courtesy post -- a call for submissions (Bridge Magazine, Chicago)
Marek Lugowski
---begin a courtesy post for someone else, Michael Workman.---
From: "Michael D. Workman" <m-wo...@northwestern.edu>
Bridge Magazine
Editorial Guidelines
Bridge Magazine is primarily about possibilities. As it says in our mission
statement, "the simple belief behind Bridge Magazine is that separate
fields of inquiry can and should be thought of as having shared horizons.
Today, every existing worldview, whether scientific, philosophic,
aesthetic, political, or literary must acknowledge its limits or risk being
defined as obsolete, unachievable, and incoherent. The goal of Bridge
Magazine is to make the relationships between these isolated fields of
inquiry clear, exposing the basic humanity from which every idea
originates." Thus, the material that appears in Bridge Magazine is
constricted only by the following criteria:
1)
Length. The average estimated length of any article which appears in Bridge
Magazine will not generally exceed 2000 words.
2)
No news or "journalistic" articles.
3)
No erotica, music, fashion or "Chicago" articles.
4)
All articles must have a "critical" bent, that is, they must concisely and
reasonably address their
topic, and present an inquiry that is both intelligible and coherent. In
addition, they must follow our "fusion" guidelines as detailed below.
The magazine breaks down into the following areas:
Fiction
We are primarily oriented toward realistic fiction in all of its variety,
in the tradition of some of our favorite writers - Flannery O'Connor,
Martin Amis, Raymond Carver. We will consider but are unlikely to use any
science fiction or gothic horror.
Poetry
We're interested in vivid, compelling narrative poetry, in poems that are
concrete and evocative and intended to reach the widest possible audience.
One piece of original short fiction will appear per issue. No more than two
(2) one-page poems will appear per issue.
Nonfiction
We seek the highest quality reportage, philosophic inquiry, and literary
nonfiction - book excerpts, reviews, personal experience, essays, humor,
cultural criticism. We prefer to see a completed manuscript rather than a
query. Our nonfiction needs can be broken down into four sub-areas:
Focus article
Each issue of Bridge Magazine will showcase an article written for its "Up
the Creek" department. The article in this department will set the general
tenor of that issue's focus. Usually written by a staff writer, but not
always.
Focus interview
In each issue (or 3 times a year) an extended review or interview will be
written, showcasing a different individual artist. We will seek, following
Bridge Magazine's unique vision, to cover writers and artists who are
neither obscure nor at the center of media attention. This includes
individuals who have passed their prime, who have yet to make the
substantial contribution that their previous work shows them capable of, or
those who have made significant artistic efforts that have simply gone
unnoticed. Usually written by a staff writer, but not always.
"Fusion" articles
"Fusion" articles will form the greater part of the material to be handled
in Bridge Magazine. Dispersed among the various "anchor" departments
described below, the goal will be to combine the department with another,
unrelated field of inquiry of the author's choice. This will be done either
by combining similar ideas from disparate fields, or by focusing on a
cultural good that "mixes metaphors" and critiquing its success. Each
article will be approximately 2,000 words in length.
Additional interviews/reviews
Of books, magazines or writers and artists.
"Anchor" departments
These 6 department listings are to serve as guides for writers when working
on "fusion" articles. Contributors may write outside of the guidelines
these departments represent, but the work should be as faithful to the idea
behind these guidelines as possible.
Lit Crit
Past or present? Dickens or Elmore Leonard, the entire continuum of
published authors is available for discussion. Here, we might try applying
themes from Crime & Punishment to why physical scientists have named
certain subatomic particles "Truth."
Philosophy
The possibilities here are endless. Try applying Hegel to the process of
making a good cheddar cheese omelette, and you may accidentally start your
own cult.
Social Science
This is a wide-open department, with a number of disciplines. Anthropology,
Business Administration, Communication, Education, History, Political
Science, Psychology, and Sociology issues all fall under the rubric of this
department. You might try connecting any one of these disciplines, for
instance, with the plans to colonize the planet Mars.
Religion/Theology
Play with God. You might talk about how, the more interesting technology
becomes, the less interesting people will become, and how their souls are
bound to wither. And please, restrict mental health issues to the social
sciences department.
Aesthetics
Painting, cinema, photography, etching, and the visual arts at large. Here
you might try to explain why a certain type of brushstroke can be applied
to landscaping techniques in Brazil.
"On Tap"
No one topic anchor rules this section. Anything goes. This is the
department that the "focus" article of each issue appears in, and so it is
usually written by a staff writer, but not always.
We consider unsolicited submissions but can't return or respond to
submissions that don't include a self-addressed, stamped return envelope.
E-mail submissions are acceptable in Microsoft Word or text format only.
Bridge Magazine is just beginning, and as we develop a wider range and a
more specific spectrum of guidelines, they will be added. Editing of
articles will consist of lengthening or shortening, at the contributor's
discretion, to suit size specifications.
Editorial Submissions
Please send all submissions to Bridge Magazine, 1331 North Ashland Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60622 (e-mail at m-wo...@northwestern.edu)
Cheers,
Michael Workman, Proprietor
Underworld Used Books
1331 North Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
Daytime: (312) 908-4963
Store: (773) 395-8454
Fri 6-10:30
Sat 12-10:30
Sun 12-7
Closed Mon-Thu
---end of courtesy post---
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------------------- http://www.enteract.com/~marek/ -------------------
1 Clickable geomap Magical Mystery Tour last add Kristie's postcard
2 HalinaFAQ (now also po polsku) Halina Poswiatowska Translation Project
3 A Small Garlic Press (ASGP) A 501c3 Nonprofit Corp $2/chapbook poetry