Clifford Garstang's Blog, page 40
November 27, 2018
In Residence at VCCA-France
A week ago, I boarded a train in Bordeaux (see what I did there?) and an hour later disembarked in the city of Agen, where I was met by staff from VCCA-France Moulin-à-Nef, the home of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in France. We made the short drive from Agen to the village of Auvillar, a picturesque town situated on the Garonne river, where I proceeded to settle into my very comfortable accommodations.
[image error] La Maison V.
VCCA-France has room for four artists at a time, all with bedrooms in the gorgeous Maison Vieilhecazes, a very old house near the river that dates from the days when Auvillar had a bustling port. We have shared bathrooms and living space–a beautiful kitchen and dining area, plus a lounge–that make for a cozy environment when we aren’t working.
[image error] La Cebo
But the work is the whole point, so right next to the Maison is La Cebo (an Occitan word that means “onion”), the studio building where we all have large studios. Because the workspaces are designed to be used by either writers or visual artists, they are big and bright. Mine is at the back of the building, with a view of the hill behind the property. (A similar studio at the front of the building
[image error] market hall
looks out on the river.) This is where I spend the bulk of my time.
[image error] rear studio
[image error] L’Horloge
Residencies are for working, so the availability of entertainment is irrelevant. For a bit of daily distraction, I’m content to walk up the hill to the village and wander around the narrow streets, and stop into one of the shops (if they happen to be open–hours seem pretty haphazard), the bakery, a cafe, or a bar. There’s a small market weekly in the village’s gorgeous market building, but the VCCA residents also once a week go across the river to a larger town to shop at their much bigger farmers’ market and a supermarket.
But mostly, I’m working on a new novel. I’d had to put this project aside for most of the year as I was finalizing three other books and the anthology that just came out, but with all of those done and under contract, I can focus on this single book, which is nice. No more excuses! By the time I leave here, I won’t be done with the book, but I should have a good idea of what’s left to do to get the manuscript in shape, which I hope to do in 2019.
November 26, 2018
Deals! Books make great gifts . . .
[image error]There are just a couple of days left to get a copy of my first book, In an Uncharted Country, at a reduced price from the publisher as part of their Books of the Month promotion. Please check it out along with the other fine books that are on sale this month. But hurry, the sale price is only good through the end of November.
[image error]And the publisher is still offering a great deal of $10 off regular price if you order all three volumes of the Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet series. Learn more about the latest volume from this recent review.
Review of Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet Volume III
Peace Corps Worldwide is a website highlighting news of interest to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, with a special emphasis on publications by RPCVs. I’m pleased to see this recent review of Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction From a Small Planet Volume III, which includes stories by several stories by RPCVs.
“Much of the short fiction in Volume III of Everywhere Stories, edited by Clifford Garstang, is informed by that intensive immersion that only living in a society can supply. This collection’s short story authors individually reflect that unique awareness particular to each tradition and circumstance associated with a country.”
Order the book from the publisher, Press 53.
November 18, 2018
Bordeaux Stopover
Seven years ago, I had a short residency at VCCA-France (The Virginia Center for Creative Arts—Moulin-à-nef) in Auvillar, France. Because I didn’t want to arrive jet-lagged, I flew into Toulouse and stayed there for nearly a week before my residency in order to get accustomed to the time and also to see a part of France I hadn’t visited (i.e., anywhere other than Paris). Getting to Auvillar involved a train ride of about an hour-and-a-half. When my residency was over, I took the train back to Toulouse and flew home from there.
I’m headed back to Auvillar for another residency and decided to check out a different city before I get to work. This time I flew into Paris (because I plan a short visit there at the end of my stay in the country) and took the train from Paris to Bordeaux, a city I selected because it’s relatively close to Auvillar (about an hour by train), but also because I’m a red-wine drinker and love the full-bodied wines of the region. Hopping right on the train after a trans-Atlantic flight made sense to me because the day of arrival in Europe is often wasted. Your flight arrives in the morning, too early to check in to the hotel, so you sit in a café for a few hours waiting (or stumble through the streets as I did the last time I visited Paris) and then are probably too tired to do anything once you get your room.
Although I was a little worried about making the connection to the high-speed train I had booked (the TGV), I got to the terminal at Charles de Gaulle airport with lots of time to spare. The train ride was wonderful, and we made it to Bordeaux in mid-afternoon, on schedule. I was awake enough to use a public bus to get the B&B where I was to stay, and had no trouble finding the place and getting into my room.
A bit about the room: Villa Erizio. It’s wonderful. I booked it through Expedia because of the way it was described, but it’s even better than I thought. It’s an old building that’s been beautifully restored and decorated, with windows overlooking a quiet side street. It appears to have 5 rooms of varying sizes, with full kitchens, free wifi, and breakfast pastries delivered every morning. I wouldn’t mind going out to a café, but this has been wonderful. And there’s a market around the corner where I’ve bought fixings for most other meals. The apartment isn’t cheap, but I think it’s a good value.
