PEN America in turmoil; CLMP pulls out of PEN festival; update from Guernica's Founder; antisemitism in literary world; serial plagiarists; Tikkun, Juked, Superstition Review, Goddard closing, & more
“Antisemitism” is losing its validity as an allegation from misuse. Many American Jews seem to be claiming support for Palestinian independence and use of related slogans as instances of antisemitism, but it’s actually anti-Zionism/anti-colonialism, by definition. It’s making American Jews less safe, not more, to misuse such labels painting people as being against Jews for being Jews, instead of being against continuing oppression. Also, if supporting Palestinians is antisemitism, then supporting Israelis is anti-Arabism. One bigotry isn’t preferable (or shouldn’t be), they are both wrong.
Funny, I wonder what your remedy is for the 800,000 Jews expelled from Arab lands (all established via the same colonialist mechanism as Israel) between '48 and '73? Do you decry their loss of property, etc. Do you wave signs that say "oppose Iran, which kicked out almost all it's Jews" or Iraq, or Syria, all of which had millennia old Jewish communities? And so you appear to think that Jews are harming themselves by pointing out antisemitism, isn't this really the same as saying African-Americans are harming themselves by calling the Klan racist? There are many of us who find it in our hearts to support both Palestinians and all Israeli citizens (mind you there are over 2 million Arab citizens of Israel not counting Christians). But calling for the destruction of Israel is a pipe dream, I mean where do you think all these Israeli's are going to go, or are you one of those folks who thinks that all Israelis are immigrants from somewhere else and can easily go back to their "home" countries. Mind you, the majority of Jews in Israel right now are of Arab not European origin. Your opinions sound a bit close to the "replacement theory" folks who want everyone but white Americans to leave the US.
When your co-religionist declare an ethnostate and start to colonize, you’re put in a very vulnerable position. But remind me: what concentration camp or “occupied territory” are they currently in, under siege for decades, and getting bombed to death because a small fraction of them get violent? Oh, wait, no. They have the support of the entire West who was more than happy to compensate Jews for their Holocaust by giving them land they had no right to give. Should I feel bad for all the White supremacists in America because they’re having a tough time, too?
You really need to read up on history. Jews have lived in Israel for millennia. Jerusalem has been a majority Jewish city since 1840 and Sfat and Tiberias, since the beginning of the 20th century. Again, every country in the Middle East was established via the colonial powers of Great Britain and France after WWI so resorting to a colonialist argument and only applying it to Israel (where minorities have far greater rights than in their surrounding neighbors) shows your bias. And the support of the West is a relatively recent phenomenon and not unified. Are you aware that Jews were expelled from virtually every major European country between the 13th and 17th century. You ask me to "remind me: what concentration camp or occupied territory ..." and I would reply, as I did for another post, that 800,000 Jews were driven from Arab countries between '48 and '73 destroying millennia-old Jewish communities in Iran, Iraq, etc. To claim that this is simply an anti-colonialist struggle ignores the widespread antisemitism present in the Arab lands including Mandatory Palestine where there were well-documented antisemitic riots during the 1920's culminating in the Arab boycott of Jews in '36-39. And then there's the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during this period Amin Al-Housseini who was a friend of Hitler's and spent much of WWII in Berlin. I'll end here, I don't believe we'll get any further and this really isn't a forum for repeated political discourse.
You’re right. Jews have been there throughout history. And until the Holocaust provided them with the perfect pretext, Zionism was a radical fringe because we’ve seen very clearly the results of ethnostates. Your mistake is thinking I’m against Jews living in Israel, instead of being against Jews creating an apartheid state on the pretext that they deserve safety and land more than the Palestinians they shared the land with prior to 1948. Jews aren’t the problem. Zionist oppression of others on the grounds that “Jews deserve safety” is.
It is the epitome of cognitive dissonance when some publishers sacrifice freedom of expression on the altar of political correctness and cancel culture, especially when many were founded to provide a home for previously marginalized groups. They are leading us back to the Dark Ages. It would be great if someone could publish a list of litmags who still choose pieces on their literary merit and not on the whims of the flash mobs of virtue signalers that are breeding like the maggots feeding off the literary body that they are.
