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Hope Library Guides

English 295/395 Multigenre Creative Writing: Places to Read Good Stuff: Home

Literary Magazines and Other Creative Writing Resources

Prairie Schooner and Callaloo

LITERARY MAGAZINES: an introduction

PRAIRIE SCHOONER is one of the longest running literary magazines in the USA. Usually each issue includes selections from all genres.

You can browse recent issues here: Prairie Schooner.

 

CALLALOO is another long running journal. Here is the description from Project Muse:

CALLALOO, the premier African Diaspora literary journal, publishes original works by, and critical studies of, black writers worldwide. The journal offers a rich mixture of fiction, poetry, plays, critical essays, cultural studies, interviews, and visual art. Frequent annotated bibliographies, special thematic issues, and original art and photography are some of the features of this highly acclaimed international showcase of arts and letters.

Browse issues from the past fifteen years here: Callaloo.

 

BROWSE physical literary magazines in Libraries

If you live near a college or university, you will likely find literary magazines in the current periodicals. We have many here at Van Wylen Library. They are sprinkled throughout current periodicals. Although Project MUSE, which hosts Prairie Schooner and Callaloo, presents pretty "pdf" versions, it's a different experience to flip through the pages of a print lit mag.

Bookstores: check the magazine section.

New Pages collection of Literary Magazines

LITERARY MAGAZINES: something for everyone at NewPages

NewPages is one of the hot online headquarters for all literary magazines. The magazines included here include print and online. The magazine links take you to the literary magazine homepage: some of the literary magainzes are completely online; others will let you look at samples. Some of the magazines do not let you look at samples.

Some magazines include criticism as well as creative works.

It is worth exploring the categories on the NewPages homepage.

Here is a shortcut link to the Magazines. (To see the the BIG LIST, choose Our Big List of Literary Magazines in the upper righthand corner.)

Explore other categories on NewPages. Here is a blog that caught Professor Trembley's attention:  How a Poem Happens.

Craft of Writing

Exploring Craft: how to think about (or stop thinking about) your writing

BOOKS

Try the keyword search craft and writing in HopeCAT. Or, if you are away from Holland, try the in the catalog of a library near you; nearly all libraries allow you to search their catalogs via their home pages. Or try the search in Amazon.com.

Compare this to the keyword search technique and fiction. (You get a lot more hits with this second search; some are false drops--ballet technique--but most are not. Also, who's to say you can't learn something about writing from dance!)

INTERVIEWS

Poet, Writer INTERVIEWS are often a great source for comments about the writing process:

example: Lorrie Moore (I Googled Lorrie Moore interview)

Boston Globe interview

Paris Review interviews, which are collected in a series of books Writers at Work: the Paris Review interviews, always touch on Craft.

ARTICLES

If you want an "article"--Googling is as good a technique as any. Here is a readymade search:

how to write a short story

Fiction Writing Technique - Point of View (gives an exercise to try)

Collections of Creative Writing

BOOKS TO CHECK OUT:

Many libraries and bookstores will have copies of "The Best American..." series:

The Best American Poetry (this is not fulltext online).

The Best American Short Stories (not fulltext).

The Best American Essays (this link is to a description of the 2008 edition).

 

NEW BOOKS in public and college libraries usually include poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction.

Libraries and bookstores have lots of books; go forth and explore.

Research/Instruction Librarians