And I love Bordeaux. The weather has been great—sunny, with daytime highs in the mid-60s—which has been perfect for my favorite pastime, walking. The city sprawls along the bank of the Garonne River, and the quai is extremely pedestrian friendly. Plus, the busses and the tram (I especially love the tram) are easy to use when you just can’t walk anymore. Historic sites are plentiful, as are restaurants and cafes and shops.
[image error] Chateau Marquis de Terme
The two highlights of the trip both involve wine. First, through Bordovino.com (although I again booked this through Expedia), I took a small-group tour (conducted in English) to the Medoc region of Bordeaux. The drive up there was beautiful and we visited two Chateaux for tastings and tours and stopped by Chateau Margaux just to see it, as it is one of the most famous wineries in the world. Our tour guide was Rémi, who was charming and knowledgeable. (Because I sat in the front seat of the mini-van, I got to chat with Rémi quite a bit and learned that he also spent some time in Asia, having worked in Indonesia in the hospitality business.) The trip was both fun and informative.
[image error] La Cite du Vin
Second, I visited La Cité du Vin, The City of Wine, which is an amazing place a short tram ride north of Bordeaux’s city center. It’s quite a production. After arriving in the ultra-modern complex and purchasing a ticket, the visitor ascends a staircase around the building’s core and gains entry to the temporary exhibit space on the first floor (which is to say, the first floor above the ground floor). (Currently, the temporary exhibit is about the Portuguese wine industry.) (That floor also has other resources, including a lecture hall and a library.) Then the visitor goes further up the stairs to the next floor, has the ticket checked again, to see the permanent exhibit, which consists of countless interactive displays (conveyed in the chosen language via a handheld device and headphones) and films. The last part of the visit is a trip to the building’s top floor for a (smallish) glass of wine and spectacular views of the city. (And then I had to walk back to the city center because a “strike” had block major arteries in and out of the city, including the trams and buses. Oh, well. It was only a few miles and it was a beautiful day.)
While walking around the city, I’ve also done other things:
I visited the Musée d’Aquitaine, which covers the long history of settlements in the area. I especially liked a temporary exhibit about Jack London’s voyage on his sailboat the Snark (here, I suppose, because it took him to French Polynesia) as well as an exhibit about Michel Montaigne, the essayist who also happened to be mayor of Bordeaux, 1581-85.
As a fan of art museums, I felt obligated to visit the Musée des Beaux Arts, but it was something of a disappointment. It consists of two smallish main wings for its permanent collection, plus a gallery across the street for temporary exhibits. There were a few gems in the section of the collection devoted to impressionism by artists I’d not heard of.
[image error] Palais Gallien
I liked the Palais Gallien, ruins that date from the 2nd No doubt there are lots of ruins underneath what has become a densely built city. In another area, there is a display about a discovery made when an underground carpark was being built. Probably you can’t dig a hole anywhere in the city without finding something.
I followed the UNESCO Heritage Trail, which includes a variety of structures built over the last 600 years or so that also takes one through a lot of interesting neighborhoods.
[image error]St. Michel Flea Market
I visited various markets—with fruits and vegetables and fish and cheese and bread, etc.—and a huge outdoor flea market.
Because I’m about to immerse myself in a writing project, I also checked out some of the many bookstores in the city, including the most famous, Mollat. I’ve brought more than enough with me to read, so I didn’t buy anything there, but I did find an interesting article about Literary Bordeaux that focuses on that store: Literary Tourist in Bordeaux, France.
And now my time in Bordeaux is coming to an end. On Monday, I’ll board a train to the east where I’ll set myself up in Auvillar and, I hope and expect, get back to work on my new novel. I’ve loved my time in this city, though, and recommend a visit.
November 13, 2018
Writer’s Bone Interview
I did a podcast interview last week with Daniel Ford of Writer’s Bone.
You can listen here: Writer’s Bone interview.
November 12, 2018
2019 Literary Magazine Ranking — Nonfiction
[image error]Below is the 2019 Perpetual Folly Literary Magazine Ranking for Nonfiction. Go here to read about the methodology.
If you find the list useful, please consider making a donation.