"anti-Israel targeting". I am so tired of the narrative that has been going on far too long that being anti-Israel is being anti-jewish. Conflating being against Israel with being against Jewish people has been a weaponization of talking points that brought us to this place, and its horrifying to be aware of how bad it is in Palestine right now and that the literary world is still having so many of these *but both siiides* convos.
Frankly, the International Holocaust Remembrance Association's definition of antisemitism includes opposition to the existence of Israel as a Jewish state https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism which has been adopted by over 100 global entities https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-728773 So, yeah, being anti-Israel is being anti-Jewish in quite a few governmental eyes. It's no surprise that I have to answer these comments on the first night of Passover. If you really don't think there are two sides to this conversation you simply are unaware of the complexities and history of the conflict, and your focus on Israel rather than oppressed peoples everywhere (Uyghers in China or the Yazidis in Syria or even the Armenians/Kurds in Turkey and Iraq) seems suspect to me. Why isn't the literary community calling out for boycotts of these countries, could it be, wait for it, antisemitism. I'll close by saying that we Jews get to decide who's an antisemite, not others.
My family members left our temple because of pro-zionist sentiments. So step back.
And let me be clear. Marginalized groups do not get to decide that something is anti-regardless, and in this case anti-semitic, when their stances cause damage to other people. Jewish people do not get a blanket pass on declaring people antisemites; *no one gets to do this for their own groups*. In this case weaponizing it against people trying to stop a literal genocide is extremely problematic. Stop it.
So let me say again - conflating being anti-Israel with anti-semitism is anti-semitism in and of itself.
There is a genocide in Gaza, it is being perpetrated by Israel, it needs to stop, and people who function in a pro-genocide manner, specifically by excusing and propping up Israel's actions need to be held accountable.
*Stop* using the same propaganda talking points that have been used for decades and start holding Israel accountable. (For example there are already boycotts by people who recognize the situations on China).
Clearly you don't believe in free speech and would like to silence Jews that have opinions different than your own. And of course you never bothered to address the references I provided regarding the definition of antisemitism. To say that it's antisemitic to oppose antisemitism, as you do above, requires such contorted logic as to make a snake look linear. What you've done above is a classic example of DARVO behavior used by folks like Trump to deny facts they don't agree with (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARVO#:~:text=DARVO%20(an%20acronym%20for%20%22deny,manipulation%20strategy%20of%20psychological%20abusers ) . You really should read Eric Hoffers "True Believer", it well describes and shows the damage that problematic views cause (i.e., immune to facts) like the ones you have espoused above. I'm going to stop here but as a final comment, I couldn't find a single literary review or writing organization that boycotts China, Iran, Turkey, etc.
Genocide is genocide. States that commit genocide should not be supported and I cannot believe this has to be said.
In fact I would note that apologia or defense of a state that is committing genocide is an act of DARVO, and Israel supporters have been called out on this before (and I've noticed that these types of talking points have been repurposed by Israel supporters to defend against their relevance.)
Similarly, when you discuss the damage that problematic views cause, its a deflection, positioning your support of a state perpetuating a genocide as higher in value or the correct stance, while the dissenting stance is inherently incorrect . In this case defending Israel, a state causing genocide, and using deny (the D in darvo here), denying the reality of your stance (supporting a genocidal state), and denying the validity of the dissenting stance, supports an active, fact supported, genocide.
Deflecting to 'what aboutism': *well you can't call out this genocide where kids are being sniped, bombed, starved, and used as bait to kill first responders (see Hind and her family, or better yet, listen to the actual 911 type phone calls) if you're not calling out list of injustices*, is
the D and A in DARVO: *well you can't complain about one genocide if you don't complain about others (deny the validity of speaking out) or you are the real antisemite (attack)*
You use shame here to shut down calling out support of a state committing genocide and:
* RVO (reverse victom and offender): *you're anti-semitic if you call out a state committing active genocide and people shouldn't say anti-semitic things so you should not call out a state committing active genocide or people supporting that state or you are attacking people supporting that state*
* A (attack) with: *We all know Trump is bad so I am going to compare you to Trump so that you will not continue to speak out, because surely you don't want to be compared to Trump).*
You talk about facts, but ignore that huge volume of facts about an active genocide.
