The Magazine Rack: New Reviews

This month brings reviews of a quintet of new literary journals. Four are available for free online, and one distributes print issues via subscription. Two of these are using print-on-demand (POD) services, which significantly reduce a small publisher's upfront costs for print issues and can result in quality products. A negative for libraries is that for the time being many POD-produced periodicals must be purchased as individual issues rather than by subscription.

Cavalier Literary Couture. 2009. irreg. $10/issue. Aud: GA, Ac (Subject: American Literature—21st Century. Issue examined: Vol.1, No.1, Fall 2009)
The handsomely produced print version of Cavalier Literary Couture is one part of founder Christina Yu's effort to create a literary community of writers devoted to experimental work. Yu is a recent graduate of Dartmouth College, and information on the journal's website suggests the journal is a product primarily of young Dartmouth grads living in New York City. The submission guidelines express openness to experimental work; "linguistic pyrotechnics and verbal exuberance are particularly welcome." The stories and poems in the examined issue match that goal, but they struck this reviewer as rather dark and weird. Libraries looking to add expressions of contemporary experimental literature might want to consider Cavalier Literary Couture; however, only one issue has been published, and the last event sponsored by the publisher was in April 2010, suggesting this literary magazine might be a onetime affair.

Devil's Lake. 2010. s-a. free online. ISSN 2156-5821. Aud: GA, Ac (Subject: American Literature—21st Century. Issue examined: Fall 2010)
Devil's Lake is an online-only literary magazine produced by the master of fine arts program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The content is the usual mix of poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction along with an interview and a few book reviews. Less typically, the examined issue of Devil's Lake includes three comics. The writing is accessible for an academic literary magazine and showcases a range of styles and perspectives. Devil's Lake is visually attractive on screen but suffers from a common problem among online magazines—the fonts are too small to read comfortably without zooming in, but zooming diminishes the impact of the graphic design. With engaging content, Devil's Lake is a solid literary magazine worth linking to from the catalog of any library that collects contemporary American literature.

Muzzle. 2010. q. free online. ISSN 2157-8079. Aud: GA (Subject: American Literature—21st Century. Issue examined: Issue 2, Fall 2010)
The distinguishing feature of Muzzle is its dedication to publishing works by "communities that are historically underrepresented in literary magazines." The editorial board draws heavily from the Chicago area and includes several members with connections to Albion College. A few members of the board and several of the authors in the examined issue are fellows of the Cave Canem Foundation, an organization that supports African American poets. The examined issue of Muzzle shows its strong connection with poetry slams by including audio of authors reading five of the 14 poems. The journal, publishing poetry, art, interviews, book reviews, and performance reviews, features excellent writing that is generally upbeat and thought-provoking. The site is refreshingly spare and easy to navigate, with no advertising or distracting graphics. Muzzle is a fine literary journal of creative writing by people of diverse backgrounds that deserves to be linked to from catalogs in libraries everywhere.

Pennsylvania Literary Journal. 2009. s-a. $30. ISSN 2151-3066. Aud: Ac (Subject: Literature—History and Criticism. Issue examined: Vol.2, No. 1, Summer 2010)
Pennsylvania Literary Journal is an independent POD publication unaffiliated with any college or university. Editor and publisher Anna Faktorovich writes, "Self-publishing is not respected in the academia, as these publications are not 'wetted' [sic] or peer-reviewed. This problem will not apply to this venture, as we would peer-edit each other's works," (PLJ Summer 2010, p. 18). Independent efforts can be an effective way to give voice to diverse points of view. The examined issue contains six book reviews, six critical essays, an interview, a short story, and about a dozen poems. Pennsylvania Literary Journal has some rough spots—e.g., an author cited in the text of article whose work is not included in the works cited—but overall is reasonably well edited, and the printed copy from Amazon's CreateSpace is of good quality. Hopefully the editorial board will advance rigorous peer review to make Pennsylvania Literary Journal a cut above self-published works freely available on the web. Libraries with collections of literary criticism are advised to wait and see how that develops before purchasing print issues.

Psychic Meatloaf. 2010. s-a. free online, $12/print issue. Aud: GA (Subject: Poetry. Issue examined: Issue 2, 2010)
Editor and publisher George McKim has chosen a way to make print issues of this poetry journal available that might well catch on among low-circulation literary magazines. A print copy can be purchased via Lulu.com, a POD company designed to support self-publication. Offering copies through Lulu gives a publisher the distinct advantages of avoiding upfront printing costs, not taking the risk of having unsold inventory, and not having to personally handle the orders. As far as the poetry goes, it fits the editor's goal of publishing "quirky and imaginative" works. Most are fairly short and, despite their quirkiness, readable and creative. Psychic Meatloaf is a good little poetry journal worth considering for collections of contemporary literature.

This article originally appeared in the newsletter BookSmack! Click here to subscribe.