WHATS
NEW AT PORTAL DEL SOL
E-Pubs, Fiction
and Poetry Journals
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Brevity Interview ://
An
interview with Dinty W. Moore, editor of Brevity. Brevity publishes
concise literary nonfiction of 750 words or less ...
View I-view |
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Infinity's
Kitchen ://
It
is great to see literary publications take advantage of the web and
break boundaries...  |
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NEW Portal
Del Sol Editor
Chloe Yelena Miller
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Chloe' Yelena Miller has poems
published or forthcoming in Alimentum Journal, The Cortland Review,
Lumina, Privatephotoreview.com, South Mountain Poets Chapbook,
Spiralbridge.org, and Sink Review. Her manuscript, Permission
to Stay, was a finalist for the Philip Levine Prize in Poetry. She
lives in Ann Arbor, MI, and teaches writing for Fairleigh Dickinson University. She received an MFA
from Sarah Lawrence College and a BA from Smith College. You are
welcome to visit her website: http://www.chloeyelenamiller.com/. You can email her at Chloemiller@gmail.com
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PDS
INTERVIEW SERIES
Print and E-Journal Greats
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Brevity
:// View | I-view
An
interview with Dinty W. Moore, editor of Brevity. Brevity publishes
concise literary nonfiction of 750 words or less as well as book
reviews and craft essays. Read on for Moores thoughts on CNF, MFAs,
selecting submissions, and the beauty that is the Internet.
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textsound Interview:// View
| I-view
textsound,
a new online journal of experimental sound, was begun by Anna Vitale,
Laura Wetherington, Anya Cobler and Adam Fagin and launched in the
winter of 2008.
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Mad
Hatter's Review :// View | I-view
An interview
with Carol Novack, editor of Mad Hatters Review. MHR is among
the most content rich literary web sites on the internet. Its depth and
scope are almost scary. |
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Thieves
Jargon :// View | I-view
An interview
with Matt DiGangi, editor of Thieves Jargon. This guy don't
like the mainstream net journals, and he's got a special vision to
share. Bring it on! |
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Third
Coast :// View | I-view
An interview
with Peter Geye, editor of Third Coast. An old fashioned guy
who wants to hold a journal in his hand, and perhaps even spill coffee
on it. |
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Redactions
:// View | I-view and Review
An interview
with Mike Dockins, editor of Redactions, also the poetry editor
of Terminus. This guy is all over the place! |
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Pittsburgh
Quarterly :// View | I-view and Review
An interview
with Bruce Hoffman. Over the years Bruce Hoffman has written for and/or
edited a variety of labor and literary publications in the Pittsburgh
area. His work is his life. |
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The
Literary Review :// View | I-view and Review
An interview
with Walter Cummins, editor emeritus of The Literary Review, a
legendary journal that publishes writing from all over the globe. |
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Black
Warrior Review :// View | I-view and Review
An interview
with Dan Kaplan, editor of Black Warrior Review. BWR is the
feisty thirty-year-old brainchild of Creative Writing MFA students from
the University of Alabama. |
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Archipelago
:// View | I-view and Review
An interview
with the one and only Katherine McNamara, editor of Archipelago,
plus a bonus review of the site. If you're looking for originality and
quality, this journal is the place. |
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Barcelona
Review :// View | I-view and Review
An interview
with Ms. Jill Adams, editor of the exotic Barcelona Review. For
your reading pleasure, The Barcelona Review offers up heaping
plates of explorations in sexuality, Missouri, and Martinis. |
NOTE: All the portal-ed
publications below are rated, from one sun to five, based on quality of
literature, aesthetics, and overall inventiveness. Three is good, four
is very good, and five is nonesuch.
NOTE2: to all e-journal
editors. If you're looking for a backslap when it isn't deserved, don't
ask for a review. Thanks!