Please, stop using talking points that protect genocide, support a genocidal state, and even more importantly, as designed to shame and confuse people so they will no longer call a spade a spade.
Genocide must stop. Genocidal states must be stopped. Defense of genocidal states, and the talking points around that, must stop.
Normally I try not to argue in comments, but again, I can't believe I have to say this. We all should be standing up against genocide, which includes pushing back on talking points designed to keep people quiet and inactive about genocide.
Two points on the PEN America schism. One, it represents a broader split and shift in American views on Israel and Palestine, which we also see in universities, media, art and cultural spaces, workplaces like Google, politics, etc. My guess is that it will continue at least for the duration of the Gaza war and maybe beyond. Two, the writers who are forgoing PEN awards and panel appearances because of the organization's stance on Gaza are willing to pay a price for making a statement or standing up for moral principles. My own view is that they are making a difference and deserve our admiration, particularly if they could have used the recognition or if they looking past group or tribal loyalties.
I sit here astonished at all the needless self-destruction and checkmate rhetoric. The parties of god have done all they can to assure the struggles in the Middle East will last past three generations from now, and I can't possibly be the only person who sneers a smirk whenever I see the phrase "War in the Holy Land." But instead of noting that religion has poisoned everything there we choose sides and yell at one another in righteous indignation, even though the unaligned eye sees that Netanyahu is a wannabe fascist who wants to sweep with the hand of the vengeful gawd and turn Palestinians into modern day Amalekites or the leaders of the Islamic states would throw your pro-Palestinian gay ass in jail at the first sniff of your crotch whether you were on their side or not. But go ahead, by all means exercise your freedom of speech to say only one side can do misery on the other and never mind the decades of mutual child killing done with the approval of the pious religious lurking far from the front lines on both sides.
Meanwhile no one is pulling pieces from litmags because that particular editor isn't talking about the genocide of Rohingya at the hands of the Myanmar junta, or protesting the lack of aid to Haiti, which has devolved into a mosaic of warlords and street gangs. And conferences aren't being cancelled because the governing body is getting a grant from a big candy company that uses slave labor to harvest their cocoa in Western Africa. And by all means lets just talk about what the news media feeds us as "issues" we need to think about and fuck the famines in Sudan and Ethiopia. Who cares about that stuff?
This is why I have no writers or editors as close friends. As most of the writers and editors I've met in my life are posers.
“Netanyahu is a wannabe fascist”. He can’t help it because it is built into his name and DNA. Jonathan Swift invented the Yahoo: a “beast in human form”. Furthermore, I understand that the majority of his DNA is Ashkenazi...The fact is his behaviour would be reprehensible whatever his religion.
All of that literary news makes self-publishing look better and better. Reminds me of Baudelaire, who said, "Any newspaper, from the first line to the last, is nothing but a web of horrors...."
It would be best for all if publishing (for profit and nonprofit), focused on the business at hand for a while instead of turning the privilege of owning the bully pulpit into a megaphone to call for crusade. Crusades lead to a lot of people getting hurt. It is a tough business already, operating in a tough time, and circular firing squads always end badly. Alas the hallmark of our time is "passions." As in inflamed passions.
Uh, here in the US, we have this document—the Constitution of the United States—with a First Amendment stating our lawmakers can’t deny its citizens the freedom of speech “or the right of the people peaceably to assemble...” The open letter wraps up with the statement: “There is no form of censorship more powerful than the extermination of an entire people, no silencing more absolute than genocide.” Is this inclusive of an Israeli point of view or just a Palestinian? I’m just asking.
I do hope that the disagreements about the deepset conflict in the Middle East that has spilled widely across the world won't disturb (for long) the respectful dialogue normally found in this discussion thread. My best to everyone.
Re: Goddard— the decision to close was made by an absentee president and an absentee board of directors, without the input of the Goddard community (staff, faculty, students).
Regarding the plagiarism issue, it seems like some more robust legal remedies could be applied. What about mail/wire fraud? Aren’t the affected journals being defrauded? Certainty Copyright is being violated, but that would probably require the original author to file suit—no fun.
