storySouth

storySouth is an online quarterly literary magazine that publishes fiction, poetry, criticism, essays, and visual artwork, with a focus on the Southern United States. The journal also runs the annual Million Writers Award to select the best short stories published each year in online magazines or journals.[1] The journal is one of the most prominent online literary journals[2] and has been the subject of feature profiles in books such as Novel & Short Story Writer's Market.[3] Works published in storySouth have been reprinted in a number of anthologies including Best American Poetry and Best of the Web. The headquarters is in Greensboro, North Carolina.[4]

storySouth
DisciplineLiterary journal
LanguageEnglish
Edited byTerry Kennedy
Publication details
History2001-present
Publisher
Spring Garden Press (United States)
FrequencyQuarterly
Standard abbreviations
ISO 4StorySouth
Links

History and mission

storySouth was founded in the autumn of 2001 by fiction writer Jason Sanford and poet Jake Adam York. While storySouth focuses on the traditional genre of southern literature, the journal generally attempts to expose the newest generation of writers from the American South. Sanford and York turned over publication of storySouth to Spring Garden Press in 2009[5] and now serve as Editor Emeritus for the journal, but no longer handle day-to-day editorial responsibilities.[6]

The journal has published pieces on such prominent authors such as Forrest Gander and Charles Wright,[7] historical figures like George Wallace, and topics ranging from the trivial to the sociological. Works published in storySouth have been reprinted in anthologies such as Best American Poetry,[8] multiple editions of Best of the Web,[9][10] and e2ink: The Best of the Online Journals, and have won a number of awards and honors.[6]

The journal is listed as a contributing press by the Pushcart Prize and is among the American literary journals listed in Best American Short Stories.[11] StorySouth reaches on average a 1,000 individual readers every day.[12] The journal has been included in lists of prominent literary journals.[13]

Million Writers Award
Main article: Million Writers Award

storySouth runs the annual Million Writers Award,[14] started in 2003, which honors the best online short stories of the year. Past winners have included Adam-Troy Castro, Jenny Williams, Matt Bell, Catherynne M. Valente, Richard Bowes and Randa Jarrar. The award structure is egalitarian, it allows for anyone to nominate a short story, prize money is donated by readers and writers, and the winners are selected by public vote from a short list of entries selected by judges.[15]

In 2012 Spotlight Publishing released two anthologies of stories from the Million Writers Award, with one focused on literary stories and the other on science fiction and fantasy stories.[16][17]

Influence

storySouth was one of the early journals of the online literature movement.[18] Early on, storySouth's influence in the publishing world was evidenced by a feature interview with Jason Sanford in the 2005 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market in which the role of the Internet and the influence of the Million Writers Award was featured.

Part of the growing influence of storySouth has been the sometimes combative nature of its editors. An essay of Sanford's called "Who Wears Short Shorts? Micro Stories and MFA Disgust"[19] sent repercussions through the online literary community, as it ripped into the claimed incestuous nature of Master of Fine Arts programs and creative writing workshops. The essay prompted a large amount of online discussion on the merits of Sanford's claims.[20]

In addition, the journal's editors were heavily involved in the debate around the alleged plagiarism of Southern author Brad Vice.[21] Both of storySouth's editors defended Vice's action[22] and their essays on the affair were mentioned in the subsequent press coverage[23] and on numerous blogs.[24] StorySouth editor Jake Adam York is one of the critics whose epigraph was published in the reprint of Vice's book.[25]

Notable contributors

See also

References
  1. "Million Writers Award: more than 100 top short stories" by Carolyn Kellogg, The Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2009.
  2. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Journalism by Christopher K. Passante, Penguin, 2007, which lists storySouth as one of the top literary magazines under Appendix B, Major U.S. Media.
  3. "Personal Views: Jason Sanford" by Mary Cox, 2005 Novel and Short Story Writers Market, pp. 23-29.
  4. Alice Pope (August 19, 2010). 2011 Novel And Short Story Writer's Market. Writer's Digest Books. p. 365. ISBN 978-1-58297-951-9. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  5. "Southern Literary Journal Relaunches with New Editors" Archived 2010-03-08 at the Wayback Machine by Jessica Schneider, April 4, 2009, Monsters and Critics, accessed Feb. 20, 2010.
  6. storySouth "About Us" page, Retrieved Feb. 20, 2010.
  7. Charles Wright In Conversation: Interviews, 1979-2006, edited by Robert D. Denham, McFarland, 2008, p. 133.
  8. Table of contents for Best American Poetry 2008, guest edited by Charles Wright, Scribner, reprinting the poem "Homage to Calvin Spotswood" by Kate Daniels.
  9. Table of contents for Best of the Web 2010, Kathy Fish, Guest Editor, Matt Bell, Series Editor, Dzanc Books, 2010.
  10. Best of the Web 2008, Steve Almond, Guest Editor, Dzanc Books, 2008.
  11. The Best American Short Stories series, Katrina Kenison (series Editor), 2005 and 2006 editions.
  12. "Introduction to Online Markets" 2007 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market Writer's Digest Books, 2004, p. 343.
  13. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Journalism by Christopher K. Passante, Penguin, 2007, which lists storySouth as one of the top literary magazines in Appendix B, Major U.S. Media.
  14. "Million Writers Award: more than 100 top short stories" Carolyn Kellogg, The Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2009.
  15. 2012 Million Writers Award Rules Archived 2014-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, Jason Sanford.com
  16. Spotlight Publishing pages for Million Writers Award: The Best Online Science Fiction and Fantasy Archived 2014-05-29 at the Wayback Machine and Million Writers Award: The Best New Online Voices Archived 2014-05-29 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  17. Starred review of Million Writers Award: The Best Online Science Fiction and Fantasy, Publisher's Weekly, Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  18. The 100 Best Trends, 2006: Emerging Developments You Can't Afford to Ignore by George Ochoa and Melinda Corey, Adams Media Corporation, 2005, page 55.
  19. "Who Wears Short Shorts? Micro Stories and MFA Disgust" by Jason Sanford, storySouth, fall 2004, Retrieved Feb. 4, 2007.
  20. http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/37141 Short shorts, Meta Filter discussion, November 22, 2004, February 4, 2007; MFA: Many Fools Available on The Grumpy Old Bookman, February 25, 2005, Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  21. "Brad Vice’s short story collection is back in print" by Mark Hughes Cobb, The Tuscaloosa News, May 27, 2007
  22. The literary lynching of Brad Vice storySouth November 4, 2005, Retrieved February 4, 2007; and Fell In Alabama: Brad Vice's Tuscaloosa Night by Jake Adam York storySouth November 13, 2005, a Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  23. "A Charming Plagiarist: The downfall of Brad Vice" by Robert Clark Young Archived 2009-01-08 at the Wayback Machine New York Press, Vol 18, Issue 48, November 30-December 6, 2005. Retrieved February 4, 2007; and "The Strange Case of Brad Vice: In defense of a destroyed treasure" by Michelle Richmond Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, The Oxford American, Issue 55.
  24. The Brad Vice affair on The Grumpy Old Bookman, December 7, 2005, Retrieved February 4, 2007; Sifting Through Information by Dan Wickett. Emerging Writers Network, Retrieved February 4, 2007; and American Views Abroad, Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  25. "The Strange Case of Brad Vice: In defense of a destroyed treasure" by Michelle Richmond, The Oxford American, Issue 55.
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