Owning the Means of Production, Part 2: POC-Edited Literary Journals

In our previous post, we examined the state of literary publishing in terms of POC-owned and operated literary presses. In this post, we survey the landscape of literary journals and provide a listing of currently operating journals which are helmed by POC editors. In total, we found __ literary journals whose mastheads list a writer of color as their editor-in-chief. Many also feature additional associate editors and staff members who are also POC. Some of these journals have been around since the 70s, but many are newer online journals, having come into existence in the last 5 years.

As has been much discussed elsewhere, the advent of improved Web 2.0 CMS technologies like WordPress, SquareSpace, and Wix (among others), better integration of PDF documents into websites, as well as the increased ease of setting up POD (print on demand) publishing has greatly democratized the literary publishing field. When I first launched Boxcar Poetry Review back in 2006, most of these technologies were in their infancy or did not exist at all. I hand-coded the website, which essentially amounted to digitally typesetting each poem (which to some degree is how Boxcar continues to be produced). Now, someone with next to no knowledge of web programing can craft a decent literary journal using templates and some good design instincts. Initial investment is also minimal -- the cost of a domain name and web hosting, some initial set up and design time, and a regular commitment to read and respond to submissions. For less than $200/year, anyone can get started, Online literary journals also avoid the trap of unsold printed inventory -- rather than tying up money in printing costs, the editors can focus on sharing the issue and spreading word about the journal. It's an exciting time to start and run a literary journal. For many POC would-be editors, the relatively ease to create a presentable product and comparatively low financial risk/cost to start up an online literary journal, have meant an increased shift to online literary publishing. In past, literary journals were largely subsidized by inherited wealth and trust funds, institutional support from a university, or the backing of wealthy family friends and patrons. Today more and more writers of color sense an opportunity to create literary spaces and take on the roles of gatekeeper and editor, when once those opportunities and roles were closed off or limited.

And yet, for every literary journal we list below, there are countless others which published one issue and then faded away, or never got their first issue out. And there are many older journals which lost momentum, funding, or institutional support after a few issues. Some pressed on for decades before folding due to other issues -- internal disputes, a failed course change, of a shift in public interest in their chosen focus. Some journals just falter because the founding editor does not plan ahead for their departure. There are many reasons why the list is not as long as it could. And why some names aren't on it, even though we might remember a time when X journal or Y magazine had published something groundbreaking or notable, or had seemed to be visionary and unstoppable.

POC-Edited Literary Journals

Acentos Revew (http://www.acentosreview.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Raina Leon
Apogee Journal (http://apogeejournal.org) - Editor-in-Chief: Alexandra Watson
Asian American Literary Review (http://aalr.binghamton.edu) - Editors-in-Chief: Lawrence-Minh Bùi Davis & Gerald Maa
Aster(ix) (http://asterixjournal.com) - Editors-in-Chief: Angie Cruz & Adriana E. Ramírez
Berkeley Poetry Review (https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~bpr/) - Editor-in-Chief: 최 Lindsay
Boxcar Poetry Review (http://www.boxcarpoetry.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Neil Aitken
Callaloo (http://callaloo.tamu.edu) - Editor-in-Chief: Charles Henry Rowell
Cha: An Asian Literary Journal (http://asiancha.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Tammy Ho Lai-ming
Crab Orchard Review (http://craborchardreview.siu.edu) - Editor-in-Chief: Allison Joseph
East Jasmine Review (http://eastjasminereview.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Cherisse Yanit Nadal
Entropy (https://entropymag.org) - Editor-in-Chief: Janice Lee
Hermeneutic Chaos (http://www.hermeneuticchaosjournal.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Shinjini Bhattacharjee.
Jaggery (http://jaggerylit.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Anu Mahadev
Kartika Review (http://www.kartikareview.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Paul Lai
Kweli Journal (http://www.kwelijournal.org) - Editor-in-Chief: Laura Pegrem
Lantern Review (http://www.lanternreview.com/) - Editors-in-Chief: Iris A. Law & Mia Ayumi Malhotra
Memoir Magazine (https://memoirmag.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Mary McBeth
Obsidian (https://about.illinoisstate.edu/obsidian/Pages/default.aspx) - Editor-in-Chief: Duriel E. Harris
pacific Review (https://pacificreview.sdsu.edu/casa1.html) - Editor-in-Chief: Kaitlin Sweeney
Pirene's Fountain (http://www.pirenesfountain.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Ami Kaye
Queen Mobs Tea House (http://queenmobs.com) - Editors-in-Chief: Cornelia Barber & Ruben Quesada
Ricepaper MagazIne (https://ricepapermagazine.ca) - Editor-in-Chief: Allan Cho
Room (https://roommagazine.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Chelene Knight
Singapore Poetry / Singapore Unbound (https://singaporeunbound.org/sp-blog/) - Editor-in-Chief: Jee Leong Koh
TAYO Literary Magazine (http://www.tayoliterarymag.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Melissa R. Sipin
The Feminist Wire (http://www.thefeministwire.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Tamura Lomax
The Margins (http://aaww.org) - Editor-in-Chief: Jyothi Natarajan
Tinderbox Poetry Journal (http://www.tinderboxpoetry.com) - Editor-in-Chief: Jenn Givhan
Waxwing Journal (http://waxwingmag.org/) - Co-Editor-in-Chief: Todd Kaneko
Winter Tangerine (http://www.wintertangerine.com/) - Editor-in-Chief: Yasmin Belkhyr