PORTAL
DEL SOL CATEGORIES
2River
:// View | Rating: 
This site's
databanks are filled to the brim with one hundred percent pure poetry
as fresh as a mountain spring. The navigation's a bit bogged down, and
the presentation's somewhat diluted, but you can still come here to
quench your thirst for something new. |
3 AM
Magazine :// View | Rating:
It's getting
late, and hours of surfing have drawn the electric sandman in, to
sprinkle pixels in your eye. "What's open at this time of night?" you
ask, "Where can I go for all my literary shopping needs?" Look no
further. This is a veritable supermarket of poetry, fiction, genre
fiction, nonfiction, forums, music reviews, and more. Shop till you
drop. |
3rd Bed
:// View | Rating:
A psychedelic,
surreal dreamscape through which flicker avant-garde fiction, poetry,
and hypermedia as fascinating as any lava lamp. An oh-so appropriate
white rabbit guards the gate of this literary carnival. You'd best
follow him down the hole. |
AboveStream.com
:// View |
Rating:
Below its
deceptively simple surface, this site runs deep. Its pages runneth over
with mouth-watering streaming videos on authors, architecture,
sculpture, photography, cartoons, and much, much more. Dive on in and
get with the flow! |
Adirondack
Review :// View |
Rating:
The mountainous
contents of this site range from deeply intriguing art to the tops in
poetry and fiction, not to mention a tasty trail-mix of translations,
features, and reviews. Take a hike... |
Anderbo.Com
:// View | Rating:
The site is
functional, not unattractive, but it needs to escape the mid-nineties
nightmare of homepage scroll. Do we really want to keep moving ever
downward? The quality of the work won't encourage envy at the Paris
Review, however, it's worth a looksee. There is room to grow here
and we encourage evolution of all e-journal forms. |
Archipelago
:// View
| Rating:
A gleaming
concatenation of textual jewels, held together by the invisible thread
of the editors' discriminating tastes. Take a vacation from insipid
prose, flat poetry, and stolid translations. Sail away to this literary
paradise. |
Argotist
Online :// View
| Rating:
If you like
language poetry (and who doesn't? ... um), Argotist Online is for you
Get ready for pluralism and plasticity. Devoted to poetics and
non-mainstream essays and interviews this successor to The Argotist
Arts magazine places connotation and ambiguity over demarcation and
precision. Phew. No kidding! |
Artzar
:// View | Rating:
A flavorful,
funked-out fusion of art and fiction from far outside the formulaic.
Clever combinations of the visual and textual are the bread and butter
of this zany zine. Escape ennuitake a tour. |
Barcelona
Review :// View |
Rating:
For your reading
pleasure, The Barcelona Review offers up heaping plates of
explorations in sexuality, Missouri, and Martinis. Short fiction and
essays with an international flavor and unapologetic spice are the main
courses. But not to be outdone by their heftier counterparts, the book
reviews and backlisted items are also good reading. |
Blue
Moon Review :// View | Rating:
The grand-daddy
of literary e-zines, this Moon keeps shining its light on a brilliant
passle of writers that'll knock your wig off and clean your teeth for
you. Like your Papa's old Chevy, this one just won't quit. |
Boldtype
:// View | Rating:
This stand-out
site offers an in-depth look into some of the finest books being
published today. Interviews, excerpts, audio, pictures, and additional
writings bring you closer to poets and prose-writers alike, without all
those pesky restraining orders. Put down that telescope and take a
peek. |
Born
Magazine :// View | Rating:
Sites such as
this make you realize why we finally crawled down from the trees and
invented computers. Its rich and inventive new media projects,
delightful amalgamations of text, sight, and sound, are enough to make
Darwin roll over for joy. The future is here, now, and pretty damn
cool. Don't be a bad monkey. Give it a swing. |
Boston
Review :// View | Rating:
This magnificent
mag scoops up the best literature from Bean Town and beyond, spices it
up with insightful political discussion, mixes in fresh forums,
contests, and reviews, and wraps it all up in an easily digestible,
far-from-flat layout. So pull up a chair, and bring a napkinyou'll
probably drool. |
Cafe
Irreal :// View |
Rating:
A Kafkan
mindtrip more disorienting than Borges' Library of Babel. And
that's exactly what they're going for at this surreal, unreal, "irreal"
journal, where, as Sartre writes, "absurd manifestations appear as
normal behaviour" and we are "plunged all at once into the heart of the
fantastic." Unfortunately, the theory section is mostly amateurish and
some of the fiction writers merely rewrite carelessly and
unconvincingly the great masters of the form. When the forms fails
here, it fails shamefully. When it succeeds, we find in it an antidote
to the underwhelming pedestrianism of most contemporary fiction. |
Caffeine
Destiny :// View |
Rating:
Fresh-brewed,
hot, and full of grit, this site's a lot stronger than the average joe.
