Welcome to our bi-weekly news roundup!

Greetings Lit Magstellations,

The literary world continues to reel from the abrupt termination of roughly $1.2 million in literary grant funding from the NEA. As ABC reports, “Individuals and organizations across the country, and across virtually every art form, now find themselves without money they had budgeted for or even spent, anticipating they would be reimbursed.”

At the LA Review of Books, Adam Morgan writes,

Amanda Uhle, the publisher and executive director at McSweeney’s (which publishes McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, The Believer, and Illustoria Magazine…[says] “The loss of McSweeney’s NEA funding—and the lost prospect for next year—is devastating…”

At the Oxford American…editor in chief Dr. Sara A. Lewis says the impact will be even more significant in the future:

“We have to expect that we’ll lose all of our federal and state grant funding in the years to come, and we’ll also be impacted by state-funded advertising, which we anticipate will be guided by the administration’s directives. We hope that folks recognize that people’s careers and livelihoods are in the balance here.”

Last week the Authors Guild, along with a group of scholars,

“filed a class action lawsuit (PDF) against the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), its leadership, and officials within the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) for unlawfully terminating millions of dollars in committed grants from funds appropriated by Congress for the programs.

The administration’s actions in canceling the grants were unlawful. The administration is not free to unilaterally cancel funds that Congress has appropriated for a specific purpose…Nor can it simply refuse to pay out funds that the government has promised to grantees…

In the midst of the chaos, many lit mags have been buffered by community support. Masslive reports that “UMass Prof. Britt Rusert, who took over as Massachusetts Review executive editor in January, said the magazine received an email at 9:48 p.m. May 2 that said the current $15,000 NEA grant to the magazine was being withdrawn…Within 48 hours, the MR received dozens of letters of support and donations as well as new subscribers…”

At

In 1967, the founding editor of this magazine, Jules Chametzky, was one of five signatories on a document that created, following a suggestion of the NEA, the first national organization to coordinate the work of literary magazines. That organization—then the Coordinating Council of Literary Magazine, later the CLMP (Council of Literary Magazines and Presses—continues its leadership role today. One of Jules’s jobs in the early years of the organization was to vet and make decisions on grant applications. From that process, he told me, he learned that no literary magazines were self-sustaining: all of them, without exception, had either “angels” (rich donors) or institutions (most often colleges or universities) behind them. Carmina non dant panem: the arts don’t pay for themselves. They are—and always have been—subsidized. The only real question is who should pay? And who should decide where the money goes?

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Speaking of money, Chill Subs’ Ben Davis has written on another problem within the lit mag world: The Rise of the Submission Industrial Complex. Says Ben,

The deeper problem isn’t just about fees. It’s about the identity of the literary world. Most magazines are stuck in an exhausting dance: wanting to be a labor of love full of diverse voices—art for art’s sake—and a sustainable business at the same time. That’s hard enough in a functioning economy, let alone one where art funding is slashed and attention is fragmented. But there are other ways forward.

Magazines can charge for services instead of access. Offer editorial feedback. Sell workshops. Partner with small businesses to “adopt a lit mag.” Solicit patrons. Accept donations. We’ve seen the best of this in action: a while back, we compiled a list of African magazines. Not a single one charged submission fees. Many of them were built from scratch by volunteers and writers who simply wanted to see their communities represented. And 87% of the magazines on our site still don’t charge anything to submit. That’s worth celebrating and supporting.

The article has several comments, but one in particular about requesting fee waivers adds an important dimension to the discussion:

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In other news, a whole lot of lit mag changes, milestones and births have occurred of late.

The Rumpus announced that Roxane Gay and Debbie Millman are taking over as the magazine’s new owners. “The transition is a celebratory moment for The Rumpus, during a time when many independent magazines, large and small, have folded or been absorbed into larger publishers.”

Publishers Weekly reports that for Gay, “the move marks a homecoming of sorts.”

“It’s a truly full-circle moment to be acquiring the Rumpus alongside Debbie Millman,” she said in a statement. “The Rumpus was one of the first places where my writing found a significant audience, and it helped shape me into the writer I am today. I am excited to lead The Rumpus into its next chapter and am grateful for the stewardship of Alyson Sinclair, who did so much in recent years to help The Rumpus continue to thrive.”

Ploughshares has announced that Jenny Molberg has joined the masthead as Editor-in-Chief. (I interviewed Jenny when she was Editor of Pleiades in 2023.)

Jenny says,

I am thrilled to join the masthead at Ploughshares as the new Editor-in-Chief. For decades, Ploughshares has been a journal I’ve admired for its deep care, its editorial rigor, and its unwavering insistence that literature matters. That belief is at the core of my work as an editor, poet, and teacher.