2019
Magazine
2018
2019 Score
1
Orion
2
54
2
Sun
1
52
3
Georgia Review
3
47
4
Tin House
4
37.5
5
Granta
13
28
6
Gettysburg Review
5
27.5
7
New Letters
6
27
8
Agni
10
23.5
9
Salmagundi
10
23.5
10
Ploughshares
7
21.5
10
Point, The
13
21.5
12
Fourth Genre
18
21
12
n+1
10
21
14
Threepenny Review
8
20
15
Conjunctions
8
19.5
16
River Teeth
16
17.5
17
American Scholar
13
17
18
Creative Nonfiction
24
16.5
19
Iowa Review
17
16
19
Missouri Review
20
16
21
Narrative
29
14
22
Antioch Review
22
13.5
23
Ecotone
20
12.5
23
Paris Review
19
12.5
25
Image
27
11
25
New England Review
28
11
25
Oxford American
39
11
25
Virginia Quarterly Review
24
11
29
Southern Review
26
9.5
30
Boulevard
23
9
31
Kenyon Review
29
8.5
32
Southampton Review
33
7.5
33
Brevity
36
7
34
Yale Review
33
6.5
35
Third Coast
45
6
35
War, Literature and The Arts
39
6
37
Bat City
139
5.5
37
Believer
31
5.5
37
Colorado Review
33
5.5
37
Ninth Letter
39
5.5
38
Fourth River
45
5
38
Gigantic
45
5
38
New Orleans Review
45
5
38
Pinch
31
5
38
Radio Silence
45
5
38
Sewanee Review
66
5
38
World Literature Today
39
5
38
About Place Journal
5
38
Bennington Review
5
50
Blackbird
36
4.5
50
Hudson Review
52
4.5
50
Raritan
43
4.5
53
Big Roundtable
56
4
53
Brain, Child
52
4
53
Broad Street
56
4
53
Normal School
52
4
57
Alaska Quarterly Review
60
3.5
57
Harvard Review
52
3.5
57
Hunger Mountain
38
3.5
57
Ruminate
45
3.5
57
Shenandoah
43
3.5
57
Southwest Review
56
3.5
57
TriQuarterly
60
3.5
64
American Poetry Review
60
3
64
Brick
60
3
64
Hedgehog Review
77
3
64
Prairie Schooner
66
3
64
Sweet
60
3
69
American Circus
45
2.5
69
Boston Review
69
2.5
69
Fugue
69
2.5
69
Great River Review
69
2.5
69
Michigan Quarterly Review
56
2.5
69
News from the Republic of Letters (?)
69
2.5
69
Seattle Review
69
2.5
69
Tusculum
69
2.5
69
Water-Stone Review
60
2.5
78
Bellevue Literary Review
77
2
78
Catapult
103
2
78
Electric Literature
77
2
78
Five Points
66
2
78
Guernica
77
2
78
Hopkins Review
103
2
78
Milkweed Editions – Press
69
2
78
O-Dark-Thirty
77
2
78
Offing
77
2
78
Prism
77
2
88
American Athenaeum (?)
77
1.5
88
Florida Review
90
1.5
88
Lapham’s Quarterly
77
1.5
88
Los Angeles Review
77
1.5
88
Massachusetts Review
77
1.5
88
Mount Hope
77
1.5
88
New Ohio Review
90
1.5
88
Passages North
139
1.5
88
Under the Sun
90
1.5
88
Willow Springs
90
1.5
88
Witness
77
1.5
88
ZYZZYVA
90
1.5
100
Alimentum
103
1
100
American Chordata
103
1
100
Another Chicago Magazine
1
100
Arts & Letters
90
1
100
Baffler
90
1
100
Barrelhouse
103
1
100
Bellevue Literary Press
103
1
100
Bomb
103
1
100
Catamaran
103
1
100
Chicago Review
103
1
100
Cimarron Review
90
1
100
Common, The
103
1
100
Crab Orchard Review
1
100
Crazyhorse
1
100
Delmarva Review
103
1
100
Denver Quarterly
1
100
Epiphany
103
1
100
Epoch
103
1
100
Fifth Wednesday
103
1
100
Gulf Coast
90
1
100
Heyday Books
103
1
100
Malahat Review
103
1
100
McSweeney’s
90
1
100
Memoir ©
90
1
100
Natural Bridge
103
1
100
North American Review
90
1
100
Oregon Humanities
103
1
100
Provincetown Arts
103
1
100
Redivider
1
100
Santa Monica Review
139
1
100
Slice
103
1
100
Tavern Books
103
1
100
Tikkun
103
1
100
Timberline Review
103
1
100
True Story
103
1
100
Wilson Quarterly
103
1
100
Zone 3
103
1
100
Terrain.org
1
100
Transition
1
100
Kitchen Work
1
100
Caught by the River
1
100
Consequence
1
100
Pacific Standard
1
100
Tahoma Literary Review
1
100
Room
1
145
A Public Space
103
0.5
145
Arts Fuse
103
0.5
145
Asia Literary Review
139
0.5
145
Black Pearls
139
0.5
145
Blood Orange Review
139
0.5
145
Bookforum
103
0.5
145
Callaloo
139
0.5
145
Camera Obscura
103
0.5
145
Canteen
139
0.5
145
Chautauqua
103
0.5
145
Columbia Review
139
0.5
145
Dart Society
103
0.5
145
Diagram
103
0.5
145
Europa Editions
139
0.5
145
Fiction
139
0.5
145
Fiction International
139
0.5
145
Five Chapters (?)