It's appearance could use some sweetener, but overall, its potable. Why
not come in and have a cup? |
Carve
Magazine :// View | Rating:
Cutting-edge
fiction that's mostly a cut above. Too bad some of the stuff here is so
dull and rusty. Get a tetanus shot and treat yourself to a nice, big
slice. |
Ctr
For Book Culture :// View | Rating:
A unique site
with an almost moral mission to create and preserve a forum on the
experience of reading as cultural practice. Reviews, interviews, and
all around interesting views are provided for your viewing pleasure. |
The
Cortland Review :// View | Rating:
TCR has really
established itself as a journal of quality poetry and lit. Guy Shahar
has done an outstanding job steadily improving a project that started
out publishing the likes of C.E. Chaffin. No complaints any longer.
Bravo, TCR! |
Dead
Mule :// View | Rating:
Though it's
given to the occasional runtime error, this site is far from caput. Its
fiction, poetry, and features are alive and kickin.' Don't be an ass.
Saddle up. |
Drunken
Boat :// View | Rating:
Like the
mythically popular king of your high school, this site is
authentically, effortlessly cool. A simple, unobtrusive layout serves
up healthy servings of hearty poetry, engaging fiction, tripped-out new
media and some fairly fanciful audio. It's "exciting and new...come
aboard...they're expecting you..." |
Ducts
:// View | Rating:
Can't say enough
good things about this one. Original offerings of all types including
memoir, fiction, poetry, "Ducts Stage," reviews, and HUMOR, and all in
a tasteful duct frame. |
Elimae
Books :// View | Rating:
Don't let the
pretty face fool you. This site has both brains and brawn. From the
select few works of the new section to the weighty archive, the poems,
reviews, interviews and fiction pack a mean punch. |
Eyeshot.net
:// View | Rating:
As irreverent as
church graffiti, the quirky, acid-dropping musings of this largely
fiction site are almost as much fun, and you don't have to worry about
the pigs breaking down your door again. The navigation's a bit tripped
out, but focus, man, and take a hit. |
Failbetter.com
:// View | Rating:
A rich,
intoxicating brew of poetry, fiction and art, with an interface as
enjoyable as really good headon a beer. Whether you're knocking back a
few slugs of the top-shelf fiction or sipping on some verse served
straight up, you're sure to get a buzz. |
Fence
Magazine :// View | Rating:
This publicaton
has yet to live up to the hype. Words that come to mind are "ho" and
"hum." Much of the work strives to be clever, but comes off as
imitative, imprecise, and more often than not, terribly boring. A
change of staff is highly recommended. There are a few shimmers of
originality here and there in the print version, but too few to make it
worth the purchase price. |
Flashpoint
:// View | Rating:
FP has been
doing okay since their "censorship" publicity stunt a few years ago,
and sometimes they have some interesting stuff, but it grows harder and
harder to recognize as legit an ezine that publishes the work of their
own staff ad nauseum. Look at any issue and see the same old
hammer-and-sickles: Joe Brennan, Jack Foley, Carlo Parcelli, yadda
yadda, and pals like Mark Scroggins. It became apparent long ago that
Flashpoint exists primarily as a publication vehicle and rant vent for
its editors. |
ForPoetry.com
:// View | Rating:
The simple
layout of this site is like a pure, black velvet on which fine stones
are displayed. A lot of polished writers can be found here, but not too
many diamonds in the rough. Every poet appearing here has a book
available on Amazon, and a link to take you there. So get out your
pocket book, or just stand there behind the glass, staring in... |
Frank
:// View | Rating:
This worldly
international site offers up a world of world-class poetry, fiction,
nonfiction, and commentary from around the globe. This is one
site-seeing you don't want to miss. |
Frigate
:// View | Rating:
This weighty
little vessel's hull is stuffed to the gills with really fine reviews
and features, though a portion of its fiction and poetry could use a
scrubbing. Still, step aboard and set a course for pleasure. |
Gravity
:// View |
Rating:
Seriously good
poetry, prose, and art, suspended in an easy-to-follow format.