I think of great writing as advocacy for conditions of peace—a repurposing of toxic power and suffering—a call for action, for radical joy. Through this lens, I recognize my responsibilities to the authors I help edit and usher into the world, the students I teach, and the literary world writ large…

Haaretz reports that “A New Literary Magazine Offers Safe Space for Ostracized Jewish Writers.” Balagan grew from Writing on the Wall, “an online platform for writers, artists and poets seeking both a supportive community and a space where they could feel uninhibited to share their creative work.”

Each issue of the quarterly magazine is devoted to a specific topic. The first, published in January and titled "Scarred," focused on the different manifestations of the trauma experienced by Jews around the world since October 7.

The second issue, published in April and titled "Humor," reflects on how comedy has changed for Jews over the past year and a half…

…The upcoming issue of Balagan, which comes out in July, will focus on food.

A new literary anthology called Revisionist, based in Charleston, SC, “champions female voices.” Says Editor Kate Boyette,

I’ve found the publishing industry not only daunting, but unrepresentative of women and female voices. It’s missing stories that speak to motherhood, women, our specific struggles. It’s also incredibly hard to access, to break into. Revisionist was created out of a desire to disrupt these trends and promote a more equitable model.

We operate as a platform for new voices, the people who get passed over by agents, publishers, the business-end of the publishing industry.

And the business model is more akin to that of a collective — paying contributors above what you might find at other literary journals and offering each artist the option to sell and profit off the magazine directly.

The Berliner has profiled Berlin-based SAND, which has just turned 15. (Wow, I remember when this lit mag was born!)

Since its founding by Becky Crook in 2009, the biannual literary magazine SAND has become a fixture of Berlin’s anglophone writing scene. With an emphasis on diversity, multilingualism and formal innovation, SAND publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction and art from all over the world.

The Round Up profiled Puerto Del Sol, whose latest issue has a theme of “Freak.” Asked how the theme was chosen, Managing Editor Maxwell Griego said,

“When we were discussing the different varieties and ways that ‘freak’ manifests itself, it seemed like a broad theme that people could relate to in many ways. Which is something you should always try to go for when choosing a theme. You do not want to restrict too much.”

At

Abraxas began to help us reclaim our weird selves. We wanted to create space for work that didn’t fit neatly into categories…

We’re drawn to writing that feels like it couldn't have come from anyone but that particular writer — work with its own heartbeat. I’m eternally moved by writers who can make the ordinary strange or the strange ordinary.

At his blog, Andrew Careaga interviews Natalie Welsh, editor of Syncopation Literary Journal, “a literary magazine that celebrates the fusion of music and storytelling.” Says Natalie,

Music and storytelling are universal to people all over the world. While there is so much division—especially given the current political climate—these traditions of music and storytelling can bring people together. Music is a form of storytelling. If we listen to each other’s stories—whether told through music, poetry or prose—we may realize that there is so much that connects humanity.

…As editor of Syncopation Literary Journal, I look for written pieces in which writers connect deeply with music, almost on a spiritual level.

And to close out with some heartening words, at

There’s something powerful about seeing what it means to someone to have their work accepted. I get ecstatic messages from authors who tell me it made their week, their month, sometimes even their year. And in a world where rejection is constant for writers, it’s deeply rewarding to be on the sending end of the yes, and to witness just how much it matters.

But even more than that, I’m moved by the people who say that being published made them feel seen—that it validated something deeply personal. These are pieces they’ve poured their hearts into, revised and revised, and then submitted with vulnerability and hope. I know that feeling well.

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As for us, activity is afoot! Later this week I will be speaking with Michelle Lyn King, Editor of Joyland. And at the end of the month I’ll be chatting with the Editors of Massachusetts Review. You can learn all about these events here:

News

Save the Dates! May interviews & info sessions!

Becky Tuch

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May 2

Happy May, one and all.

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And that you character interrogators and narrative-problem instigators, you hunters on the trail of every hidden clue, you lovers of Nancy Drew, you with your antennae out for any hint of an ending, you with your unquenchable thirst for questions, you combing the text for prints, you whose office space is a world-class incident room, you sleuthy Scooby Doos, you who cannot rest until every stone is turned, and turned again, even inside-out if possible, certainly round and around, you who feel on so many days unsure, just like Sherlock surely must have, yet persist you do, nonetheless, in your top hat, with your glass to magnify and your flashlight to brighten every dark corner, you on the case, you off your rocker, you and you, everywhere at once, deep in the investigation, which investigation, who knows, the important ones, all of them, the only ones that matter, you know the ones, the searches that dig and dig and take you further, require more, demand nothing less than everything, and so you show up, you pay attention, and begin again, is the news in literary magazines.

Have a most exciting week, pals.

Fondly,

Becky

And now a word from one of our lovely sponsors:

Superlative – The Literary Journal is open for short story and poetry submissions.

Superlative publishes quality, innovative work by emerging short story writers and poets. We take great pride in literary loyalty, and endeavour to give our authors the best possible experience, promoting them as widely and fully as we are able.

Submit to our open journal, or to our monthly feature competitions, via Submittable.

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