103
0.5
145
Free Inquiry
139
0.5
145
Haystack Mountain
139
0.5
145
High Country News
139
0.5
145
High Desert Journal
139
0.5
145
Hotel Amerika
139
0.5
145
Hub City Press
103
0.5
145
Idaho Review
139
0.5
145
Literary Review
139
0.5
145
Manoa
139
0.5
145
Meridian
139
0.5
145
Minnesota Review
139
0.5
145
Nelle (formerly PMS)
139
0.5
145
Noon
139
0.5
145
North Dakota Quarterly
139
0.5
145
Open City
139
0.5
145
Oregon Quarterly
139
0.5
145
Packinghouse Review ©
139
0.5
145
River Styx
139
0.5
145
Rumpus
139
0.5
145
SN Review
139
0.5
145
Stone Canoe
139
0.5
145
Stranger
139
0.5
145
Subtropics
90
0.5
145
The Journal
139
0.5
145
Tupelo Press
103
0.5
145
University of Michigan Press
139
0.5
145
Wag’s Revue
139
0.5
145
Writers Chronicle
139
0.5
2019 Literary Magazine Ranking — Poetry
[image error]Below is the 2019 Perpetual Folly Literary Magazine Ranking for Poetry. Go here to read about the methodology.
If you find the list useful, please consider making a donation.
2019
Magazine
2018
2019 Score
1
Poetry
1
80
2
Kenyon Review
2
50.5
3
American Poetry Review
3
40
4
Threepenny Review
5
35.5
5
New England Review
6
35
6
Southern Review
4
32.5
7
Gettysburg Review
9
28.5
8
Poem-a-Day
9
26
9
Ploughshares
7
23.5
10
Sun
16
22
11
Copper Canyon Press
18
21
12
Cincinnati Review
13
20
13
Tin House
9
18.5
14
Paris Review
12
17.5
15
Field
14
17
16
Agni
19
16.5
16
Georgia Review
16
16.5
16
Spillway
15
15.5
19
Boston Review
20
15
20
Blackbird
23
14
21
Five Points
23
13.5
21
Rattle
23
13.5
23
Copper Nickel
30
13
24
Sugar House Review
20
12.5
24
Vallum: Contemporary Poetry
43
12.5
26
New Ohio Review
27
12
27
Poetry Review
8
11
27
The Journal
50
11
29
jubilat
31
10.5
30
Four Way Books
32
10
30
Lake Effect
32
10
30
Tupelo Press
32
10
33
Arroyo Literary Review
120
9.5
33
Michigan Quarterly Review
36
9.5
33
Southern Indiana Review
27
9.5
33
Virginia Quarterly Review
22
9.5
37
Massachusetts Review
38
9
38
Missouri Review
39
8.5
38
Sixth Finch
39
8.5
40
River Styx
41
8
41
Image
41
7.5
41
Literary Imagination
129
7.5
41
Ninth Letter
129
7.5
41
Pleiades
129
7.5
41
Smartish Pace
43
7.5
41
Yale Review
36
7.5
41
ZYZZYVA
32
7.5
48
BOA Editions
43
7
48
Hudson Review
27
7
48
Tar River
50
7
51
Adroit Journal
66
6
51
American Scholar
50
6
51
Awl
50
6
51
Codex
50
6
51
Ecotone
50
6
51
Nepantla
50
6
51
Poetry Northwest
23
6
51
Prelude
50
6
51
Southeast Review
180
6
51
White Pine Press
66
6
61
Greensboro Review
59
5.5
61
Gulf Coast
59
5.5
61
Hopkins Review
59
5.5
61
Lana Turner
59
5.5
61
Little Star
50
5.5
61
New Criterion
125
5.5
61
Nimrod
236
5.5
61
Salmagundi
59
5.5
69
Account
66
5
69
Alaska Quarterly Review
66
5
69
Alice James Books
59
5
69
American Journal of Poetry
66
5
69
Benniington Review
66
5
69
Brick
66
5
69
Butcher’s Dog
66
5
69
Cave Wall
66
5
69
Conduit
66
5
69
Constellations
66
5
69
Crab Orchard Review
66
5
69
Foundry
66
5
69
Granta
66
5
69
Graywolf Press
66
5
69
Great River Review
66
5
69
Hawaii Pacific Review
66
5
69
I-70 Review
66
5
69
LSU Press
66
5
69
Malahat Review
66
5
69
Moonpie Press
66
5
69
Nerve Cowboy
66
5
69
New American Writing
59
5
69
New Orleans Review
66
5
69
Prism
66
5
69
Purple Passion Press
66
5
69
Quarterly West
66
5
69