Recently, they've undertaken that noble and rarest of tasks...paying
their contributors! So if you think you've got the moxie, and need the
green, drop them a line... |
Haypenny
:// View | Rating:
This precious
little publication proves that while literary websites may be a dime a
dozen, there's no reason to take any wooden nickels. Short, powerful
fiction in mint condition. |
Hubris
Magazine :// View | Rating:
Hubris bills
itself as "Cerebral nutrition for the confused masses" and no one can
argue with this. The flash layout is interesting, unique, and a
challenge at times, e.g., while immersed in the fiction cell we kept
looking for a scroll bar while repeatedly reading words like "fat" and
"vagina." Regardless, the fiction is okay, but as a whole, content is
lacking. Nada in "editorial" and "films" points to another website. |
Infinity's
Kitchen
://
View | Rating:
It
is great to see literary publications take advantage of the web and
break boundaries. Thats what this new graphic, literary publication
does. The website, including a blog and comics, is easy to navigate.
For the issues, words and images are combined into a PDF which you can
comfortably read on your screen. I bet theyll continue to break
boundaries with sound and more interactive work in the
future. |
Jacket
:// View | Rating:
Say g'day to the
mind-blowingly large collection of outstanding poems this
Australia-based site has to offer. Works of wonder from down under... |
Kudzu
:// View |
Rating:
This
firmly-rooted quarterly perennially produces some of the freshest
poetry and prose around. A new crop just came in, so sweet and juicy
it's bound to make other sites grow green with envy. If only the look
and feel weren't as sparse and dry as a roadcut in drought...still,
reach out, pick a piece, and enjoy! |
Licton
Springs Review :// View |
Rating:
Licton Springs
is an ambitious new e-journal trying hard to be everything to everyone
and not quite getting there. Work ranges from mediocre to good, e.g.,
paintings are bold but the photography is a bit on the blah side.
Poetry is adequate but reminiscent of poetry everywhere else--is that
bad? No, but it's not inspiring. |
LiP
Magazine :// View | Rating:
An intriguing
collection of discussion on points literary, ethical, and political. No
poetry or fiction, but extremely well written features and reviews
abound. You want to sound smarter at cocktail parties? Want to impress
your so-called friends? Open this up and say "ah." |
Locus
Novus :// View | Rating:
This site has
discovered a new way of reading. A person describing florid writing
might say something as prosaic as, "words drip across the page"; but
the artists at Locus Novus invert the model. Here, tight and thoughtful
prose poems (allegories, really) literarily dance, drip, ooze, appear,
and fade in a perfect merger of technology and art. Reading becomes a
sort of game--an intimate and mutual interaction with the piece that
leaves me wondering if Locus Novus and sites like it haven't invented a
genre. |
The
Mighty Organ :// View | Rating:
Hear ye, hear
ye, step right up and take a click. You, young lady, have no fear. The
reviews, "despatches" and essays are really quite fine, quite fine
indeed. A virtual plethora of world-wise, well-heeled authors eagerly
awaits your every attentive gaze. What's that, sir? You're craving
something more fanciful? Some fiction, some poetry, perhaps? I'm afraid
you'd best look elsewhere. All apologies. What we have is dull and
heavy-handed, too heavy, sir, for you to lift. Still, come inside,
don't just stand there. Admission is free! |
Monkey
Bicycle :// View | Rating:
Is it a blog? A
journal? A fucking monkey? Strange, written for-shock-value, pomo stuff
... and yet, somewhat entertaining. Check out the one sentence stories,
for example: "When the great Russian classical pianist Vladimir
Horowitz first came to America, the one person he really wanted to meet
was innovative jazz pianist Art Tatum so he went to one of his gigs,
