Lit Mag Me Baby One More Time!
Conjunctions is saved; Fireside closes; new New Zealand lit mags; 10 loveable lit mags; ROOM seeks a publisher; party at Paris Review; 50+ markets; new contests and more
Greetings Lit Magolutionaries,
The literary community experienced a bit of whiplash last week. It started with news that long-standing journal Conjunctions, housed in Bard College, was set to close. Founder and Editor Bradford Morrow announced,
“In 2021, Conjunctions marked its fortieth anniversary, a milestone celebrated by the publication of a special anniversary issue and a series of online readings, defying the pandemic in order to bring some of our contributors live before a worldwide audience.
What cannot be defied…is the economic pressure the pandemic has created in both education and publishing. For the last thirty of its forty years, Conjunctions has been published by Bard College. Sadly, I’ve been informed that the cost of continuing to publish the journal has become unsustainable for the college, which has made the decision to cease publication at the end of this calendar year.”
An outpouring of support for the magazine followed, along with sharp criticism of the college’s decision. In, “Beloved lit mag Conjunctions in jeopardy as mega-rich Bard College withdraws funding,” Jonny Diamond wrote,
“Bard College—a small, idyllically situated liberal arts college nestled just so in some of the loveliest nooks of the Hudson Valley (pictured above)—has long been playground to the progeny of affluent, left-leaning, creative New York City types. Last summer Bard received a $500 million endowment from George Soros, and apparently the only way the college can reach its goal of joining the $1 billion endowment club is by cutting [checks notes] the massive expenditure of a biannual literary journal.
Harvard Review Editor Christina Thompson said:
Several days later, the college reversed its decision. In its latest statement, Bard announced, “Having heard the immediate, widespread, and heartfelt reaction from readers, writers, and editors alike, the College is revisiting its decision with the intention of continuing its support for the journal.”
Morrow has since tweeted:
Meanwhile, news of another lit mag’s closing made the rounds, and this one appears to be definite. Fireside Magazine will cease publication this year. Says Founding Editor Brian White, “This was a really difficult decision to make, but between the time and financial considerations, I can’t find a path forward. Fireside has an incredible legacy, and I don’t want that to be marred by a slow, struggling death. The best thing for the magazine is to allow it to close with grace and dignity…”
At Rollins College, student Editor Siobhan Cooney writes about her university magazine’s financial challenges:
“The 2022 release of Brushing, Rollins College’s official art and literary journal, marks the publication’s 50th anniversary. The journal was first established in 1972 as an expressive and accessible platform for…members of our campus community to showcase their creativity. For a publication with such an impressive lineage and longevity, you would think that funding this endeavor would be a no-brainer for a liberal arts institution like Rollins. Sadly, this has not been the case.”
However, friends, despair not! (Or do despair. Then subscribe to a lit mag or three or ten to keep our literary ecosystem afloat!) Several magazines got good press recently.
Quarter After Eight was profiled for its showcasing of “innovative writers.” “The journal was founded in 1994 by English graduate students who wanted to see more experimentation within student journals on campus.”
The Editors of Split Lip Magazine have compiled a list of 10 LIT MAGS WE LOVE! Say they, “We believe lit mags are a vital and beautiful part of our world. Not only do they support the work of emerging and emerged writers and artists, but they also nourish humanity, help us think about what it is to be human, challenge us, expose us to diverse viewpoints, make us cry (in a good way), and bring us joy.”
Astra Magazine, an international journal newly launched by Astra Publishing House, has a cover reveal. “Helmed by Nadja Spiegelman, former online editor of The Paris Review…,Astra Magazine is launching April 12 with an ‘ecstasy’-themed issue…”
A new lit mag, Mikan Ve’eylakh (From Here, Onwards), “seeks to recover the possibilities of Hebrew language not tied to the State of Israel.” The magazine, was “founded and edited by Tal Hever-Chybowski, director of the Paris Yiddish Center—Medem Library, the largest Yiddish institution in Europe.” Its first two issues “are filled with Hebrew texts that conceptually, thematically, and politically look beyond the territorial constraints of the State of Israel, including articles, poems, and stories from a wide array of academics, intellectuals, and writers.”
