Luna Digest, 9/8

A message from Guernica: A Magazine of Art & Politics:

Four years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Author Pia Ehrhardt, a resident before and after the destruction, guest edits this issue. “What I hope the writing in this issue offers you,” says Ehrhardt, “are images and stories that give you pause and good reason to remember we are still down here, moving ahead, holding strong, but not moving on if it means forgetting what can happen.” Along with gripping work from established artists, Ehrhardt brings us moving essays, fiction, and poetry from voices largely unheard. In fact, to our surprise, Ehrhardt turned over the lion’s share of the magazine to high school students, some of the brightest in the N. O. area.

Former Punk Planet editor Dan Sinker (now a journalism teacher at Columbia College Chicago) launched a new website last Tuesday that will deliver a new short story every weekday to your cellphone: Cell Stories. Here’s some press on the launch from Reuters, Chicago Reader, and HTMLGIANT.

Fence has recently released a stunning (absolutely stunning) two book anthology of their first ten years—an anthology which should cement their place as one of the English language’s most influential poetry and experimental writing magazines. And they are throwing a party to celebrate, as they should:

Fence/Fence Books is delighted to request the pleasure of your company at a garden party in Brooklyn to celebrate the publication of A Best of Fence: The First Nine Years, Volumes 1 & 2. Saturday, September 12, 1 pm till 6 pm, 381 Park Place, #1, Brooklyn, New York. These two fat books will be available at a pleasing discount: One for $20/two for $35. And subscriptions to Fence for $10! Readings every hour on the hour by editors and contributors including but not limited to: Peter Gizzi, Matthew Rohrer, Lynne Tillman, and Max Winter.

A gorgeous Granta cover (and accompanying original sketch) by Chris Ware for the magazine’s upcoming Chicago issue. (Video with editor John Freeman after the jump.)

Another magazine has joined Bezos & Co: One Story has gone the Kindle. (Even as more and more news comes out about Kindle policies.)

From The New Yorker‘s Book Bench: “The hills of Pittsburgh are alive with the sound of an indie literary revolution.”

An international literary magazine for high school writers, Polyphonous H. S., offers professional editorial help for all of its submitters. Sort of 826 Valencia, the magazine?

Cha: An Asian Literary Journal has added Reid Mitchell on as the publication’s new consulting editor.

Tin House‘s still relatively new blog has an interview up with Zak Smith, author of many things, most recently We Did Porn. (Nine images from the book after the jump.)

The new issue of Poets and Artists in online…and free. This is their Self Portrait issue, with work by Stephen Wright, Denise Duhamel, Billy Collins, etc. (The editors also tossed the issue up at Scribd, if you’d rather read it that way.)

According to a post by January Magazine: “Wag’s Revue is off to a great start with interviews with Dave Eggers, T.C. Boyle and N+1 magazine founder Mark Greif as well as original poetry and fiction.” Their third issue is slated to be out in 11 days…

Hobart 10 is finally out.

And finally, the editors of PANK interview the anonymous editors of > kill author. Here’s a long quote from the unknown > kill author editors regarding their lit mag influences:

Robot Melon was a key influence on us when we were planning > kill author. We love its style – both the beautiful designs and the characteristic content. It seems to have a real ethos in what it features, that puts it out there and says “this is a Robot Melon piece”. And though Stephen Daniel Lewis is not anonymous as the editor, he also doesn’t loom large over the journal as a personality. Perhaps because of its air of mystery and its unpredictable publishing schedule, every new issue feels like an event.

We always dig DOGZPLOT for the breadth of what they publish across fiction, non-fiction and poetry, and the various print and online activities of Airforce Joyride / Greying Ghost / Corduroy Mtn always strike us as really elegant. My Name Is Mud is a must too, because we like little notes, glitter-covered fruit and vegetables, and words written out of carrots.

Every Tuesday, Travis Kurowski presents Luna Digest, a selection of news from the world of literary magazines. Travis is the editor of Luna Park, a magazine founded on the idea that journals are as deserving of critical attention as other artistic works.