Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Lit Mags!

Antioch Review returns; zines as resistance; partying with n+1; a "Writers, Beware" list; on the closure of lit mags; on Thuglit; lots of jobs & opportunities; Buellers!!; and more

Welcome to our bi-weekly news roundup!

---

Greetings Lit Magicians,

First, a note: I’ve made some edits to this past weekend’s article. In general, apart from correcting typos, I try to avoid editing work once it’s posted. However, in this case, I felt the changes were necessary in order to keep the piece as focused and clear as possible. I want to thank A., who reached out to me with what I took to be legit critique. And thanks to all of you, always, for being such engaged and thoughtful readers. The updated version is now here.

Now, onto what’s happening!

Kicking off with something good, Yellow Springs News reports that The Antioch Review and Writers’ Workshop to be revived.

After a four-year hiatus, the Antioch Review — the college’s independent literary magazine founded in 1941 — is set to emerge from its publishing pause, now with a new editorial vision and business model that includes the simultaneous revival of the Antioch Writers’ Workshop."

Over at their Substack,

Devin Kate Pope

interviews the owner of a local zine shop and reflects on the importance of zines in Writing and Reading Zines as Resistance. Writes Pope,

Writing doesn't need to be 'professional' to be worthy of reading or publishing. And sometimes, striving for professionalism comes at the high cost of a radical message or personal mission getting erased. This is why zines thrive under even the bleakest circumstances–they are a way of casting off the restraints of professionalism and writing what needs to be read now.

The Poetry Foundation has announced a big chunk of change awarded to several small presses and organizations such as CLMP in a recent round of grants.

Selected from more than 200 grant applications, this impressive roster of grantee-partners is committed to increasing access to poetry and supporting poets through providing resources to historically underserved poets and writers, poetry activities for youth, writing workshops for adults, festivals, residencies, publications, and more.

If graphic design and book cover reveals are your thing, Lit Hub has shared the covers of 2024’s Best Of…series. These covers are pretty fun. This will be the last edition edited by Heidi Pitlor. As I shared in January, the new Series Editor will be Nichole Lamy. All submissions for 2025 can be sent to this address. I do believe, based on this info, writers can submit too!

Speaking of fun (if parties are indeed what you consider “fun”), two reporters have covered a recent event for n+1 magazine, offering slightly and interestingly different perspectives. In A Literary Party Where People Actually Like One Another, Katja Vujić writes,

Among the many literary icons in attendance — Mary Karr, Jia Tolentino, Rumaan Alam — there were also some New York icons: Martin Scorsese was Karr’s plus-one, although I didn’t end up spotting him, and Fran Lebowitz ventured out of Manhattan to be one of the meeting’s honorary hosts.

In Hanging Out With Martin Scorsese’s Bodyguard at the n+1 Gala, Adlan Jackson writes,

The editors of n+1 take the stage, and introduce a glossily made video. Famous-to-me writer after famous-to-me writer appears on the projected screen. A writer talks about feeling like she made it as a writer when she began writing for the magazine, another writer describes the place that n+1 has developed in the "food chain of ideas," and how you can watch discourse that originates in the magazine's pages traveling through the media like dye.

In more serious matters, Hadassah has published A Tale of Lists and Blacklists. Here

Erika Dreifus

discusses the “Writers, Beware” list she’s been maintaining on her site. Says Dreifus,

“Writers, Beware” [is] a nod to an established trade website, Writer Beware®, which warns against ‘literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls.’ Like the trade website, my list had a cautionary purpose: to help writers—especially, but not exclusively, Jewish, Zionist or Israeli writers—approach journals, publishers and other literary spaces with an informed sense of these organizations and groups’ public statements about Israel or Gaza in the aftermath of October 7.

ONE ART Editor

Mark Danowsky

has written about The Rise and Fall of Lit Mags, covering the many lit mags that have closed recently and what it means for writers who’ve published in them.

Lit mags shutter for many reasons….I would hazard the average life expectancy of a new journal is three years. People get excited about a new project, and then they get excited about what’s next.

…Regarding the loss of lit mags, I’m less sad for myself than the literary community. It’s a reminder that we need to figure out, collectively, how we wish to handle this.

Mark is also the first editor that I’ve ever seen create an In Memoriam page at his journal for “ONE ART contributors who are no longer with us.” It’s a “space to share poems and remembrances.”

And speaking of lit mags of yesteryear, James Queally has written a delightful profile of Thuglit, “The Lit Mag You Should Have Read.”

For the better part of 11 years, the self-described “best damn crime fiction on the planet” was published largely on the relentlessness of Todd Robinson, a Bostonian lost in New York City, author, bartender, heavily tattooed punk rock Dad and tireless advocate for writers who wanted to publish crime fiction with dirt and blood under its fingernails. Thuglit was the launching pad for some of the biggest names in crime fiction these days. It got hyped by Chuck Palahniuk. It not so secretly doubled as a talent scout for a big-time literary agent. It went from being self-published to having an anthology deal with Kensington! 

And then it was gone. And it shouldn’t be forgotten.

