The digital revolution has affected all forms of publishing, from book publishers to newspapers. So it should come as no surprise that literary editors have turned to online publishing as well. By avoiding the high cost of printing and physical distribution, online literary magazines can afford to publish more work by more writers, often with art and photography that would simply be impossible in print editions.
The Spirit of Discovery
Most online literary magazines are provided free of charge, so they don't have to attract subscribers by publishing "big name" authors. As a result, they are often more adventurous in their editing, offering work by excellent but lesser known writers with a wider range of styles. On the other hand, some online magazines advocate a distinct aesthetic, representing this or that movement in contemporary writing. Either way, online magazines share a spirit of discovery that makes them at least as exciting as the best literary magazines in print.
Reading online requires a change of habit, of course. Mainly you'll click and scroll instead of turning pages. But it won't be long before you'll stop missing paper and ink and the heft of bound pages, because you'll get lost in the encounter with younger writers who represent the future of literature.
A Ground-Level Adventure
What follows is a sampling of the best online literary magazines, offered with one caveat: just as no one can read every new novel or book of poetry, no one can read every online magazine. So this list should be considered a starting point for adventurous readers who want to know what's happening with literature right now, at ground level. The list omits sites that are simply the online presence of print magazines, which are valuable but outside the scope of this article. The order is alphabetical.
Blackbird. This journal of literature and the arts has appeared twice a year beginning in 2002. Maybe because it draws on a large group of local and international faculty editors, undergraduate and graduate students, alumni and community volunteers, the magazine has a collegiate feel, with great energy and eclectic content.
Cerise Press. This "journal of literature, arts & culture" is new (at this writing only two issues old), but it offers a rich, sophisticated look to match the quality of its contents. Regular sections include poetry, translations, essays, fiction, photography and art, interviews, and reviews. Cerise Press has a Modernist bent, which (at this point in literary history) gives it something of a classical feel.
Drunken Boat. Launched in 2000, Drunken Boat's annual issues are built around special features. They typically combine poetry, fiction, non-fiction, interviews, translations, and multi-media content. There's a wildness at heart here—a boundary-testing quality that never fails to surprise.
Exquisite Corpse. Longtime listeners of National Public Radio will remember the colorful commentaries of Andre Codrescu, the Romanian-born poet and novelist who lives in New Orleans. From that utterly un-Romanian location Codrescu edits this cyber incarnation of its now-defunct print predecessor of the same name, which Codrescu founded in 1983. Exquisite Corpse (its name derives from the Surrealist practice of collective writing) is paradoxically among the most lively online publications, combining poetry and stories with essays, journalism, art, multimedia, and arts-related want ads.
Guernica. One of the few online literary magazines with a strong political point of view, Guernica brings together poetry, fiction, interviews, journalistic features, translations, and art to give its readers something like a shot of intellectual espresso.
Jacket Magazine. Jacket is the granddaddy of online literary magazines. Australian poet John Tranter founded it in 1997 and as of this writing has 38 issues under his belt. Jacket is a smart mix of poems, book reviews, articles, and in-depth features on individual writers. The publication reflects the avant-garde values of the Williams/Zukofsky/Olson tradition and regularly offers in-depth, sometimes scholarly investigations of that tradition.
Narrative Magazine. As its name indicates, Narrative Magazine's focus is fiction, although it includes interviews, book reviews, some poetry, and articles on the writing life. As the most "mainstream" of the publications on this list, it offers work writers most serious readers are likely to know, from Lorrie Moore and Richard Bausch to Tobias Wolff and Amy Bloom. As of this writing it's also the only literary magazine you can read on a Kindle.
Perigee. This beautifully designed, well-edited quarterly aims "to bring the muse online at no charge whatsoever." And they do a terrific job of it, with a mix of poetry, fiction and non-fiction by established writers and new ones.
Joseph Hutchison - Joseph Hutchison has worked for many years as a professional writer, both inside corporations and—since 1992—as the co-owner ...
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