We All Need Some Lit Mags to Lean On!

Loss in the lit mag community, new lit mags, job opportunities, new places to submit

Greetings Lit Magdaliers,

Welcome to the first installment of the newly revived Lit Mag News Roundup! If you’re a first-time reader, Hello! If you’re an old fan, welcome back! So lovely to see you all here.

We kick off our newsletter with some sad news: Author and literary-journal founder Richard Burgin has passed away. Writes Jane Henderson in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Founder of Boulevard magazine, and the author of 19 books, including many story collections, Mr. Burgin corresponded with prestigious writers for decades...In 2005, Mr. Burgin discussed the importance of literary journals with the Post-Dispatch, saying, ‘There are scores and scores of good fiction writers, so where are they going to publish? So I want to create something that has value in and of itself.’” 

You can read writer Anis Shivani’s wonderful interview with Burgin here. Burgin observed, “If there’s any “secret” to sustaining a publication for twenty-seven years, it’s basically sustaining your level of commitment and bringing in new writers and new editors who see the world through different lenses...I know it’s a cliché, but publishing the unpublished but deserving writers is my greatest kick with Boulevard…”

Rest in Peace, Richard Burgin. Thank you for the beautiful writing you brought into this world.

In other news, if you’re looking for more great literature, without paying great costs, Granta has made select content available online. According to Firstpost, “In support of the reading community during the worldwide coronavirus crisis, UK literary magazine Granta has been making one issue from its archive freely available each week.”

Meanwhile, a whole bunch of lit mags have celebrated recent anniversaries. Delmarva Review “announced publication of its 13th annual literary journal presenting new poetry, short fiction and creative nonfiction by authors from 21 states, the District of Columbia and five other countries.” California-based Zyzzyva has celebrated 35 years in publishing. Says Editor Laura Cogan, “2020 is our thirty-fifth anniversary in print—a milestone we’re delighted to celebrate with everyone who has shared in this endeavor with us.” And Tallahassee lit mag Seven Hills Review celebrates its 25th edition. Writes Robert Gibbs, “Many Tallahasseeans may not realize that our hometown is also home to a gem of a literary magazine. This year marks the 25th edition of Seven Hills Review, a periodical that has distinguished itself over the years and continues to draw quality talent from across the country…”

Think right now is a crazy time to launch a lit mag? Think again! Broadway World has reported that “Playwrights Horizons has launched a new literary magazine, Almanac. Established at a time of pandemic and protest, Almanac is a new kind of publication-one in which a theater and the artists who comprise it come together to take stock of contemporary American politics, culture, and playwriting.”

New lit mag CURA: A Literary Magazine of Art and Action has also arrived on the scene. According to Pen America, “For this important work of student activism, Fordham University’s creative writing program partnered with PEN America’s prison writing program to curate some of the most talented incarcerated writers, while also featuring a diverse set of multimedia offerings.”

The Twin Bill is another brand new lit mag, dedicated to baseball. Say the Editors, “We celebrate the rich history of the game while also recognizing its vibrant present through essays, fiction, poetry, interviews, and visual art.”

Got a talented youngster in your life? The Academy of American Poets has announced its inaugural prize for young poets. “Three students’ poems will be selected by a special guest judge to be announced in the coming weeks. The winning poems will be featured on Poets.org and in American Poets magazine…[S]tudents living in the United States, U.S. Territories, or Tribal Nations who are 18 years old or under are eligible.”

If you’re looking for work in the fast-paced industry of lit mag or small press publishing, opportunities abound. Tin House is hiring. The press “is seeking a creative, dynamic, and experienced Senior Publicist or Publicity Manager to join our team. The candidate will create and manage comprehensive national publicity campaigns for a diverse list of twenty-four titles a year, including fiction, nonfiction, memoir, graphic/art, and poetry.”

Guernia is accepting applications for its fellowship program. “The program, which runs from the beginning of January through June 2021, aims to provide deep training in magazine editing and production.” The magazine is also looking for an Events and Marketing Assistant. The work “will include developing ideas, topics, and themes for events, outreach to potential participants, and event production…” 

Shenandoah has also announced a fellowship for BIPOC Editors. “Through this editorial fellowship, we’re committed to expanding the roster of people we work with and to discovering new BIPOC voices to amplify and empower. Selected fellows will receive a $1000 honorarium and will curate a selection of published work in a genre of their choosing for a single issue of Shenandoah…”

Looking for new homes for your writing? Emily Harstone has rounded up 7 Exciting New Literary Journals, noting, “It is great to submit to new journals as the editors tend to have more energy and enthusiasm. They also tend to be more open to new authors or authors with only a small list of past publications.”

S. Kalekar has rounded up 5 Paying Literary Markets to Submit to in November 2020. You can find another list of paying markets with upcoming deadlines over at Publishing...And Other Forms of Insanity.  

If you’re out there wondering what these lit mags are all about anyway, check out some of The Review Review’s recent reviews of Naugatuck River Review, Gold Man Review and Creative Nonfiction, as well as an interview with Craig Ledoux, Editor and Co-Founder of Madcap Review.

Over at the NewPages blog, you can also find reviews of Cimarron Review, Rattle, Still Point Arts Quarterly, Paterson Literary Review and Creative Nonfiction.

Lastly, if you’re an Editor struggling with keeping your own magazine afloat during these times, and/or if you’re looking for great new magazines from around the world, these insights from journal Editors in India might offer guidance. Says Sampurna Chattarji, Poetry Editor of The Indian Quarterly, “Going by what I see, readers are seeking – through tiny windows of time and technology – connection, consolation and comfort, pretty much what they’ve always looked for. Reading has always been a form of travel and escape, and with so much of the external world at bay, these capsules of online engagement have acquired a new intensity. Poetry is particularly suited to this encapsulated intensity, especially online.”

And that, dear friends, readers near and far, you on the coasts, you in the heartland, you overseas, you who are cooped up and you who are locked down, you whose brain is a scrambled mess of zoom windows and you whose every sentence is interrupted by a child’s need somewhere in your chaotic whirlwind of a home, you whose continued and only hope is to continue and only keep hoping, and you who no longer has a grasp on what is the what is the what is the what, you who are we who are alone together, you reading, you searching, you submitting, and you and you and you, still, always, beautiful and perfect, is the news in literary magazines.

Have a most splendid week, pals.

Fondly,

Becky

P.S. Got a news tip? Is your lit mag up to something exciting? Are your colleagues up to no good? Is there something you want me to cover in a newsletter? Hit reply and let me know!

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Thanks for reading. Happy writing, editing and art-making, one and all!