Rhino
66
5
69
River Teeth
66
5
69
Salamander
120
5
69
Seneca Review
5
69
Storm Cellar
66
5
69
Summerset Review
66
5
69
Sycamore Review
66
5
69
TAB
66
5
69
Thrush
66
5
69
Tiger Bark Press
66
5
69
Tipton Poetry Journal
66
5
69
Tule Review
66
5
69
Volta
66
5
69
Willow Springs
43
5
69
Bettering American Poetry
5
69
Abstract Magazine TV
5
69
Kweli Journal
5
69
Plume
5
69
Saturnalia Books
5
69
Shade Journal
5
69
Wordtemple Press
5
116
Denver Quarterly
49
4.5
116
Shenandoah
66
4.5
118
Hotel Amerika
117
4
118
Little Patuxent Review
117
4
118
North American Review
119
4
121
Crazyhorse
129
3.5
121
Epoch
120
3.5
121
Hunger Mountain
66
3.5
121
Indiana Review
120
3.5
121
Zone 3
129
3.5
126
Paterson Literary Review
125
3
126
Poetry International
125
3
126
Subtropics
125
3
129
5 a.m. ©
129
2.5
129
Assaracus
66
2.5
129
Atlanta Review
129
2.5
129
Briar Cliff Review
66
2.5
129
Café Review
129
2.5
129
Collagist
66
2.5
129
Court Green ©
129
2.5
129
Cypher Books
129
2.5
129
Dunes Review
66
2.5
129
Eleven Eleven
129
2.5
129
Fifth Wednesday
129
2.5
129
Forklift Ohio
66
2.5
129
Green Mountains Review
66
2.5
129
Harbour Publishing
66
2.5
129
Harvard Review
129
2.5
129
Ibbetson Street
66
2.5
129
Iowa Review
129
2.5
129
Manhattan Review
129
2.5
129
Margie ©
129
2.5
129
Muzzle Magazine
66
2.5
129
Nebraska Poets Calendar (?)
129
2.5
129
New South
168
2.5
129
New South Books
129
2.5
129
New Verse News
129
2.5
129
Notre Dame Review
66
2.5
129
Orion
43
2.5
129
Parnassus: Poetry in Review
129
2.5
129
Pilot Light
129
2.5
129
Pleasure Boat Studio
129
2.5
129
Poems & Plays
129
2.5
129
Prairie Schooner
129
2.5
129
Quiddity
129
2.5
129
Southern Poetry Review
129
2.5
129
Spork
129
2.5
129
Think Journal
129
2.5
129
Treelight Books
66
2.5
129
Utah State University Press
129
2.5
129
Verse Wisconsin ©
129
2.5
129
Water-Stone Review
43
2.5
129
YesYes Books
66
2.5
169
Iron Horse Literary Review
168
2
169
Narrative
168
2
169
Upstreet
168
2
169
Verse Daily
168
2
169
World Literature Today
180
2
174
Believer
176
1.5
174
Birdfeast
168
1.5
174
Cimarron Review
176
1.5
174
Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review
176
1.5
174
Poet Lore
180
1.5
174
Raritan
168
1.5
174
Southwest Review
176
1.5
174
University of Pittsburgh Press
129
1.5
182
Academy of American Poets
180
1
182
Beloit Poetry Journal
168
1
182
Black Warrior Review
180
1
182
Bloom
180
1
182
Chinquapin Literary Magazine
180
1
182
Chiron Review
180
1
182
Cleveland State Univ. Poetry Ctr.
180
1
182
Clockhouse
180
1
182
Colorado Review
180
1
182
Construction
180
1
182
Cossack Review
180
1
182
Cutbank
1
182
Enizagam
180
1
182
Exit 7
180
1
182
Grub Street
180
1
182
Gun Powder Press
180
1
182
Heart
180
1
182
Hobart
180
1
182
Jai-Alai
180
1
182
Lake, The
180
1
182
Louisiana Literature
180
1
182
McNeese Review
180
1
182
Meadow
180
1
182
MIZNA
180
1
182
Offing
180
1
182
OmniVerse
180
1
182
One Throne
180
1
182
Paris American
180
1
182
Pinch
180
1
182
Pluck
180
1
182
Porkbelly Press
180
1
182
QWERTY
180
1
182
Radius
180
1
182
Raleigh Review
180
1
182
Rove
180
1
182
Rumpus
180
1
182
Saranac Review
180
1
182
Solstice
180
1
182
Springhouse
180
1
182
Tupelo Quarterly
180
1
182
Upstairs at Duroc (?)
