Beth Staples
Editor, Lookout Books | Senior Editor, Ecotone Magazine

Beth Staples, who edits fiction and creative nonfiction for UNCW’s literary magazine, Ecotone, and its boutique press, Lookout Books, admits she probably relies on technology a little too much. “I’m on my laptop now with one billion tabs open (everything from my Etsy shop to Daily Burn for exercising to my UNCW email), listening to NPR, with my iPhone next to me – you know, just in case.”

Favorite websites include LitHub for all things literary. “I have a 5-week-old, so I’m also on Kelly Mom constantly with breastfeeding questions.”

Podcast picks are “More Perfect from WNYC and the folks at Radiolab. It’s about the Supreme Court. It only has six episodes so far, but every one is fascinating.”
TV shows are, self-admittedly, more like guilty pleasures. “I’m going to go ahead and admit I like bad TV like The Bachelorette and any cooking competition, though I’m a horrible cook. The Great British Bake Off is a favorite. Less embarrassingly, the Fargo TV series [on FX] is awesome.”

Naturally, Staples reads a lot of novels. “A recent favorite is White Tears by Hari Kunzru, which I couldn’t put down. It’s a kind of mystery about blues music and race; I’ve never read anything like it.”

An app she uses daily is YNAB (You Need a Budget).

Social media account recommendation: “I think my husband, Zac, has a hilarious Instagram! @zingleton”

Find Staples on Instagram: @bethstapled