Since I live in Georgia (not the one in the former USSR but the USA), I try to enter our Lit Mags as much as I can. But for almost a whole year Chattahoochee Review and New South have been completely dormant. I have not seen any news of them closing, but since now they are all part of the same university system will they close any of them. The other publication that is part of that system is Five Points and yes they are open for business.
Awesome, where REM and B-52s began to foment their own version of sticking it to the man. Also a not so remembered band called Pylon. Used to go to parties there long time ago. In the Lit world of course it houses the Georgia Review. Perhaps not seen in the same place as The Paris Review or the New Yorker but sometimes I think it's better. And the new publication that I just learned about called The Bitter Southerner. They publish creative non-fiction, but I would love it if they also published fiction. I am down the road on Johns Creek, a stone throw from the river.
Yes, I've lived here since '81 so saw all of that, except the B's left in '80. Cindy Wilson does live around the corner from me though <g>. The Bitter Southerner has gotten very tony, but check out Salvation South, a relatively new online zine published by Chuck Reece, one of the founders of the BS. They've taken six of my poems and a CNF piece. Let's keep in touch, my website is, well actually I'm not going to put my website on here because of all the antisemites. But I'm fairly easy to find on the web.
What a small world. The BS did an interview with Louis Rightses that aired not too long ago, so I went to check them out. The design is exquisite. Salvation South? That sounds awesome. I managed to get one of my pieces in a pub that is now part of Georgia Southern, but I tend to do better either out west or in Europe. Let's keep in touch.
The Bitter Southerner aired some fine podcasts also. The interview of George Wallace's daughter Peggy Wallace Kennedy on the topic of Congressman and Civil Rights pioneer John Lewis is simply superb. Should be required listening in our time.
“Antisemitism” is losing its validity as an allegation from misuse. Many American Jews seem to be claiming support for Palestinian independence and use of related slogans as instances of antisemitism, but it’s actually anti-Zionism/anti-colonialism, by definition. It’s making American Jews less safe, not more, to misuse such labels painting people as being against Jews for being Jews, instead of being against continuing oppression. Also, if supporting Palestinians is antisemitism, then supporting Israelis is anti-Arabism. One bigotry isn’t preferable (or shouldn’t be), they are both wrong.
Funny, I wonder what your remedy is for the 800,000 Jews expelled from Arab lands (all established via the same colonialist mechanism as Israel) between '48 and '73? Do you decry their loss of property, etc. Do you wave signs that say "oppose Iran, which kicked out almost all it's Jews" or Iraq, or Syria, all of which had millennia old Jewish communities? And so you appear to think that Jews are harming themselves by pointing out antisemitism, isn't this really the same as saying African-Americans are harming themselves by calling the Klan racist? There are many of us who find it in our hearts to support both Palestinians and all Israeli citizens (mind you there are over 2 million Arab citizens of Israel not counting Christians). But calling for the destruction of Israel is a pipe dream, I mean where do you think all these Israeli's are going to go, or are you one of those folks who thinks that all Israelis are immigrants from somewhere else and can easily go back to their "home" countries. Mind you, the majority of Jews in Israel right now are of Arab not European origin. Your opinions sound a bit close to the "replacement theory" folks who want everyone but white Americans to leave the US.
When your co-religionist declare an ethnostate and start to colonize, you’re put in a very vulnerable position. But remind me: what concentration camp or “occupied territory” are they currently in, under siege for decades, and getting bombed to death because a small fraction of them get violent? Oh, wait, no. They have the support of the entire West who was more than happy to compensate Jews for their Holocaust by giving them land they had no right to give. Should I feel bad for all the White supremacists in America because they’re having a tough time, too?
