November may be the month for the novel, but it can also be a time to focus on the literary magazine. These literary collections serve as constant points of inspiration for writers, readers and loyal subscribers.
This NaNoWriMo, dive deep into the domain of independent publications, small presses, reviews and journals to find the strange, unique, genre-bending works that will inspire you in your artistic endeavors. Here’s a list of literary magazines that stand out from the thousands listed on databases and spread out at writer’s conferences. These literary journals feature experimental writing, inventive forms and seriously developed styles, so be sure to check them out! The Newer York The Newer York searches for different modes of expressing those universal truths our high school teachers drilled into our malleable minds. Browsing the Electronic Encyclopedia of Experimental Literature, the inventive interviews, and imaginative artifacts and lists of the Newer York will provide inspiration and motivation to any writer. Hopefully you’ll even be stirred to submit—after all, submissions are open year-round. This peculiar publication wants, “Your literary absurdities, your artifacts of stories.” A Bad Penny Review Out of all the tables at last year’s AWP, A Bad Penny Review was the one that I couldn’t stay away from. (I bought Daniel Citro’s Seas/Horse postcard series, which is now plastered to my walls, with a few magnetic poetry adjustments.) This publication focuses on form and non-form, on the unfamiliar, the experimental and transgressive. Scroll through the website or order last year’s hard copy of the journal for a thought-provoking collection of visual poetics, poetry and prose. escarp Instead of wasting time on social media reading mediocre Twitter poetry, check out escarp, a text-messaged based literary review that publishes brief poetry and prose. The publication only posts once a day, and when they do, “We like the work we publish to interrupt you—to remind you words exist.” The brief nature of the posts (140 characters or less) and the uniqueness of the publication make escarp one to follow. Burner Magazine Burner Magazine is a digital pop art magazine, with the ambitious aim to take the boring out of the literary and arts scenes. According to the site, “Burner is about science, art, truth, conspiracies, naturalism, cyborgs, music, beauty, sex and everything in between.” If any of those sound mildly interesting, you’ve found yet another literary magazine to subscribe to, bookmark, pin, or how ever else you save interesting internet finds these days. Either way, this visually-stunning, empowering publication promises to get your blood pumping. HOOT HOOT is a postcard review of miniature poetry and prose, published with the idea that current, quality literature can be both shareable and accessible. Study the art of brevity through a subscription to HOOT, where you’ll find fiction, non-fiction, poetry and book reviews at fewer than 150 words an issue. MadHat Lit MadHat Lit is just what you’d expect from a literary publication of such a name. It is rambunctious and defiant, eccentric and untamed. Within its pages one encounters literary surprises of all sorts: magical realism and surrealism, humor and satire. Peruse through this publication for stylistic inspiration. What are some of your favorite literary magazines? Let me know in the comments below!
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Last week I wrote a blogpost that highlighted several Spotify playlists that could serve as the soundtrack to your writing. I thought I’d continue with that theme this week and share some Spotify features that often go unnoticed. Little does the everyday Spotify user know, but this online music player also contains several playlists and categories that can be added to the writer’s toolbox. If you’re like me, then you love audiobooks. These Spotify playlists have all the benefits of audiobooks with the addition advantages of Spotify: they’re free, there’s more variety and the service is completely portable, so you can take your favorite writers with you on-the-go. You can download Spotify for free onto your phone, computer, tablet or other mobile device. One playlist that will certainly come in handy is Spotify’s How to Write.... Here listeners will find advice on writing everything from academic essays to poetry. The speakers also cover topics essential to any author’s career, such as the editor-author partnership, overcoming writer’s block and how to find inspiration. And just in time for NaNoWriMo, the playlist features several discussions on how to write the novel. Modern Poetry: On this playlist users will find over 150 selections of modern poetry, read by the authors themselves. Find inspiration from authors such as Edna St. Vincent Millay, E.E. Cummings and Ezra Pound. Short Stories: This collection of classic short stories by authors such as James Joyce and David Moore is sure to provide a much-needed creative boost, as well as a valuable lesson on craft. The Essential Edgar Allen Poe is composed of over 15 hours of mystery and macabre. This eerie collection caters to anyone interested in the literary gothic, the American Romantics and the everyday Poe aficionado. The Beats: Surround yourself in the surreal sounds of America’s anti-conformist movement spoken by the Beat Generation writers: Alan Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs and Peter Orlovsky. The Beats’ art has caused much debate and discussion since its emergence in the 1950s. Join the discussion after listening to this playlist. Slow down and listen to The Poetry of Sylvia Plath, another free, handcrafted playlist for the writing community by Spotify. This playlist is best played while on a hike through the woods or sitting inside on a rainy day. It is Sylvia Plath, after all. The Robert Frost Reading Room playlist is a true hidden gem within Spotify's servers. In this playlist, readers can enjoy over two hours of American poet Robert Frost’s poetry read by both Robert Frost and his daughter, Lesley Frost. Editor's Choice: Fiction Speaking of eBooks, here you can listen to novels, short stories, plays and more. Among this list users can listen to Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, just to name a few. Just as a heads up, Hugh Laurie does, in fact, read one of the stories on this list, and it’s wonderful. Editor's Choice: Nonfiction: If you love nonfiction but oftentimes don’t know where to look among the cluttered bookshelves, competing literary magazines and websites, then this playlist is for you. The Editor’s Choice provides a “fresh and varied selection of nonfiction” that is updated weekly. This week’s featured authors are Noam Chomsky and Joseph Campbell, with a dash of Margaret Mead. It may only be November 3rd, but NaNoWriMo is already in high gear. Interactive writing tools are the writer’s (sometimes only) friend during this demanding time. While the majority of writers shut themselves off from society for the next 27 days, I’ll be here to provide writing tips and tools to help improve your writing.
Happy listening! |
Alyssa ShainaWriter, reader, believer. Archives
September 2016
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