litfarm

Never mind the declining sales of books and depressing statistics that show North Americans are reading less than ever before. Editors Tom Jenks and Carol Edgarian see all kinds of silver linings in the gloom, or more accurately, silicon linings.

(Ed: Please forgive me for thinking of, and writing down “silicon linings”. I need my coffee. Moving on…)

“This is a revolutionary period,” says Jenks, 57, who has held fiction editor positions at Esquire, GQ and Scribner’s. “And as with all revolutionary periods, it’s one of enormous opportunity – I don’t think there’s ever been a greater period of opportunity for writers, for literary work.”

The couple put their beliefs to the test when they founded Narrative Magazine, a non-profit literary magazine that is completely online. Within its first year, the site had 12,000 registered users, and is currently above 40,000. Undoubtedly helped by their long-time friends and connections in the literary world, including Jane Smiley, Tobias Wolff and Joyce Carol Oates (hallowed be thy name), not to mention stellar reputations for editing, the site has outstanding fiction, poetry, essays and journalism.

And for the litfarmers, they accept simultaneous electronic submissions, and you can check the status of your submission on their site.

It’s an amazing volunteer effort, with the kind of quality normally associated with venerable la-de-da magazines like The New Yorker. Read more here.

(thx, bn!)