180
1
182
Wave Books
120
1
182
Yarn
180
1
182
Bauhan Publshing
1
182
Birmingham Poetry Review
1
182
Great Weather for Media
1
182
Gulf Stream Literary Magazine
1
182
Poetry South
1
182
Scablands Books
1
231
A Public Space
180
0.5
231
Able Muse
236
0.5
231
Airlie Press
180
0.5
231
Autumn House
236
0.5
231
Barefoot Muse
236
0.5
231
Bellevue Literary Review
236
0.5
231
Blue Earth Review
236
0.5
231
Calyx
236
0.5
231
Cardinal Points
236
0.5
231
Chautauqua
180
0.5
231
Columbia Poetry Review
236
0.5
231
Connecticut Review
236
0.5
231
Evansville Review
180
0.5
231
Examined Life
236
0.5
231
Fort Hemlock Press ©
236
0.5
231
Hanging Loose
236
0.5
231
Harpur Palate
236
0.5
231
Haven Chronicles (?)
236
0.5
231
Hayden’s Ferry
236
0.5
231
Healing Muse
180
0.5
231
Hollins Critic
236
0.5
231
InDigest (?)
236
0.5
231
Live Mag!
236
0.5
231
Long Island Quarterly
236
0.5
231
Lost Hills Books (?)
236
0.5
231
Main Street Rag
236
0.5
231
Make
236
0.5
231
New Haven Review
236
0.5
231
New Letters
180
0.5
231
New Madrid
180
0.5
231
Normal School
180
0.5
231
November 3rd Club
236
0.5
231
Persea Books
180
0.5
231
Silk Road
180
0.5
231
Sink Review
236
0.5
231
Specs
236
0.5
231
Spoon River Review
236
0.5
231
Valparaiso Poetry Review
236
0.5
231
Verse Magazine
180
0.5
231
Wordcraft of Oregon
236
0.5
231
Zephyr Press
180
0.5
2019 Literary Magazine Ranking — Fiction
Below is the 2019 Perpetual Folly Literary Magazine Ranking for Fiction. Go here to read about the methodology.
If you find the list useful, please consider making a donation.
2019
Magazine
2018
2019 Score
1
Ploughshares
3
59.5
2
One Story
1
58.5
3
Conjunctions
2
54.5
4
Paris Review
4
45
5
Ecotone Magazine
12
40
6
Zoetrope: All Story
8
38.5
7
Threepenny Review
5
37
8
Gettysburg Review
7
36
8
Noon
9
36
10
Tin House
5
34.5
11
Kenyon Review
11
32
12
Glimmer Train
15
31
13
A Public Space
10
29.5
14
Southern Review
13
29
15
Sun
22
27
16
Virginia Quarterly Review
14
26
17
Georgia Review
18
23.5
17
New England Review
16
23.5
19
American Short Fiction
20
23
19
Iowa Review
16
23
21
Agni
20
22.5
22
Missouri Review
19
21.5
23
Image
24
20
24
McSweeney’s
25
19.5
25
Bellevue Literary Review
30
18.5
26
ZYZZYVA
27
17.5
27
New Letters
34
17
27
Oxford American
26
17
29
Narrative
23
16
30
Epoch
27
15
31
Boulevard
32
14.5
31
Pleiades
39
14.5
33
Crazyhorse
29
14
34
Wigleaf
32
13.5
35
Colorado Review
30
13
36
New Orleans Review
46
12
37
Granta
39
11.5
37
Hudson Review
35
11.5
39
Idaho Review
36
10.5
40
Michigan Quarterly Review
36
10
41
Five Points
42
9.5
42
Prairie Schooner
42
8.5
42
Southampton Review
73
8.5
42
Yale Review
38
8.5
45
Chicago Quarterly
46
8
45
Electric Literature
39
8
45
Harvard Review
78
8
48
Santa Monica Review
50
7
49
Mississippi Review
44
6.5
49
n+1
90
6.5
49
Raritan
78
6.5
52
Catapult
121
6
52
New Madrid
50
6
54
Antioch Review
44
5.5
54
J Journal
53
5.5
54
Little Star
53
5.5
54
Pinch
60
5.5
54
Sarabande Books
53
5.5
54
West Branch
53
5.5
60
Alaska Quarterly Review
50
5
60
Bomb
53
5
60
Ruminate
60
5
60
Salmagundi
60
5
60
Southwest Review
53
5
60
Stillhouse Press
60
5
60
Third Coast
48
5
60
Prime Number Magazine
5
60
Southern Indiana Review
5
69
Cincinnati Review
67
4.5
69
Hopkins Review
60
4.5
69
Notre Dame Review
78
4.5
69
Witness
53
4.5
73
One Teen Story
73
4
74
Common, The
78
3.5
74
Epiphany
67
3.5
74
Pen America
67
3.5
74
Post Road
67
3.5
74
Sewanee Review
67
3.5
79
Arts & Letters
78
3
79
Florida Review