You really need to read up on history. Jews have lived in Israel for millennia. Jerusalem has been a majority Jewish city since 1840 and Sfat and Tiberias, since the beginning of the 20th century. Again, every country in the Middle East was established via the colonial powers of Great Britain and France after WWI so resorting to a colonialist argument and only applying it to Israel (where minorities have far greater rights than in their surrounding neighbors) shows your bias. And the support of the West is a relatively recent phenomenon and not unified. Are you aware that Jews were expelled from virtually every major European country between the 13th and 17th century. You ask me to "remind me: what concentration camp or occupied territory ..." and I would reply, as I did for another post, that 800,000 Jews were driven from Arab countries between '48 and '73 destroying millennia-old Jewish communities in Iran, Iraq, etc. To claim that this is simply an anti-colonialist struggle ignores the widespread antisemitism present in the Arab lands including Mandatory Palestine where there were well-documented antisemitic riots during the 1920's culminating in the Arab boycott of Jews in '36-39. And then there's the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during this period Amin Al-Housseini who was a friend of Hitler's and spent much of WWII in Berlin. I'll end here, I don't believe we'll get any further and this really isn't a forum for repeated political discourse.
You’re right. Jews have been there throughout history. And until the Holocaust provided them with the perfect pretext, Zionism was a radical fringe because we’ve seen very clearly the results of ethnostates. Your mistake is thinking I’m against Jews living in Israel, instead of being against Jews creating an apartheid state on the pretext that they deserve safety and land more than the Palestinians they shared the land with prior to 1948. Jews aren’t the problem. Zionist oppression of others on the grounds that “Jews deserve safety” is.
Thank you.
It is the epitome of cognitive dissonance when some publishers sacrifice freedom of expression on the altar of political correctness and cancel culture, especially when many were founded to provide a home for previously marginalized groups. They are leading us back to the Dark Ages. It would be great if someone could publish a list of litmags who still choose pieces on their literary merit and not on the whims of the flash mobs of virtue signalers that are breeding like the maggots feeding off the literary body that they are.
Well said, Doug. My sentiments exactly. Lately, I've started questioning what the purpose of literary magazines even is.
I think the purpose of the vast majority is to publish the best they can find. When a litmag turns into an echo chamber, it is no longer a litmag.
"anti-Israel targeting". I am so tired of the narrative that has been going on far too long that being anti-Israel is being anti-jewish. Conflating being against Israel with being against Jewish people has been a weaponization of talking points that brought us to this place, and its horrifying to be aware of how bad it is in Palestine right now and that the literary world is still having so many of these *but both siiides* convos.
Frankly, the International Holocaust Remembrance Association's definition of antisemitism includes opposition to the existence of Israel as a Jewish state https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism which has been adopted by over 100 global entities https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-728773 So, yeah, being anti-Israel is being anti-Jewish in quite a few governmental eyes. It's no surprise that I have to answer these comments on the first night of Passover. If you really don't think there are two sides to this conversation you simply are unaware of the complexities and history of the conflict, and your focus on Israel rather than oppressed peoples everywhere (Uyghers in China or the Yazidis in Syria or even the Armenians/Kurds in Turkey and Iraq) seems suspect to me. Why isn't the literary community calling out for boycotts of these countries, could it be, wait for it, antisemitism. I'll close by saying that we Jews get to decide who's an antisemite, not others.
My family members left our temple because of pro-zionist sentiments. So step back.
And let me be clear. Marginalized groups do not get to decide that something is anti-regardless, and in this case anti-semitic, when their stances cause damage to other people. Jewish people do not get a blanket pass on declaring people antisemites; *no one gets to do this for their own groups*. In this case weaponizing it against people trying to stop a literal genocide is extremely problematic. Stop it.
So let me say again - conflating being anti-Israel with anti-semitism is anti-semitism in and of itself.
There is a genocide in Gaza, it is being perpetrated by Israel, it needs to stop, and people who function in a pro-genocide manner, specifically by excusing and propping up Israel's actions need to be held accountable.
*Stop* using the same propaganda talking points that have been used for decades and start holding Israel accountable. (For example there are already boycotts by people who recognize the situations on China).
Period.
Clearly you don't believe in free speech and would like to silence Jews that have opinions different than your own. And of course you never bothered to address the references I provided regarding the definition of antisemitism. To say that it's antisemitic to oppose antisemitism, as you do above, requires such contorted logic as to make a snake look linear. What you've done above is a classic example of DARVO behavior used by folks like Trump to deny facts they don't agree with (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARVO#:~:text=DARVO%20(an%20acronym%20for%20%22deny,manipulation%20strategy%20of%20psychological%20abusers ) . You really should read Eric Hoffers "True Believer", it well describes and shows the damage that problematic views cause (i.e., immune to facts) like the ones you have espoused above. I'm going to stop here but as a final comment, I couldn't find a single literary review or writing organization that boycotts China, Iran, Turkey, etc.
