Do I read my own literary journal more than anyone else?

Not proofreading or editing or triple/quadruple checking everything obsessively. I mean reading it to enjoy it–when the pieces are read as something unfamiliar, untouched, and renewed. I look back at old issues to refresh my memory of pieces I might have tucked in the back of my brain. I love everything I’ve ever placed in the archive as much as the newest piece. Yes, I know I’m biased, but it forces me to be more present when I find a new journal. I’ve learned how nice it is to click through a fresh website and explore other poets, because it isn’t always about my writing or who will likely publish me. Which makes me wonder: Does anyone really read literary magazines anymore? Or is it just potential submitters trying to find themselves in the magazine to justify sending in that form or typing the ‘To the editors’ email? 

So I looked. I’ve never cared for stats on how much foot traffic I get–I just do it for the love of the game. It’s not a surprise to me that the submissions page gets significantly more attention than the issue pages, but it is still a disappointment. What is supposed to be an information page for writers has become the star of the show. The submissions page appears more compelling than any of the issues, which are full of diverse literature and not just a block of text with lists of accepted genres or lengthy guidelines.

Do you like supporting journals or do you just like being published?
Yes, of course it’s fun to be published 

But why consider yourself a part of an industry you don’t consume? 
Consumption is as much a part of keeping literature around as creation is. And as a curator, I can’t stress this enough.

Most people don’t have time to sit around and read anymore, but if that magazine who rejected you forever ago still signed you up for their email campaigns, read it! (Even if it hacked you off a bit). Read journals that catch your eye when you’re scrolling on listing sites even if you think: they don’t publish work like mine. Read more literary journals for the hell of it.

Stay strange,

Fish Girl.