I am mildly obsessed with lit mags and the like. Mostly because I love short stories, especially those "far out" "what the eff" type stories. Ones that are artfully arranged maybe into segments labeled I. II. III. IV. And somehow everything comes together and it's beautiful. Maybe things are backwards or jumbled or whatever. Bizarre stories, vivid characters, hidden social commentary. Stories with daring voices, fragmented sentences and ass-backwards grammar that would make an English teacher cry.
Like painting with words.
I wish I could get my hands on even more of these things. They are difficult to find, particularly if you do not live in a big city or near a university campus.
I don't particularly care if "well known" or "respectable" writers are published in it. I judge each story on its own merit. I read one particular short story from a university lit mag, and it still sticks with me today. I have no idea where that issue went off to, and unfortunately I cannot remember the writer's name. (Convenient, eh?) But that little story EMBEDDED itself inside my brain space.
I'm also a fan of flash fiction, and usually you can only find that in the lit mag realm.
Here's what I've been reading...
The Madison Review -- The city of my alma mater.
Fourteen Hills -- San Francisco State Uni
Glimmer Train -- Trying to get a story into this one. Good luck to myself.
Black Fox -- Tiny, tiny little thing. Stories are so-so, just needs some time to mature.
Adirondack
The Florida Review
Sad, sad list I know. I'm still working on broadening my horizons. I think I'm forgetting more than one.
Folks here seem so dismissive of lit mags. Novels are great, but they often aren't as daring or rule-bending as I'd like. Unless you pick up Cormac McCarthy's The Road or something.
Like painting with words.
I wish I could get my hands on even more of these things. They are difficult to find, particularly if you do not live in a big city or near a university campus.
I don't particularly care if "well known" or "respectable" writers are published in it. I judge each story on its own merit. I read one particular short story from a university lit mag, and it still sticks with me today. I have no idea where that issue went off to, and unfortunately I cannot remember the writer's name. (Convenient, eh?) But that little story EMBEDDED itself inside my brain space.
I'm also a fan of flash fiction, and usually you can only find that in the lit mag realm.
Here's what I've been reading...
The Madison Review -- The city of my alma mater.
Fourteen Hills -- San Francisco State Uni
Glimmer Train -- Trying to get a story into this one. Good luck to myself.
Black Fox -- Tiny, tiny little thing. Stories are so-so, just needs some time to mature.
Adirondack
The Florida Review
Sad, sad list I know. I'm still working on broadening my horizons. I think I'm forgetting more than one.
Folks here seem so dismissive of lit mags. Novels are great, but they often aren't as daring or rule-bending as I'd like. Unless you pick up Cormac McCarthy's The Road or something.