Genocide is genocide. States that commit genocide should not be supported and I cannot believe this has to be said.
In fact I would note that apologia or defense of a state that is committing genocide is an act of DARVO, and Israel supporters have been called out on this before (and I've noticed that these types of talking points have been repurposed by Israel supporters to defend against their relevance.)
Similarly, when you discuss the damage that problematic views cause, its a deflection, positioning your support of a state perpetuating a genocide as higher in value or the correct stance, while the dissenting stance is inherently incorrect . In this case defending Israel, a state causing genocide, and using deny (the D in darvo here), denying the reality of your stance (supporting a genocidal state), and denying the validity of the dissenting stance, supports an active, fact supported, genocide.
Deflecting to 'what aboutism': *well you can't call out this genocide where kids are being sniped, bombed, starved, and used as bait to kill first responders (see Hind and her family, or better yet, listen to the actual 911 type phone calls) if you're not calling out list of injustices*, is
the D and A in DARVO: *well you can't complain about one genocide if you don't complain about others (deny the validity of speaking out) or you are the real antisemite (attack)*
You use shame here to shut down calling out support of a state committing genocide and:
* RVO (reverse victom and offender): *you're anti-semitic if you call out a state committing active genocide and people shouldn't say anti-semitic things so you should not call out a state committing active genocide or people supporting that state or you are attacking people supporting that state*
* A (attack) with: *We all know Trump is bad so I am going to compare you to Trump so that you will not continue to speak out, because surely you don't want to be compared to Trump).*
You talk about facts, but ignore that huge volume of facts about an active genocide.
Please, stop using talking points that protect genocide, support a genocidal state, and even more importantly, as designed to shame and confuse people so they will no longer call a spade a spade.
Genocide must stop. Genocidal states must be stopped. Defense of genocidal states, and the talking points around that, must stop.
Normally I try not to argue in comments, but again, I can't believe I have to say this. We all should be standing up against genocide, which includes pushing back on talking points designed to keep people quiet and inactive about genocide.
Goodbye River...
Thank you.
Two points on the PEN America schism. One, it represents a broader split and shift in American views on Israel and Palestine, which we also see in universities, media, art and cultural spaces, workplaces like Google, politics, etc. My guess is that it will continue at least for the duration of the Gaza war and maybe beyond. Two, the writers who are forgoing PEN awards and panel appearances because of the organization's stance on Gaza are willing to pay a price for making a statement or standing up for moral principles. My own view is that they are making a difference and deserve our admiration, particularly if they could have used the recognition or if they looking past group or tribal loyalties.
I sit here astonished at all the needless self-destruction and checkmate rhetoric. The parties of god have done all they can to assure the struggles in the Middle East will last past three generations from now, and I can't possibly be the only person who sneers a smirk whenever I see the phrase "War in the Holy Land." But instead of noting that religion has poisoned everything there we choose sides and yell at one another in righteous indignation, even though the unaligned eye sees that Netanyahu is a wannabe fascist who wants to sweep with the hand of the vengeful gawd and turn Palestinians into modern day Amalekites or the leaders of the Islamic states would throw your pro-Palestinian gay ass in jail at the first sniff of your crotch whether you were on their side or not. But go ahead, by all means exercise your freedom of speech to say only one side can do misery on the other and never mind the decades of mutual child killing done with the approval of the pious religious lurking far from the front lines on both sides.
Meanwhile no one is pulling pieces from litmags because that particular editor isn't talking about the genocide of Rohingya at the hands of the Myanmar junta, or protesting the lack of aid to Haiti, which has devolved into a mosaic of warlords and street gangs. And conferences aren't being cancelled because the governing body is getting a grant from a big candy company that uses slave labor to harvest their cocoa in Western Africa. And by all means lets just talk about what the news media feeds us as "issues" we need to think about and fuck the famines in Sudan and Ethiopia. Who cares about that stuff?