For those of you looking for work in the non-stop-thrillz biz of lit mags, here is what is out there:

Pangyrus has several open positions.

Nimrod is seeking a Managing Editor.

Kenyon Review seeks a Managing Editor.

AWP is hiring a new Executive Director.

Orion “will be announcing national searches for members of the leadership team.”

Epiphany seeks a Social Media Manager.

Full Stop seeks a Reviews Editor.

---

And now, my dears, it is time for…Buellers! (For those of you who do not remember or never knew, this is the section where we call attention to lit mags that are still running but appear to be MIA.)

This first one hits hard. I had a story published in The Carolina Quarterly a few years ago. At the time the story went live, there were numerous formatting errors. I did not immediately notify the editors about these errors, which is a major life lesson (for me! and maybe for you!) Once I finally decided/worked up the nerve to speak up and seek to have the formatting fixed, the editors had effectively disappeared.

When editors go missing but the magazine is tied to a university, you can often get some insight by reaching out to the Director of the MFA program. Last week I did just that. I got this message in response:

The Quarterly is run by grad students and our undergrad creative writing program has no formal role with the mag. It’s still extant but the current editor has been out of touch for months, so my guess is that a transition in leadership is coming. I’ll send your query along to her. 

There but not there? Extant but out of touch? Query sent but no further contact received? Carolina Quarterly, it’s sad but true: Welcome to Buellerdom.

Then there’s this:

I cannot imagine that Cimarron Review would become a Bueller. But who knows in this day and age! Having an essay accepted over a year ago and then not hearing from the editors is pretty darn Bueller-ish! But I’ll hold out on this one until I learn more. Thoughts, people?

A few more magazines were mentioned by some of you last week:

Fairy Tale Review. “I submitted 2 stories to them almost a year ago…In February this year they sent an update via Submittable saying that editorial work had been put on hold in the fall but had now resumed…April and May have passed without another peep…”

White Crescent. “took some poems with the first issue and promised they would publish others with the second and then never responded again.”

The Writing Disorder. “I submitted poems over a year ago and to date they have been 100% unresponsive.”

Every Day Fiction. “Had a piece accepted in February by Every Day Fiction after several requested edits. It hasn’t appeared, and I’m getting no response to emails.”

The Heduan Review. “I submitted to the Heduan Review in mid February and haven't heard a peep since. Not only that, they've been completely absent from social media since Feb. 25 or so, their website is currently defunct…”

Do you know anything about any of these magazines? Have you seen any of the editors of these journals?

---

As for us, friends, there is lots happening this week! You can learn about our upcoming chats and interview with Shenandoah Editor Beth Staples, and get registration links right here.

---

Also, I will be doing some out-of-the-country traveling, beginning next week. I won’t be able to provide the news round-ups, as I’ll have limited internet. But there will still be regular Thursday and weekend posts! Plus maybe some pictures of lavender fields and horses.

---

And that you sticky sweaty rolly polly heat wave hotties, you with the coal burning up and down the undersides of your very own skin, you with the thick sink of lethargy tugging on your limbs, you with the heady swirliness of thirst clutching at your tongue, you in the dense city smog of it, you in the wet summer windlessness of it, you in the listless fog of Monday morning and you in the damp disorientation of days without names, names without duties, dates without times and temperatures soaring past the fifty bajillions, you and you, everywhere, with summer here, or other seasons too, or no season at all, because I hear some places are like that, just one long stretch of beautiful open uninterrupted something or other, you, and you, in your heat, in your cool, in your amazing shades and swimming pools, no matter what, in all weather, finding the only thing that truly matters, which is the you, deep within the heat of you, and only you, is the news in literary magazines.

Have a fabulous week, pals.

Fondly,

Becky

---

And now a word from our lovely sponsors!

Meg Pokrass, Founding and Managing Editor of Best Microfiction teaches ongoing microfiction classes with an emphasis in the tiniest stories. Meg has Writing Workshop Substack Newsletter for upcoming classes with special features such as “Quiet Masters of Flash”. Additionally, she creates a quirky and popular prompt newsletter, Pokrass Prompts, recommended by Etgar Keret, with writing prompts, free 12-word story contests and occasional guest writers such as Etgar Keret, Aimee Bender, and Amber Sparks.

---

The Midwest Writers Workshop’s summer conference, MWW24, is in its 51^st year--now hybrid! Join us July 11-13, 2024 at the Ball State Alumni Center, Muncie, IN, or virtually wherever you’re located. MWW24 welcomes writers of all levels and all backgrounds, offering community and quality instruction to help you move forward in your writing career. Faculty: Fiction: Paula Ashe, Lucrecia Guerrero, Piper Huguley, Sean Lovelace; Children’s: Keenan Jones, YA: Helen Frost, Saundra Mitchell; Nonfiction: Melissa Fraterrigo; Poetry: Lylanne Musselman. Keynote speakers: Jane Friedman & Tamara Winfrey-Harris.

In-Person: $289. Virtual: $219.

Contact: Leah Lederman, Director. 317-672-6764;

midwestwritersworkshop@gmail.com; www.midwestwriters.org

---