In New Zealand, “Online literary magazines are giving breath to a new wave of gender diverse writing.” This article highlights the handful of NZ-based online journals “which are making space for new writers, giving breath to gender diverse voices, and opening the door to New Zealand literature.”
Poet Ilya Kaminsky wrote about a gathering of over 800 Ukranian and American poets for a Zoom reading. “It was one of the largest poetry readings I have witnessed.” As she tries to find ways to help, “an older friend, a lifelong journalist, writes back: ‘Putins come and go. If you want to help, send us some poems and essays. We are putting together a literary magazine.’”
And while I don’t typically cover high school lit mags, this lovely little write-up from FOX News (which doesn’t typically cover any literary magazines) snagged my ever-hopeful heart. “In the Tower Grove East neighborhood [of St. Louis, MO], a group of students is meeting to exchange the things that have been on their minds…. ‘It is very much an outlet,’ said [school principal] Kacy Seals Shahid…‘For some of them, they may be described as introverts if you see them in the hallway. But when you read their poetry and see the visual with the poetry, they’re making it. It is a big message.’”
Meanwhile, if you’re thinking about becoming a reader for a lit mag, writer and former Southern Review Editor Cara Blue Adams has talked about the usefulness of that experience. “You see things that people do again and again and again and then why they do or don’t work.”
Speaking of which, Room Magazine is looking for a Publisher. “The ideal candidate will have previous work experience in literary, grassroots, scholarly, or academic magazine or book publishing, especially in areas of finance, grant writing, and circulation.”
If you’re looking for places to publish during this magical month of March, here are 49 Literary Journals That Pay Their Authors; here are 39 Themed Calls for Submissions for March 2022; and here are 13 Contests with Deadlines This Month.
If you need help formatting your fiction or nonfiction manuscript, this handy guide might be of interest.
Finally, if you’re looking for something fun and literary to do this spring, Paris Review’s spring revel is set to take place on April 12th. Tickets start at a mere $1,000!
As for us, lots of events coming up this week. Tomorrow I’ll be chatting with Elizabeth Varel, Editor of Parhelion. On Thursday I’ll be speaking to Gerald Maa, Editor of The Georgia Review. Plus new info and study hall sessions just around the corner. Learn more and register here.
And that you raucous rebels and radical rabble rousers, you rowdy rumblers grumbling your relentless and occasionally grumpy refusal, you wily wayward wolves unwilling to wallow in the waveless wishy-washiness of permanently luke warm waters, you with vision, you with purpose, you whose faith is indestructible (while your output may, at times, be admittedly abominable), you pounding the pavement of your own true path, putting forth the very best of your efforts, (or, at times, admittedly the very worst), you with your sand castles, you with your pipe dreams, you forever fighting with a fearless and fanatical frenzy (which may, at times, admittedly appear to others to be nothing short of flopping flip-flapping folly), still, you, you and you, everywhere, pressing your soul to the sun while you speak the words that you must, you must, you must just simply say, is the news in literary magazines.
Have a badass week, pals.
Fondly,
Becky
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WRITING CONTEST: WINNING WRITERS
Last Call! Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (no fee)
21st year, sponsored by Winning Writers and Duotrope. Free to enter. Submit one humor poem to win $2,000 and online publication. Accepts published and unpublished work. Recommended by Reedsy. Judged by Jendi Reiter and Lauren Singer. Deadline: April 1.
Great interview with Elizabeth Varel of PARHELION. Great description of Bard where I went for three years in the 60s and 70s. Botstein is a genius and I believe they will find funding for CONJUNCTIONS! Great work, Becky!
I'm glad someone like you is around to take note of the demise of these literary journals. It is altogether sad that such voices are silenced and writers who have found their niche will be compelled to look for another home. The cost of making one idiotic Netflix movie could feed so many small presses. There's something shameful here. R.T.