73
3
79
Gulf Coast
73
3
79
River Styx
90
3
79
Shenandoah
48
3
79
Water-Stone Review
65
3
85
Black Renaissance Noire
78
2.5
85
Black Warrior Review
184
2.5
85
Cimarron Review
73
2.5
85
Consequence Magazine
121
2.5
85
Copper Nickel
108
2.5
85
Indiana Review
108
2.5
85
Upstreet
78
2.5
85
Willow Springs
78
2.5
93
Akashic Books
90
2
93
Beloit Fiction
90
2
93
Bennington Review
121
2
93
Berkeley Fiction Review
90
2
93
Black Clock ©
90
2
93
Blackbird
78
2
93
Brooklyn Rail
90
2
93
Fifth Wednesday
90
2
93
Green Mountains Review
121
2
93
Healing Muse
90
2
93
Juked
90
2
93
Mid American Review
90
2
93
New York Tyrant
90
2
93
Ninth Letter
90
2
93
Per Contra
90
2
93
Redivider
78
2
93
Zone 3
2
110
American Scholar
65
1.5
110
Chautauqua
108
1.5
110
Confrontation
108
1.5
110
Fiction
78
1.5
110
Fiction International
90
1.5
110
Graywolf Press
108
1.5
110
Grist
184
1.5
110
Kweli
90
1.5
110
Massachusetts Review
90
1.5
110
Minnesota Review
121
1.5
110
Mythium
108
1.5
110
New Ohio Review
108
1.5
110
Salt Hill
90
1.5
110
TriQuarterly
67
1.5
110
Western Humanities Review
184
1.5
110
World Literature Today
108
1.5
126
African American Review
121
1
126
Baltimore Review
121
1
126
Barrelhouse
121
1
126
BkMk Press
108
1
126
Brick
121
1
126
Broadkill River Press
121
1
126
Brooklyn Review
121
1
126
Calyx
121
1
126
Catamaran
121
1
126
Chattahoochee Review
108
1
126
Chicago Review
121
1
126
Cleaver
121
1
126
Cutbank
121
1
126
Dr. T.J. Eckleburg Review
121
1
126
East
121
1
126
Elm Leaves Journal
121
1
126
failbetter.com
121
1
126
Fjords
121
1
126
Four Way Books
121
1
126
Fourteen Hills
108
1
126
Gascony Writers Anthology (?)
121
1
126
Gigantic
121
1
126
Glossolalia
121
1
126
Hunger Mountain
121
1
126
Joyland
121
1
126
Literal Latte
1
126
Literary Review
121
1
126
Lumina
121
1
126
Malahat Review
121
1
126
Manoa
121
1
126
Memorious
121
1
126
Midwestern Gothic
121
1
126
Moon City
121
1
126
Mud City Journal
121
1
126
Natural Bridge
121
1
126
Obsidian
121
1
126
Pembroke Magazine (?)
121
1
126
Press 53
108
1
126
Provincetown Arts
121
1
126
Seneca Review
121
1
126
Sixfold
121
1
126
Sonora Review
121
1
126
Spectacle
121
1
126
StoryQuarterly
78
1
126
Sweet
121
1
126
Texas Review Press
121
1
126
The Journal
121
1
126
Transition
121
1
126
Tweed’s (?)
121
1
126
Yemassee
121
1
126
Blue Fountain
1
126
Litmag
1
126
Black Lawrence Press
1
126
Vassar Review
1
126
Pulp Literature
1
126
Baffler, The
1
126
New Delta Review
1
126
Potomac Review
1
184
Anomalous
184
0.5
184
Appalachian Heritage
108
0.5
184
Asian American Literary Review
121
0.5
184
At Length
184
0.5
184
Austin State University Press
121
0.5
184
Bellingham Review
184
0.5
184
Blue Earth Review
184
0.5
184
Blue Mesa Review
184
0.5
184
Boston Review
184
0.5
184
Carpe Articulum ©
184
0.5
184
Carve
184
0.5
184
Chariton Review
184
0.5
184
Collagist
121
0.5
184
Crab Creek Review
121
0.5
184
Dalkey Archive Press
121
0.5
184
Dogwood
184
0.5
184
Dossier Journal (?)
184
0.5
184
Enizagram
121
0.5
184
Exile
184
0.5
184
Five Chapters (?)
184
0.5
184
Freight Stories
184
0.5
184
Gray’s Sporting Journal
184
0.5
184
Hotel Amerika
184
0.5
184
Inkwell ©
184
0.5
184
Isotope ©
184
0.5
184
Jabberwock Review
184
0.5
184
John Daniel & Co.
121
0.5
184
Kelsey Review
184
0.5
184
King’s English ©
184
0.5
184
Laughing Fire Press
184
0.5
184
Little Fiction
121
0.5
184
Maggid ©
184
0.5
184
Momotombo Press
184
0.5
184
News from the Republic of Letters (?)
