Update from the Editors
Feeling Thankful? Give to TW, the "Finest Literary Magazine, Bar None"
In this special edition of our newsletter, we'll nudge you about fun website features and pressing submissions deadlines. But the biggest news for TW's continued good health is that we've launched our end-of-year fundraising campaign.
As the holidays approach, please make a charitable donation to TW. If you made a donation last year, consider increasing your contribution this year.
TW is growing fast, but we've reached a critical juncture. We can see clearly now where we want to go. It's a big blue sky straight ahead, one that includes e-books and a national consortium of online literary journals.
And yet (if you'll forgive the old song riff), the rain is not gone. TW's obstacles include the bleak funding climate for all arts organizations. Dark clouds, yes—but that's why individual donors can make a real difference.
Talking Writing is "the finest literary magazine on the Internet, bar none," writer Jon Wolfman recently commented on TW's Facebook page.
We're grateful for such compliments, especially because Jon's message underscores TW's uniqueness. Talking Writing highlights essays and other features by diverse authors, bringing subscribers new content every week. What's more, our online platform encourages lively discussion among writers and readers.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, TW promotes the growth of digital literature by providing an appealing venue for superlative prose, poetry, and visual art—and access to all with free online subscriptions.
So, fly right over to TW's Donate page. Use our PayPal system or mail us a check. In the coming weeks, you'll hear more about other ways to help TW—by purchasing a "Talk Floats" T-shirt, for instance, with a design like the one above. But your donation will matter most, and we deeply appreciate any contribution you can make.
— Martha Nichols and Elizabeth Langosy
Submissions Deadlines and Editorial Calendar
Submissions for our Winter 2014 issue are closing soon. The deadline for theme essays, in particular, is early next week.
For more information about other submissions deadlines in 2014, see TW's annual Editorial Calendar, a new feature on our "Upcoming Themes" page.
Theme Essays: Do We Need Critics?
In a crowdsourced universe, TW will examine whether anyone still cares about literary criticism. We're looking for essays about provocative critics, peer feedback, book reviewing, quality control, and today's arbiters of taste.
Submission deadline: November 18, 2013.
Poetry Spotlight: Honoring Rukeyser
"Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry," as Muriel Rukeyser wrote. One of the great boundary-breaking poets of the twentieth century, Rukeyser took on the Spanish Civil War, motherhood, sex, racism, cities. In honor of her centennial year, TW seeks poems that follow in Rukeyser's footsteps by engaging personally and politically with the world.
Submission deadline: December 2, 2013.
TW's New Website: FAQs
Do I need to renew my TW subscription?
If you subscribed to the old TW site, we hope you're still receiving our weekly email notifications. If not, you may need to renew your free subscription by clicking on the "Subscribe" button in the sidebar.
Of course, getting the word out to subscribers who are no longer receiving TW emails is a conundrum. For that reason, we're also relying on current subscribers to nudge other TW readers to renew their subscriptions. Your help is appreciated.
What are TW channels?
Our new website now provides many ways to access the wealth of writing available at TW. If you haven't explored our channel feeds—which broadcast all material in a particular genre such as "Poetry," "Personal Stories," or "Interviews"—try clicking on the colorful icons at the top of every page.
In the "Themes" channel, for example, you'll find all TW themes listed in the sidebar. Just click on one of those to see all the features related to a given theme, such as "Distraction" or "Teaching Writing."
But what about missing themes or back issues?
Some older themes and issues haven't yet been formatted for the new website, especially those from TW's first year (Fall 2010 to Fall 2011). When you click on an older theme, you may come across "There is currently no content classified with this term." However, all older TW pieces still exist, and we'll be completing the transfer of our entire archive to the new site in the coming months.
To see the back issues that are currently available on the TW website, click on "Past Issues" in the Main Menu.
Got Wings? Become a TW Angel
There are many opportunties for major donors to boost Talking Writing and to influence which projects we take on next. A TW Angel Donor could sponsor an upcoming issue of the magazine or help launch our first e-books for sale.
But more important, donations in higher amounts will enable us to pay modest salaries to the editors who work full-time on Talking Writing. They'll also support improvements of our website and development of apps for mobile devices.
TW's blue-sky plans include:
- paying honorariums to all contributors
- creating annual print editions and anthologies
- organizing seminars about digital literature
- creating a national consortium of online journals
- running writing workshops in the Boston area and online
- keeping the magazine free for all
Talk floats—and flies! Help lift Talking Writing in the years to come. For more information about how you can support TW as a major donor, please contact Executive Editor Elizabeth Langosy at editor@talkingwriting.com.
