I write short fiction. I intend, over the course of this program, to attempt to write something longer that, even if in my mind is a series of short stories, might be called a novel. However, considering the current state of my writing and my reading, I’ll begin in the realm of magazines and periodicals. This is where I do the bulk of my fiction reading. I don’t like to commit to a whole collection of short stories unless I’m familiar with an author, get a really enthusiastic suggestion from a trusted friend, or it has pictures. I think many readers probably feel similarly. Additionally, periodicals tend to publish new writers, and I like to be made continually aware of new, current things happening in writing.

 

As for the largest tier of publishing, there are a few magazines that have long held prestigious titles and boast a hefty circulation number. The most well-known would be Harper’s, The Atlantic and The New Yorker. Of these three, I’m partial to The New Yorker, probably because it’s the one to which I subscribe. Harper’s and The Atlantic also print highly regarded fiction by authors I like, though The Atlantic no longer regularly includes short fiction in its monthly print issues. One of the things I particularly like about The New Yorker is its current emphasis on new, young (these are certainly relative terms) writers and international writers. I also really enjoy the podcast that the fiction editor, Deborah Treisman, produces, in which authors pick other author’s work to read aloud and critically discuss. This is a commitment to the craft of writing that wins me over. It would be a reach for me to come out of nowhere and publish my work here, but it is something that I would like to do. Despite a certain self-pretension and normalized standard, they also take some risks with voice and style. I don’t know that The New Yorker is ultimately the most appropriate home for my all of my work, but I respect the magazine’s representation of contemporary short fiction and I am certainly not alone.

 

There are many midlevel literary magazines. I’m not sure how to go about classifying each, except to say I can see my work fitting well in some and less so in others. While it would be an accomplishment to publish work in well-known magazines, such as GlimmerTrain, The Paris Review, Granta, Ploughshares, ZYZZYVA, Zoetrope or TriQuartlery, the two independent magazines I read regularly, and therefore in which I would most like to be published, are McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern and Tin House. There is a certain character to McSweeney’s stories that, despite variance in form, style and subject matter, feels imaginative, a touch sarcastic, and zeitgeisty. McSweeney’s leaves room for experimental pieces; the vast number of ways they present writing and art on a page is exciting. They are serious about good writing, but the good writing need not be serious, and this is the kind of approach that I appreciate. Tin House also has a very contemporary feel and often publishes stories that use fresh language or address darker subjects in unexpected ways.

 

The final tier, perhaps the smallest level of publishing, is the Internet. In all entertainment industries there has been a move towards making free, available artstuffs. While I will always feel that nothing compares to a printed piece of paper and that writer’s should be paid for their work, I also appreciate the Internet as a venue for fun and experimentation. Some interesting online magazines that publish high quality writing, and where I might submit my work, include La Petite Zine, Narrative Magazine, Porchlight, 20x20 Magazine, The Barcelona Review and the Ne’er Do Well. Some of these magazines publish writers I like, and others have an emphasis on publishing slightly odd or unconventional pieces.

 

What I’m even more interested in, however, are blogs. I have a few blogs, myself, that aren’t so much based in writing as they are about exploring some topic and collecting media on the subject. The first is entirely about myself and includes stories from my life, video clips, songs I’ve written, and polls about a range of inconsequential preferences. All of this content tells a story, which if it weren’t about me, could possibly be a really interesting form of fiction. Blogs open up new storytelling possibilities and provide a great opportunity to combine media to make the “reading” experience more interactive. I have a friend who started a blog in which he starts stories and anybody can add text, audio, photos, drawings or video to that story. Whether this qualifies as literature and whether there is a good business model for this kind of writing, we have yet to see. Regardless, blogs are an accessible, DIY way to share and explore ideas, which is the original idea behind publishing.