Neil Aitken is the author of two books of poetry, Babbage's Dream (Sundress 2017) and The Lost Country of Sight (Anhinga 2008), winner of the Philip Levine Prize. His poetry chapbook, Leviathan, was the 2017 Elgin Prize winner for science fiction poetry. A former computer programmer and a past Kundiman poetry fellow, he is the founding editor of Boxcar Poetry Review, the administrator of Have Book Will Travel, and co-director of De-Canon: A Visibility Project.

Sep 12, 2018

De-Canon: A Celebration of Our Summer Events & A Look Forward

Our stay at Mile Post 5 has been a phenomenal experience. We have enjoyed having a large space to ourselves in which we’ve been able to not only exhibit the entire (and continually expanding) collection of books, but create a space where we’ve hosted readings, offered writing workshops, provided room for meetings, and enabled writers and artists of color to interact with each other, as well as the local community. Here’s an overview of what' we’ve done this summer.

Mar 6, 2018

Some Notes for AWP 2018

Although De-Canon does not have a formal presence at AWP this year (that is, we didn't invest in a table), we will still have a presence of sorts. If you'd like to chat about the project, discuss past or future post topics for the blog, or want to learn more about how to have your own books included in the archive, stop by Table 1136 in the bookfair to find Neil who is representing Boxcar Poetry Review & Have Book Will Travel.

Mar 2, 2018

Owning the Means of Production, Part 2: POC-Edited Literary Journals

In this post, we survey the landscape of literary journals and provide a listing of currently operating journals which are helmed by POC editors. In total, we found __ literary journals whose mastheads list a writer of color as their editor-in-chief. Many also feature additional associate editors and staff members who are also POC. Some of these journals have been around since the 70s, but many are newer online journals, having come into existence in the last 5 years.

Feb 22, 2018

Owning the Means of Production, Part 1: POC-run Presses

If we hope to truly challenge or reimagine literary canon, it is not enough to consider the academic programs where young writers are taught and trained. We must look beyond the classroom and the professoriate, past endless reams of syllabi making and remaking what constitutes canon, and consider the practical matter of how these texts enter the field in the first place. In this post, we present a list of POC-helmed presses that are currently in operation.

Feb 7, 2018

Upcoming Poetry Book Prize Contests for POC Writers

Although the field of literary publishing is still primarily populated by white editors and publishers, there are some POC-owned and directed publishers and a number of new and well-established poetry book prizes that are judged by respected POC authors and which seek to champion work of writers from particular communities of color. If you're a POC poet with a book manuscript in need of a home, here's a list of upcoming contests you might want to try

Feb 2, 2018

POC Writers and Their Libraries

Over the past week and a half, we've been gathering images of POC writers and their libraries, as well as asking readers and writers of color to contribute their thoughts on the importance of building a personal library and how books by other POC writers have impacted their lives.

This post showcases responses from and glimpses into the libraries of Kazim Ali, Francisco Aragón, Jackson Bliss, Genève Chao, Shu-Ling Chua, Oliver de la Paz, M. Evelina Galang, Nathania Gilson, Jenna Le, Gemma Mahadeo, Meera (@ashmeera101), and Brian W. Parker.

Jan 26, 2018

A Library of One's Own

It's hard to explain exactly why having a personal library is so valuable -- and why it is particularly valuable to a person of color (writer or reader) to build a library for oneself. Here are a few ways of thinking about the value and purpose of a personal library -- and what it can enable in ourselves.

"The history of English is inextricably tied to the history of war, to the history of empire; they cannot be separated. And hence our literature cannot be separated from these histories. Language is one of the most powerful weapons of war. It is also one of the war's first victims."

POC-Edited Literary Journals

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