It was a privilege to be sent a copy of a literary journal called The Pinch.
I've never heard of this literary journal before, but I was interested to learn more about it.
Now the idea for reviewing literary journals spawned when I had a school assignment, which had us reviewing a literary journal of our choice. So I was scrambling to find a journal. I even asked at least three journals via email to send a review copy for me to review on. However, as the deadline for the assignment approached, I had to resort to the literary journals that were in my school library. And since then, I've gotten journals from two of the companies that I've asked.
However, so that there's no misunderstanding, I decided to review the journals that I've gotten late... ON THIS BLOG!!!
-Yay!
So the review of The Pinch is, in fact, my first review of a literary journal for this blog. So let's dive in.
At first glance...
I was given the Vol. 34 No. 1 (Spring 2014) issue of The Pinch from the editors themselves. On the front cover, it features some objects that one may associate with as something from a museum. The background had some kind of atlas or map, which adds onto the museum-like theme.
On the back cover, you'll see a list of contributors, as well as a "funded by" and the university that supported the journal. In this case, the journal is said to be funded by The Hohenberg Foundation, and is sponsored by The University of Memphis.
-Funny thing: On the bottom of the journal on the back cover, there's some words saying, "Keep this slip. It is the only itemized copy you will receive."
Either this is real or coincidence, because I was asking for a review copy of this journal.
Opening the book...
The first pages contain the masthead (the editors and co.), acknowledgements, the mission statement ("A Note on The Pinch"), and the table of contents.
Now, if you look at the table of contents, you'll see that the journal features fiction (short), creative nonfiction, poetry, visual arts, and a section for the Pinch Literary Award Winners. Now, the good thing about the selection is that even though the genres are divided into sections in the table of contents, they're spread out throughout the book, which increases viewership on the journal itself, versus dividing the audience.
Looking through a literary work...
Let's say I'm reading through a poem. (We'll use a poem as an example.)
First of all, the font. The title is in bold, capital letters. Plus, the name of the writer is on top of the title of the work. The font of the literary work itself seems like a 12-pt. font, though it's not Times New Roman...
-Sorry. That was computer literacy for you guys.
Moving on, the page itself is white (not an off-white). There's space between the gutter line and the text, which is effective, because who wants to try and pry the book further open to not miss a word of text?
The visual arts
Now, as promised, the journal does feature artwork from some of its contributors. For artworks like the huge one by Keiko Gonzalez called "Two Hand Clap," they're displayed with two full pages. The work is a pretty good size, especially for individual artwork that only require one page.
The Winner's Section
Also, as promised, the journal has a section that features contributors that gained recognition for their works. (We'll get to submission processes and guidelines later on in this review.) There's only one winner for different genre. And, just like the other works, the winning works are scattered, instead of being restricted by a set section.
Contributors' Notes
The journal takes the initiative in recognizing its contributors: their name, their education, their occupation, their bio, etc.
Afterwards, the journal has some advertising for future contests, announcements, etc.
Pricing
At first glance, you'll see the U.S. pricing for this book: $15. That seems pricey for a literary journal. Then again, the resources had to come from somewhere. Plus, the glossy cover, the number of pages (157 at least), the dimensions of the book itself (a 9.5" x 6.75", I think), and the binding... I could tell that a lot of effort was put into this journal.
If you look on the page before the masthead, you'll see the prices, when it comes to subscribing to the journal. (They can be bought online.)
$28 a year
$50 for 2 years
$60 for 2 years (for organizations buying)
-Again, very pricey.
Submissions Process
Now, as I promised earlier, the submissions process. Well, if you look at the page before the masthead, you'll see that the journal claims to publish twice a year.
-Good point, seeing that the issue that we have here is the spring edition.
You'll also see that the publishing is overseen by the English Department of the University of Memphis. The journal calls for submissions from August 15th and March 15th; and the works have to be mailed to the address provided, or online on their website in the website provided. (We'll get to the website later on in this review.)
-However, the word is that the journal is now accepting online submissions starting March 15, 2015. Times have changed.
-Plus, you have to submit online on their website.
And, as usual, submissions have to be original and never been previously published... oh yeah- and be ready to send a cover letter.
-I feel that this is starting to become a job application, instead of submitting a literary work. I mean, it's hard enough for writers, because the job market can be a cruel mistress. I'm just saying we don't really need a submission process to emphasize that. However, if it's for the sake of being professional, then cool.
So now, I'm curious when it comes to books and journals. So what if I wanted to learn more about this journal? That's where the journal's website comes in.
The website
The website itself seems simple. This is good, but can use something more. Here, you have black and white colors as a background, even though it features visual artwork and sections on where to find each genre. There's not just online content, but there's also news (where to see the list of winners, upcoming events, etc.), submission guidelines and faqs, and info on summer workshops.
Plus, this website reminds me of something that one would see on a Local Coffee website.
-It's like this website is saying: Eh, we want the website to be simple, so any other business can do the same. But I'm thinking: If your journal calls for originality, then why not emphasize it on your website?
And finally... a little background:
Once upon a time, this journal was founded by William Page in 1980 under the name Memphis State Review. The journal has featured works from well-known writers like Phillip Levine, Mary Oliver, etc. (more writers featured in the mission statement) As time went on, the journal became successful, and is being run by graduate students.
-That was a good start.
Consensus
So, what do I think about The Pinch? Well, to say the least, this journal was a pretty-good book to get my hands on.
Despite their website feeling generic, the prices for subscriptions seem like a bit of a concern, and not much of a history to display... the journal does let itself to good content. With an appropriate size, theme choices, considerable length of the book, and the genres that it's open to, The Pinch would be somewhere where I can submit work to.
So, if you like an interesting read that features award-winning and recognized content, then why not give this journal a try?
Whatsoever Critic
Sources:
The Pinch (both Vol. 34 No. 1 Spring 2013 issue, and website)
Local Coffee (as an example for website comparison)
Courtesy: The Hohenberg Foundation/The University of Memphis
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