Hello Lit Mags, My Old Friend!

Iowa lit mags; Indiana lit mags; horror lit mags; opportunities with Driftwood Press, Ecotone and Guernica; 112 markets for your work; editor interviews, and more

Greetings Lit Magnosaurs,

A slew of lit mags have been profiled in recent days. The Daily Iowan has reported that Iowa City, “well-known as a community for writers,” is a place where “undergraduate students at the University of Iowa are building their own literary scene through a diverse array of literary magazines.” Such magazines include Ink Lit Mag, Zenith, earthwords, Horizon, Pageturners, The Iowa Review and more.

Over in Indiana, The Butler Collegian reports that “Literary magazines are alive and well at Butler University.” Manuscripts is a lit mag for undergraduate students in Indiana and has been in print since 1933. Booth, a national lit mag founded in 2009, has prioritized “leading by example in promoting equity within the magazine as well as in the literary world in general.”

You can see my interview with Ropert Stapleton, Editor of Booth, right here.

Up in Oregon, NPR interviewed the editors of Solar Punk Magazine, a new online journal based in Eugene, which will “focus on optimistic ideas about the future.” Says editor Justine Norton-Kertson, “[F]or me, solarpunk is a utopian artistic movement that is really geared towards imagining solutions to the world’s current social problems.”

At LitHub, five Asian American writers gather to discuss flash fiction. Say the hosts of the roundtable, Swati Khurana and Yi Wei, Flash Fiction Editors of The Margins, “The five writers gathered to share how COVID-19 impacted their writing, the genre of flash fiction, other Asian American flash writers to read, inspirations for their pieces, and favorite writing prompts that may encourage you to write your own flash. At the time of publishing this roundtable, [The Margins’] Submission Period is open.”

If horror is your bag, BookRiot now has a list of lit mags ready to scare your pants off. Writes Lyndsie Manusos, “A good horror short story is like dark chocolate melting on the tongue. The slow, sometimes sensual build; the delight in discovery. When searching for the perfect horror story, one need only to look to the plethora of excellent horror literary magazines producing superb short fiction.”

Curious about this scintillating hair-raising genre? Perhaps you would enjoy my recent interview with Ashley Wagner, Editor of Ligeia Magazine, where we discuss horror writing, gothic writing, the dark, the light, and so much more.

If it is a job you’re looking for, Driftwood Press is seeking “a temporary Book Seller to reach out to independent bookstores and other brick-and-mortar establishments for consideration in carrying Driftwood Press titles, including literary magazine issues, chapbooks, graphic novels, and full-length poetry collections.”

The University of North Carolina Wilmington is seeking an Administrative Associate to “support the Director of The Publishing Laboratory/Lookout publisher and the Editor of Ecotone in coordinating administrative processes on behalf of the publishing-certificate track and affiliated programs in the Department of Creative Writing, as well as the day-to-day business operations of its in-house magazine, Ecotone, and teaching press, Lookout Books.”

Guernica seeks several volunteers: a Publishing Assistant who “will provide direct administrative support to the publishers, specifically processing writers’ payments and organizing an archival system for financial records;” a Social Media Specialist who “will work directly with the publishers to streamline our social media platforms (Twitter and IG) to engage our community with Guernica’s content and latest news;” as well as an Events Coordinator, an Assistant Nonfiction Editor, and several other positions.

Meanwhile, if you are a lit mag editor who needs some extra financial support right about now, check out the Literary Arts Emergency Fund. “The Literary Arts Emergency Fund will award one-time, unrestricted emergency grants from $5,000 to $50,000. Grant amounts will be determined by the following factors: financial need and projected loss due to COVID-19; budget size; diversity, equity, and inclusion as it relates to an organization’s staff and board; poets and writers contracted with; audiences served; geographic location; and an organization’s ability to continue offering programming.”

Finally, if it’s new submission markets you seek, Emily Harstone has a list of Eight Exciting New Literary Journals. And Erica Verrillo has a list of 104 Calls For Submissions in November 2021 - Paying Markets. Get on it!

As for yours truly, I’m newly settled in Philly with an at-home office all to myself. This means lots more lit mag news and events coming your way in the weeks ahead!

In addition to chatting with Ashley Wagner, I also just had a delightful chat with Trish Rodriguez, Editor of Philadelphia Stories. And yesterday’s Submissions Study Hall was a blast, with a surprise visit from RW Spryszak, Editor of Thrice Fiction. (If you missed it, don’t worry. There will be another one in December!)

This Friday at noon est I’ll be hosting another Submissions Q & A session. And in the weeks ahead I’ll be chatting with Lynn Mundell, Editor of 100 word story and Tommy Dean, Editor of Fractured Lit. Get all the registration info here.

And that you hound dogs, sniffing out the scent of a story and following its long snaking trail, you grumbling rumbling rottweilers, roaring at the words as they race from your rough and hungry grasp, you adorable poochy coo poodles, you punky little pugs, you good good verrrry gooood! retrievers and you who are just the cutest little aren’t you so cute yes you are, yes you are, best friend bulldogs, possibly even French, you, everywhere, teeth bared to the sky as you leap up to fetch the fast-spinning stick of inspiration and you racing to the end of your word count with dreams in mind of a yummy yummy treat, you who are relentless, you who don’t give up, you, everywhere loyal as can be, forever and always, to your singular creative purpose, barking away at the keyboard every single day of your life, is the news in literary magazines.

Have a fun week, pals.

Fondly,

Becky

Got a question, comment, nagging itch, dark confession, uncertain ambiguity, startling revelation, or not even sure where to begin?

Want to attend upcoming Submissions Q & A sessions, Study Hall sessions, or just generally be a rock star who supports nice literary endeavors?

Thinking ahead to the holidays? Know a writer or editor who very badly needs this newsletter?

And don’t forget to tell your friends and neighbors!