"We Want to Read Everything That Comes In." A Chat with Jason Lee Norman, Editor of Funicular

“It’s a big deal to get something published!”

Good day! I come with tidings of one more editor interview, freshly wrapped.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking with Jason Lee Norman, co-Founder of Canada-based Funicular. From their site:

Funicular Magazine was founded by Jeremy Bibaud and Jason Lee Norman. The idea simultaneously, independently, and cosmically, came to the minds of its editors over a pint in 2018. We saw a literary fiction-sized hole in Edmonton, Alberta. Sure, at the time our arch-nemesis Glass Buffalo had cornered the market on this genre by winning award after award for their perfect and beautiful magazine, but in the famous words of Shania Twain—that don’t impress me much. Besides, one of our editors is a MacEwan University alum (Go Griffins or whatever!) so we can only go so far in our praise of a magazine published by Edmonton’s other university. We published our first issue in 2019 and we’ve been doing it three times a year since.

The magazine publishes fiction and poetry in a print volume, as well as flash fiction online. Asked why they chose to commit to print publishing when surely it’s time-consuming and expensive, Jason spoke about the value a print publication provides contributors. “It’s a big deal to get something published!” He wants contributors to be able to hold their work in their hands. Jason described Funicular as a journal that “isn’t serious, but takes the writing inside seriously.”

This is the first time I’ve spoken to an editor in Canada. I was curious about the literary community in Jason’s area. He described it as thriving, full of writers and poets, and with a strong Creative Writing program in the local university. Does Jason ever feel a craving to be part of the U.S. scene? At times, he does, especially with its vibrant lit mag culture and annual AWP conference. He has satisfied that craving through building community online, and through being the happy fan of many of today’s working flash fiction writers.

As for what this magazine looks for in submissions, Jason named the element of surprise, “a strong voice,” “a new way of looking at something,” and, when it comes to flash fiction, a strong sense of subtext as well as the feeling that the reader is seeing “something under a microscope.” He wants to be immersed in a piece of writing and to feel compelled to finish it.

All work submitted to Funicular goes directly to the editors. They do not solicit anything. Jason said he doesn’t use the term “slush pile.” Why would he? “They’re submissions.”

What are common reasons for work to be rejected here? How would Jason describe the journal’s overall vibe? And is there truly a rivalry between Funicular and other Canadian journals like Malahat Review and Fiddlehead?

For all that and more, my friends, you will have to tune in!

Funicular is open three times per year. They don’t publish creative nonfiction, but Jason says if you have something that’s true and you really want it to be published here, just submit it as fiction and you should be fine. Their next submission period will open later this fall.

To everyone who came out to join the conversation, thank you for participating! I adore your faces! (And I loved our pre-editor-arrival chit chat!)

And, of course, thank you to Jason for peeling back the curtain of another lovely little magazine.

Happy viewing!

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