got soused with him backstage; and then, accustomed to adoration
wherever he went, sat down at the piano, played a honky-tonk piece he'd
written and waited for Tatum's jaw to drop but Art just stood there
with a little shit eating grin on his face until after a minute or so,
he sat down at the keyboard with his interpretation of what Horowitz
had composed, causing Horowitz to put his head in his hands in utter
despair and abandon any fantasies he may have had." |
New
Madrid :// View |
Rating:
New Madrid is
the official journal of the low-residency M.F.A. program at Murray
State University. This new publication has very minimal selections
online (1 piece from the section issue.) The issues are themed and they
have a strong list of contributors, although many are from Murray
State. This will probably change as the publication grows. |
Newtopia
:// View |
Rating:
A "modern
sociological-culture review that examines how our Politics and Policies
are reflected in our Arts, Government, and Humanities." If you gotta
have fun and get politically enlightened at the same time, Newtopia
Magazine is for you. With a handsome interface and a tres cool pitch,
the N staff cozy you into a cognizance of truth. |
Notre
Dame Review :// View |
Rating:
We couldn't
resist investigating the Catholic version of a literary journal. We're
we disappointed? Yes. Why? Because we expected much worse. If you
scroll down and down and down the page of the current issue, you'll
find a mix of audio, poetry, and other things. The work sprawls across
the page without discipline and most everything you sample is insomnia
cure. One or two pieces fail to be objectionable, but all in all, you
yearn for release ... btw, don't tell any Irishmen about this review. |
The
Owl Press :// View | Rating:
This quiet
site's a nest, an incubator for cutting-edge collaborations between
writers and artists. Contributors include fledglings and members of the
literary who's who. Don't miss out...join the flock. |
Oyster
Boy :// View |
Rating:
Crack this open
and you're bound to find pearls aplenty: charming art, tiptop poems,
and polished prose all stand ready to dazzle the eye and mind. Just
'cause it glitters don't mean it ain't gold... |
Pierian
Springs :// View | Rating:
The poetry is
potable, the fiction's fine, but it's the photography here that really
makes a splash. Soak it up. |
Pindeldyboz
:// View | Rating:
Hard to
prounounce, but a pleasure to read. Every week, there's fresh flash
fiction that flaunts tradition. Don't stutter or mumble. Get ready to
rumble. |
Pittsburgh
Qrtrly :// View | Rating:
A strong,
shining amalgam of poetry and prose from the City of Steel. This is the
kind of stuff that stands up to rust and won't let you down, so feel
free to develop a dependency... |
Richmond
Review :// View |
Rating:
From across the
Atlantic, this independent zine out of the U.K. is so absolutely
fabulous it almost makes you wish we'd lost the war. Smashing poetry,
fiction, reviews, and more. Do pop in... |
SEGUE
:// View |
Rating:
From Miami
University-Middletown. Getting to the actual work is a slogging chore.
Once we passed the opening "news" page and found the current issue, the
first click on an author's name delivered a dull CV, and further clicks
pitched books and websites--all of this making say to ourselves, what
the hell? Next, we clicked on the current issue .pdf file and waited
for the download ... and waited ... and waited. When it finally
arrived, these poetic words flashed out at us: "I seldom go out .. the
wilds are upon me .. flowers show last of their light .. feeble the
songs .. of creatures so small" ... If you enjoy poetry like this, then
Segue is for you! |
SLAB
:// View |
Rating:
The website is
right out of a box despite a few instances of gratuitous flash.
Nevertheless, it's worth a fly-by. The work is pretty good and WEB ART
is promised. We love those multimedia sites on the verge. Thumbs up! |
Slope
:// View | Rating:
A sparsely
beautiful sprite of a site, this one is a force to reckon with.
