Editor’s note, July 19, 2020: this is the original version of the article “Wordpress Wars: Tracking the Teen Lit Mag Boom” originally published on theincandescentreview.org on the afternoon of Sunday, July 19, 2020. On the night of July 19, 2020, the article was edited to exclude EX/POST Mag and Perhappened Mag among its youth lit magazines, as well as the “Inciting Factors” section. These edits were accompanied by a statement released on our blog.
Wordpress Wars: Tracking the Teen Lit Mag Boom
Editor's Note: This compilation is meant to be tongue-in-cheek (if somewhat useful). The Incandescent Review is committed to collaboration among its peers and holds all thirty-four of them in the highest regard.
Give it to me straight, Doc.
Up until very recently, I could count the number of youth lit-mags I knew on one hand. Being the dutiful cog in the capitalist machine that I am, I had created a spreadsheet where I compiled prominent outlets that published teen work. A couple, like Polyphony Lit, were expressly edited by teens. Then there was Red Queen Lit, which was started by a senior in high school in 2016, Sugar Rascals created by younger high-schoolers in that same year, and of course, The Adroit Journal, perhaps the most successful such example, created in 2010 by Peter LaBerge as a high-school sophomore.
I consider myself fairly well-connected with what I tentatively call “the teen writing world”, by which I mean the world of prestigious competitions and expensive summer camps, often regarded as a pipeline towards Ivy League schools or at least a source of reassurance for immigrant parents. After I attended the Kenyon Young Writers’ Workshop last year (session one gang) I encountered a few more, with names that were delightfully rooted in Latin. Ephimiliar Journal. The Ideate Review.
Yet none of this would prepare me for the meteoric rise in magazines “for youth, by youth” that I saw in the latter months of self-quarantine, around the time I joined Incandescent. Today, after a quick perusal of Instagram, I’ve found at least thirty-four new international youth magazines established since April 1st.
Wait, how many?
Thirty Four:
- The Aurora Review (est. April 2)
- Crossed Paths Mag (est. April 11)
- Lumiere Review (est. April 14)
- Fatal Flaw Literary Magazine (est. April 14)
- Kalopsia Literary Journal (est. April 17)
- Cathartic Lit Magazine (est. April 19)
- Second Revolution Magazine (est. April 29)
- Perhappened Mag (est. May 5)
- Placeholder Zine (est. May 5)
- Resistance of Our Generation (est. May 5)
- Yellow Paint Mag (est. May 5)
- Re Collective Mag (est. May 6)
- July Fire Mag (est. May 6)
- The Junebug Journal (est. May 10)
- Nectarine Zine (est. May 14)
- Re: Quarterly (est. May 14)
- Flare Journal (est. May 16)
- Omelette Mag (est. May 18)
- Analogies & Allegories Lit Mag (est. May 18)
- Earth2Us Magazine (est. May 18)
- Wonders Zine (est. May 20)
- EX/POST Magazine (est. May 20)
- Galliard International Review (est. May 21)
- The Teen Zine (est. May 21)
- Palette Point Magazine (est. May 22)
- Mosaic Magazine (est. May 24)
- Momentum Magazine (est. May 24)
- Detester Magazine (est. May 25)
- Hominum Journal (est. May 28)
- Wintermute Lit (est. May 30)
- Faltasia Magazine (est. June 11)
- Paradox Zine (est. June 11)
- Dishsoap Quarterly (est. June 22)
- Meraki Arts Magazine (est. June 23)
Date of establishment is based off of the first Instagram post calling for submissions. I chose to exclude niche mags, such as special-interest, queer/POC-only, or local mags. Each of these mags are on their first or second issue.
Each of these journals are unique in their own way -- blending often masterful design with a stacked masthead, honest mission, and, I am sure, genuine passion for the arts. But inevitably, with this number of organizations (four created on the same day!), trends have also emerged. Let’s take a look at their Instagram bios and founders statements:
What’s your mission ... your raison d'être, so to speak?
