Catholic background. I like that because the worldview is not something I'm very familiar with. I like how it looks at the material aspect through the lens, not just of ecocriticism but also Islam. So far, it's very interdisciplinary. Now it has the religious aspect ecocritical, their first somewhat scientific aspect, and it's looking at Canadian poetry from that lens. I never thought that I would think of material Islam ecocriticism when I saw a Canadian poem. So I enjoyed working on that.

What's the process of creating a new issue for Kritika Kultura? And when is your latest issue coming out?
We publish twice a year, February and August. And the process starts the following month after the publication is done. We’ve already started working on the next issue by February and March. At least that's how it goes for the production side for the editorial side, where they screen the ongoing articles. So there are other people taking care of that. Once papers are approved, they are forwarded to me. Then, we start copy editing--working with the authors to ensure that the changes are approved, reconcile with the house style, and ensure their voices can be seen and heard. Finally, we prepare for the layout proofreading and final copy that is good for publication.

Do you have any advice for people who aspire to work in your field?
I think my advice would be, don't be afraid to explore, because your voice comes when you understand how you take, and what you are, as a person. Who are you growing for? We often hear all sorts of advice like this is how to become successful. This is what you should do to get there. But the important thing is not just to get there, but to also be proud and happy with who you are. And that involves, especially in writing, having your voice. That was one thing that was quite a struggle for me because I used to be the type of person who would follow templates. I am a very obedient, determined person. So I would follow the prescribed track. But I realized that there is beauty in exploring the depths inside you that you might be afraid to tap. And sometimes, that's where the voice comes. And it would help your writing a lot.

We invite you to read and submit your manuscripts to KK. Learn about submission guidelines and events on https://ajol.ateneo.edu/kk or email the editors at kk@ateneo.edu.

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