People who write and appreciate good writing come in all races, shapes, religions and nationalities. We are young and old, tall and short, optimistic and pessimistic. We tend to read everything and assess whether something is worth reading after the first few paragraphs. We read labels and signs and other lettered accoutrements that clutter our lives, often unconsciously. Reading is a passion because it feeds our writing.
This past year, with 3 blogs, I have been writing a good deal of non-fiction. This marks a change for me since in years past I have focused on fiction writing. My hunger for fiction has not gone away. If anything, it has increased. I realized this when recently visiting my favorite bookstore: Joseph Beth in Lexington. My intention was to purchase a few books for my Spanish students. I found the books and then immediately headed to the fiction section. Then came a terrible moment of decision!
On a limited book budget, if I wanted to purchase a novel, I would have to put back at least one of the Spanish books I needed. But then I saw a rack of literary reviews and quarterly magazines and realized that I could buy 3 of them for the price of that one novel. And that's what I did.
These past days I've been feasting! I recommend this approach to satisfying one's hunger for fiction. The variety is wide, the styles diverse, and the value for dollar is excellent. Here are some of the magazines I recommend:
Artful Dodge: Short stories, translations, poetry
Glimmer Train: Short stories and interviews
Mid-American Review: Fiction, non-fiction, translations and reviews
Rosebud: Short stories, wonderful sketches, and poetry
Salamander: Poetry, short stories and memoirs
Enjoy the feast!
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