184
0.5
184
Normal School
121
0.5
184
North Carolina Literary Review
121
0.5
184
Ontario Review ©
121
0.5
184
Orion
184
0.5
184
Outpost 19
121
0.5
184
Pear Noir ©
121
0.5
184
Pegasus Books
184
0.5
184
Puerto del Sol
121
0.5
184
Slice
184
0.5
184
Smoke Long Quarterly
184
0.5
184
Southern California Review ©
184
0.5
184
Sou’wester
184
0.5
184
Texas Review
184
0.5
184
Timber Creek Review (?)
184
0.5
2019 Literary Magazine Rankings
[image error]Below are links to the 2019 Perpetual Folly Literary Magazine Rankings for Fiction, Poetry, and Non-Fiction. Scroll down for a discussion of the rationale and methodology behind the lists.
If you find the lists useful, please consider making a donation to support this site.
Literary Magazine Ranking — Fiction
Literary Magazine Ranking — Poetry
Literary Magazine Ranking — Non-Fiction
Rationale for the rankings. Years ago, when I was first submitting short stories to literary magazines, I wanted a way to tier my submissions. I believe in simultaneous submissions, but I didn’t want to submit a story to a great magazine and a not-so-great magazine at the same time because of the risk of multiple acceptances. (If the not-so-great magazine accepted first, it would pain me to withdraw the story from the great magazine.) Developing a ranking of literary magazines allowed me to submit only to those magazines in roughly the same tier. I began sharing the list on my blog because I knew other writers used the same tiered approach to submissions. Eventually, I added poetry and non-fiction rankings and also links to magazine websites.
Basis for the rankings. I base the rankings on the annual Pushcart Prize anthology that comes out in November. That anthology includes fiction, poetry, and non-fiction and excludes the magazines of general circulation like The New Yorker, Atlantic, Harper’s, and so on. Other anthologies, like the Best American series and the O.Henry Prize Stories are excellent books, but their approach to assembling their winners is different. As these things go, the Pushcart Prize anthology draws from a wide range of nominating magazines, which makes it the best choice for these rankings. One criticism of the Pushcart Prizes is that they have a print-publication bias. Although there are an increasing number of online publications earning recognition in the anthology, that bias is probably real. There are some fine online magazines that won’t appear on these lists, unfortunately.
Methodology. After several years of making these lists, I made a change two years ago that I have retained. Originally, I based the rankings on a ten-year rolling score that assigned a constant value for Pushcart Prizes earned over that period and a lower value for Special Mentions. Some readers suggested that a five-year rolling score would be better because it would result in newer publications rising in the rankings sooner. But reputations take years to develop, and I didn’t like the shorter period, while acknowledging the validity of the point. So last year I compromised. Now the formula assigns one value for Prizes and Special Mentions received in the most recent five years and half that value for Prizes received in the preceding five years.
Symbols. You’ll notice a few symbols next to the names of some magazines on the lists. (c) indicates a closed magazine; (w) indicates a broken link for a live magazine; and (?) indicates some question about the magazine or an unknown link.
Feedback and Support. I welcome your feedback. Let me know if you find a broken or incorrect link, either by leaving a comment or contacting me through this website. I don’t mind hearing criticism of my approach, either, if that’s what you want to share. (Praise is also welcome.) And if you find the lists at all useful, please consider making a donation to support the site. You’ll find a Donation button above and on each of the ranking pages.
November 11, 2018
Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction From a Small Planet Volume III — Book Launch
[image error]Although Volume III of Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet has technically been out since mid-October, we held a book launch celebration at Black Swan Books & Music in Staunton, VA on Friday, November 9. The event coincided with downtown Staunton’s Sparkles & Sweets, a pre-holiday promotion that kept stores open late and attracted hordes of shoppers.
So there was a lot of competition in the city from other special offerings. We weren’t even the only thing happening in the bookstore. A new business in town, Crucible Coffee Roasters, had set up a tasting table in the front of the store and was giving away samples. (I never drink coffee at night, but it smelled so good I couldn’t resist; it was fantastic.)
[image error]Despite the competition, however, our event was packed. I didn’t count the attendance, but Jamie, the store owner, had put out all his chairs and there were people standing in the aisles, so we were thrilled. The book, as my readers know, is the third in a series of anthologies. Each volume includes 20 stories by 20 writers set in 20 countries. For the launch, three of our contributors to Volume III were present along with one from Volume II. Each talked and read briefly from their stories and then we ended the program to allow one-on-one conversations and book signings. Thanks to Teresa Hudson, J. Thomas Brown, Mark Jacobs, and Chris Cleary for joining me on the program!
If you are interested in the series, Stauntonians can find copies at Black Swan. You can order from the publisher (including a special price if you buy all three volumes), or, of course, you can order from Amazon.com. (I’ve also got copies, so if you see me I’ll be happy to sell to you directly.)
