Dancin' to the Lit Mag Rock!

Editorial changes, hot new job openings, advice for writers, new contests, calls for submissions, editor interviews and more

Greetings Lit Magodiles,

Ever think that lit mags are more than places to publish your latest masterpiece, but actually vital morale-boosters for society? In The Spectator, Peter Parker writes about two lit mags from the middle of last century, arguing that “The contribution to the war effort of writers in Horizon and New Penguin Writing has not been sufficiently recognized…” Both these magazines “did a good deal to boost morale among the reading public.”

Speaking of morale boosts, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a $750,000 grant to an international team led in part by Kwame Dawes, Professor of English and Editor of Prairie Schooner. Reports Nebraska Today,

Initially established in 2017, the African Poetry Digital Portal documents the work of African poets and provides digital access to related creative and intellectual artifacts, materials and research…The three-year Mellon Foundation grant provides support for the portal’s next phases: expanding research and scholarship relating to African poetry and joining with other institutions to create a digital collections hub that will give access to materials held by institutions worldwide.

And speaking of lit mag editors, a whole bunch of changes are afoot. At LitHub, you can read an interview with Danielle A. Jackson, the new Editor of Oxford American. Jackson says, “As an editor, I like stories that revel in that kinship or wrestle with its impossibility. I like stories that trouble borders and boundaries we have all taken for granted for too long. As a writer, I want my words to feel alive, have texture, and thrum as much as my favorite songs.”

Electric Literature has announced its new Editor. “Denne Michele Norris is the first Black, openly trans woman to helm a major literary publication.” Norris “previously served as Fiction Editor at Apogee Journal and Senior Fiction Editor for The Rumpus.” She “is a proven champion of new and emerging voices.”

And Lynne Nugent takes over as Editor at The Iowa Review. “She is the seventh editor in the half-century history of The Iowa Review and the first nonwhite person (she is Asian American) to serve in that role.” As Nugent leaves the role of Managing Editor, Katie Berta will take on that role. Katie “comes to The Iowa Review from Hayden’s Ferry Review at Arizona State University, where she was supervising editor.”

If you’re wondering how to get in on all this lit-mag-editing action, some hot jobs have recently opened. New England Review is seeking a Managing Editor. New England Review “gives readers a vital snapshot of the literary moment, four times a year, in its richness, complexity, and diversity.” Job applications close on 8/26.

The Paris Review is seeking an Assistant or Associate Editor. “The job involves discovering exceptional new writers, assigning and editing essays, columns, interviews, and shorter pieces, and making imaginative use of audio, video, and graphics. This is an opportunity to help shape the next chapter of The Paris Review.”

And Oxford American has several open positions. “The Oxford American (OA), a nonprofit literary arts organization devoted to exploring the complexity of the American South through our quarterly print magazine, digital media, and live events…” They are seeking a Digital Editor, a Development Coordinator, a Junior Account Executive, as well as Editorial Interns.

If it’s guidance with this whole writing-career thing you need, Lincoln Michel has written Everything I’ve Learned about Being a “Professional” Writer in One Post. He advises,

I’m repeating myself but it’s important. Keep at it! The writers who succeed in my experience are the ones who submit constantly, who start the next novel when the current one is rejected, who keep querying. I might go so far as to say that persistence is the most important trait for an author. Many poems are published after dozens of rejections. Many novels are bought after dozens of rejections. Many authors have abandoned books in their drawers (or rather files in their hard drive) before their debut. Keep going. Never stop. Persist, persist, persist.

To that end, there are many great places to consider sending out your work this month. The Masters Review has a list of 10 Literary Prizes Available This Month. Canadian Authors has a list of Contests & Competitions – August Deadlines. (Some, but not all, are for Canada-based authors only.) Erica Verrillo has posted 35 Writing Contests in August 2021 - No entry fees.

While for general submissions, S. Kalekar has posted 5 Paying Literary Markets to Submit to in August 2021 and also 39 Themed Submissions Calls for August 2021.

In case you missed it, I had the pleasure of speaking with two editors last week, Stephanie G’Schwind of Colorado Review and Andrew Tonkovich of Santa Monica Review. I am learning so much from these kind editors who take the time to speak with me. I hope you all are learning a thing or two as well. To catch up on all the past editor interviews, you can now view them in one place.

A reminder: This Thursday, August 12 at 12pm est, I will be speaking with Robert Stapleton, Editor of Booth. Learn more and register here.

Also, on Wednesday, August 18th at 2pm est, I will be doing another live Q & A session where I attempt to answer any and all of your submissions questions. What goes in a cover letter? Is it good to enter contests? Should you submit to online or print magazines? How often should you submit to the same journal? What do personal rejections mean? How do you keep going as rejections roll in? And so much more.

This will be a laid-back but informative event. It will not be recorded. Past attendees are welcome to participate again. It is for subscribers only, so if you’d like to join in, be sure to sign up now.

And that you wistful wishers for only good and wonderful things, you watchers of shooting stars with a wonder big and bursting from your ever-wanting heart, you who hold steady in the face of swirling uncertainty, you who walk your own wonky and every-which-way path through the unwieldy wilderness, you who sometimes feel wretched, but also, like, whatever, because guess what, you can feel any old way you want to, it doesn’t matter, it’s fine, you’re a writer, you and you, really, it’s true, you will take this waltz all the way around the best of all possible worlds, the world of words, you will, is the news in literary magazines.

Have a bold and fabulous week, pals.

Fondly,

Becky

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