“Online literary mag dedicated to providing a platform for marginalized voices” (The Aurora Review) “an international platform for youth writing…” (Cathartic Lit) “a platform which aims to create content concentrating on various issues” (Resistance of Our Generation) “teen zine & multimedia platform” (July Fire Mag) “A platform for the creative arts community” (The Junebug Journal) “youth-led space and platform dedicated to exploring the intersection between creative expression and current issues” (Detester Magazine) “Stories written for and by young voices” (Crossed Paths Mag) “acknowledging ignored content by teens for teens worldwide” (Earth2Us Magazine) “made by creatives for creatives” (Wonders Zine) “Create. Connect, Collaborate… By teens, for teens” (The Teen Zine) (THE Teen Zine, sorry) “Dedicated to empowering emerging writers and providing free feedback.” (Kalopsia Literary Journal) “all are welcome to contribute their personal musings” (Placeholder Zine) “blur the lines” (Fatal Flaw Literary mag) “an interactive online lit journal with a mission to revolutionize the way readers interact with one another and the works we publish” (Re: Quarterly) (not to be mistaken for Re Collective) “A creative arts journal that de/reconstructs the somatic and explores the anatomy of narrative.” (Hominum Journal) “an independent digital magazine…” (Yellow Paint Magazine) “Independent magazine. Activism, creativity and sustainability” (Re Collective Mag) “Independent, teen run…” (Faltasia) “We are looking for submissions of any kind, such as art, photography, essays, articles, columns, fashion, music, playlists etc.” (Nectarine Zine) “A student-run literary journal dedicated to celebrating voices” (Flare Journal) “A nonprofit literary and arts magazine dedicated to the frontier of experimentation.” (EX/POST Magazine) “An international, inclusive poetry journal for young adults…” (Galliard International Review) “displaying inner worlds or identities” (Palette Point Magazine)“issue 01 coming soon!!” (Paradox Zine) “An indipendent [sic] magazine set up to deliver art of great soul, love or creativity.” (Meraki Zine) “Issue One: Quarantine Culture” (Mosaic Magazine)
And my personal favorite:
“Send us your spunk, your pith, your candor.” - DishSoap Quarterly
This is a remarkable phenomenon. But in hindsight, it seems a predictable turn of events for 2020.
Inciting Factors:
Everybody is home! There’s not much I can do remotely to change the world, you think. But wait:
Unlike other non-profit organizations, or for-profit organizations, a “platform” for youth voices requires no more than an Instagram page, a Wordpress login, a couple of friends who are ready to answer emails, and peerless ambition.
Did someone say peerless ambition? Hello, November 1st ED deadline! I am no cynical, hardened soul, but I have to say: “founder” sounds better on your resume than “worked to consolidate with pre-existing orgs/resources”. Also, the majority of these founders are juniors or seniors in high school.
Is This So Bad?
Many of these thirty-four organizations, if working at a local level or a niche topic, could do a lot to promote the written word and deeper thinking. In today’s attention economy, time spent pondering long-form pieces, even poorly-written ones, is infinitely preferable to time spent on the TikTok, or playing Warzone. Fortnite.
But I think there is another hand to consider when it comes to “attention economy”. I’m inclined to say that new literary magazines are slight forces for good in the world by merit of their very existence, somewhere in between conscious rap and the Democratic National Committee. They serve as both a gauge of interest in the literary arts and a champion of said interest, in the way a pop-up youth nonprofit, created to give a few service hours a name, does not. However, in the nonprofit world (and certainly in the literary world), there are limited resources and limited attention given to special causes. Money seldom goes into the arts, much less in numbers suitable for impactful fundraising. By bombarding people’s feeds with calls for submission and utilizing any manner of Strategic Tactics to gain submissions or staff members, and increase engagement statistics, the focus shifts away from the art. How many people will read each issue, distributed online only and circulated within a Human Centipede of adolescent staff members, submitters, and their friends? These are problems that plague every magazine at its inception, and may now become endemic.
Perhaps the time spent on search engine optimization, fleeting bouts of graphic design, follow-unfollow mechanics, and organizing checklists would be better spent in serious study of the work at hand: reading and writing and revising and writing again. Perhaps some lit mags should stay group chats and some submissions are meant to be turned away.
Wait...
I recognize the irony of all of this, writing as I am for the Incandescent Review, and the founder of my own (albeit Instagram-less, localized, and niche) blog-cum-review. I’m grateful for the opportunity that Incandescent presents, with our special summer mentorship and staff writing teams. Ultimately I may be proven wrong, and I hope that I will be. I hope that each of the lit mags I’ve listed prosper in perpetuity, long past the college app deadlines of its high-school founders, publishing work of unique quality, spunk, and candor for steady and appreciative audiences of all ages.
In the end, who cares? These new magazines may not change the world, but they’ll certainly be some kind of fun.