This is why I have no writers or editors as close friends. As most of the writers and editors I've met in my life are posers.
“Netanyahu is a wannabe fascist”. He can’t help it because it is built into his name and DNA. Jonathan Swift invented the Yahoo: a “beast in human form”. Furthermore, I understand that the majority of his DNA is Ashkenazi...The fact is his behaviour would be reprehensible whatever his religion.
His religion also facilitates his behavior, same as Ismail Haniyeh.
Lots of news, not all good, but necessary to hear about. You really "cooked" that last paragraph.
All of that literary news makes self-publishing look better and better. Reminds me of Baudelaire, who said, "Any newspaper, from the first line to the last, is nothing but a web of horrors...."
I agree that the literary news of late does give me pause.
It would be best for all if publishing (for profit and nonprofit), focused on the business at hand for a while instead of turning the privilege of owning the bully pulpit into a megaphone to call for crusade. Crusades lead to a lot of people getting hurt. It is a tough business already, operating in a tough time, and circular firing squads always end badly. Alas the hallmark of our time is "passions." As in inflamed passions.
More's the pity.
Uh, here in the US, we have this document—the Constitution of the United States—with a First Amendment stating our lawmakers can’t deny its citizens the freedom of speech “or the right of the people peaceably to assemble...” The open letter wraps up with the statement: “There is no form of censorship more powerful than the extermination of an entire people, no silencing more absolute than genocide.” Is this inclusive of an Israeli point of view or just a Palestinian? I’m just asking.
Wow. Lots to digest here. And, it’s giving me a belly ache.
I do hope that the disagreements about the deepset conflict in the Middle East that has spilled widely across the world won't disturb (for long) the respectful dialogue normally found in this discussion thread. My best to everyone.
Re: Goddard— the decision to close was made by an absentee president and an absentee board of directors, without the input of the Goddard community (staff, faculty, students).
Let that sink in.
Thank you for this. You are one of the few voices of sanity left out there.
Regarding the plagiarism issue, it seems like some more robust legal remedies could be applied. What about mail/wire fraud? Aren’t the affected journals being defrauded? Certainty Copyright is being violated, but that would probably require the original author to file suit—no fun.
It's hard to take them seriously when they're marginalizing identities they don't like.
Since I live in Georgia (not the one in the former USSR but the USA), I try to enter our Lit Mags as much as I can. But for almost a whole year Chattahoochee Review and New South have been completely dormant. I have not seen any news of them closing, but since now they are all part of the same university system will they close any of them. The other publication that is part of that system is Five Points and yes they are open for business.
Greetings from Athens
Awesome, where REM and B-52s began to foment their own version of sticking it to the man. Also a not so remembered band called Pylon. Used to go to parties there long time ago. In the Lit world of course it houses the Georgia Review. Perhaps not seen in the same place as The Paris Review or the New Yorker but sometimes I think it's better. And the new publication that I just learned about called The Bitter Southerner. They publish creative non-fiction, but I would love it if they also published fiction. I am down the road on Johns Creek, a stone throw from the river.
Yes, I've lived here since '81 so saw all of that, except the B's left in '80. Cindy Wilson does live around the corner from me though <g>. The Bitter Southerner has gotten very tony, but check out Salvation South, a relatively new online zine published by Chuck Reece, one of the founders of the BS. They've taken six of my poems and a CNF piece. Let's keep in touch, my website is, well actually I'm not going to put my website on here because of all the antisemites. But I'm fairly easy to find on the web.
What a small world. The BS did an interview with Louis Rightses that aired not too long ago, so I went to check them out. The design is exquisite. Salvation South? That sounds awesome. I managed to get one of my pieces in a pub that is now part of Georgia Southern, but I tend to do better either out west or in Europe. Let's keep in touch.
The Bitter Southerner aired some fine podcasts also. The interview of George Wallace's daughter Peggy Wallace Kennedy on the topic of Congressman and Civil Rights pioneer John Lewis is simply superb. Should be required listening in our time.
Not to pile on the closings, but Bards and Sages closed. I had a short story waiting to be reivewed by them.