Everything from the ethereal layout to the steel-veined fiction and
poetry is seamlessly presented, like fine Japanese cuisine, or
something sculpted from a cloud. Fair enough, considering it's fairly
close to online heaven. |
SNOW*VIGATE
:// View | Rating:
A puzzling name
for a literary e-journal, nevertheless, the place is worth bookmarking.
Though the design is a bit retro and scroll-happy, the work generally
makes up for it. We're always glad to see editors taking on prose
poetry and flash fiction. Thank you, SV. |
SoMa
Literary Review :// View
| Rating:
As a general
rule, themes are highly suspect, and as expected, SoMa delivers
a casual, west coast sensibility that is perhaps too casual in its west
coast, literary aesthetic. Much of the writing is compelling but
unwieldy, in the tradition of young writers honing their craft. Too
often though, desultory prose wanders like an east coast slacker turned
west coast barista stoned out on literary Manifest Destiny. Best for
Cali enthusiasts and for resentful, snow-blown New Englanders who can't
afford airfare. |
Stirring
:// View |
Rating:
Originally
purely poetry, served straight up, without pretense or posturing, Stirring
now includes prose. The writing is fresh, and the layout is crisp and
clean as a well-pressed shirt. The feeling is informal and relaxed, so
leave your corsages and cummerbunds behind, and come as you are. |
Story
South :// View | Rating:
Sweeter 'n a
Georgia peach and hotter 'n Alabama asphalt, this site from the Deep
South is bound to have other zines kissin' its grits. Darn good art,
purty fine poems, and amazin' fiction from below the Mason-Dixon. |
Storyscape
:// View |
Rating:
This new and
innovative online publication defies the terms "poetry" and "fiction."
Instead, they rely on these categories: Truth, Untruth, We Don't Know
and They Won't Tell Us, and Stories without Words. The site is crisp
with words and line drawings. Try something new with these
genre-bending stories. |
Strata
:// View |
Rating:
A quirky,
self-effacing sense of humor pervades this largely prose-disposed zine.
The layout is something out of Newsweek, but the writing's good, and so
is the art. We especially recommend the second issue's Etch A. Sketch
exhibit. Knock knock...you're there. |
Taverner's
Koans :// View |
Rating:
Ohm...ohm...ohmigod
this site has a lot to offer! From original poems to online workshops
to exercises and explanations, this one doesn't leave much to the
imagination. So pull up a mat, clear your mind, and ask yourself: Does
a site make a statement if there's no one around to read it? |
Terrain.Org
:// View | Rating:
We will let
Terrain explain themselves: "It is not definitely about urban form, nor
solely about natural landscapes. It is not precisely about human
culture, nor necessarily about ecology. It is, rather, a celebration of
the symbiosis between the built and natural environments where it
exists, and an examination and discourse where it does not." Now, drop
what you are doing and go there. We're not kidding. Talk about class,
soul, art, and variety! It's a product of genius, truly. |
tHrEAdS
of altX :// View
| Rating:
An ultra-hip,
techno-injected layout, replete with funky symbols, patterns, and
footnotes(!) underpins this quirky, intelligent publication. Part of
the fun is figuring out where to go and what you're looking at when you
get there. Unexplained fingerposts ("ebr," "webarts," "threads," etc.)
rise out of the digital swampland like occasional willow-wisps,
beckoning you deeper into the realms of fast-paced, cyber-savvy
essays, flash poems, ripostes, and reviews. Don't worry about drowning
in the swampland...those willow-wisps will see you through. |
Three
Candles :// View | Rating:
A cute little
light in the darkness. The poetry is up to snuff, and the links and
resources page is especially elucidating. The navigation, sprouting new
windows like hydra heads, is, unfortunately, a step back into the dark
e-ages. But all in all, it's on the bright side... |
Tiferet
:// View | Rating:
New, but causing
a stir, this publication enters the land of literary spirits with a
great | |
