As a U.S. poet who relocated to Berlin, Germany, in 2013, I assumed I would eventually find a community of fellow English language writers in the city. What I didn’t realize was that I would quickly find not only a writing community, but several locally-published English language literary journals, as well. In the years that I lived and wrote and published in the United States, I did not consider that there might be publications in non-English speaking countries to which I could send my writing.
Many writers who live in English-speaking countries may assume that the market for their work consists solely of literary magazines that are published in the country in which they live. But, in this globally-connected era, writers should think beyond their own country’s borders. The internet has certainly played a part in connecting writers with readers around the world. As a result, there are a sizeable number of journals around the world that publish writing in English.
The first English language journal that I heard about after moving to Berlin was SAND. Published twice per year, SAND published its first issue in 2010. In October 2014, the journal celebrated the publication of its 10th issue. SAND publishes poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction from contributors around the world, including Brittani Sonnenberg, William Greenway, Alistair Noon, and April L. Ford. SAND holds two reading periods each year and accepts online submissions. (www.sandjournal.com)
Two other Berlin-based print journals open to English writing from around the globe were both launched in 2013. Berlin Quarterly (www.berlinquarterly.com) publishes not only literary writing, but also reportage. In addition to fiction and interviews, its most recent issue features a report on a community in Norway that is “struggling to revamp itself using art and creative thinking.” Flaneur Magazine (www.flaneur-magazine.com) has a unique editorial slant in that each issue focuses on a different street in the world and solicits writing focused on that specific street. The most recent issue of Flaneur, Issue #4, presents Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, in Rome, Italy.
Published twice per year by Poetry Salzburg at the University of Salzburg in Austria, Poetry Salzburg Review features not only poetry, but also essays, interviews, and reviews of recent collections of poetry (www.poetrysalzburg.com). Recent contributors include Maureen Alsop, Martín Espada, Annie Finch, and Simon Rees. In addition to publishing the literary magazine, Poetry Salzburg publishes books and pamphlets by poets who write in English.
Bridging the print and online literary worlds, Her Royal Majesty is a Paris-based literary journal that offers readers two options: download an electronic copy for free, or purchase a print copy of the magazine (www.herroyalmajesty.ca). Originally founded in Halifax, Canada, the publication is now based out of Paris, France, and focuses on one theme per issue. Check the journal’s web site for upcoming themes. Update: This journal appears to no longer be in business.
First published in 1968 by the Kanto Poetry Center at Kanto Gakuin University in Japan, poetry kanto seeks to publish not only English translations of Japanese poetry, but also English language poems from around the world. The annual journal switched from print to online with the 2013 issue; access to content from the print issues is available through the web site (www.poetrykanto.com). Recent issues of the journal feature poems by Alfred Corn, Leslie McGrath, William Heyen, and Linda Ashok.
The above-mentioned journals are just some of the many print and online literary magazines around the world that publish writing in English. Resources for finding others include the valuable listings on NewPages.com (www.newpages.com), Poets & Writers (www.pw.org), The Review Review (www.thereviewreview.net), and in the annual Poet’s Market, published by Writer’s Digest Books.
Bio:
Bernadette Geyer is a freelance writer, editor, and translator. She leads online workshops through The Writer’s Center (Maryland) and WOW! Women on Writing (California). Geyer is the author of the poetry collection The Scabbard of Her Throat, and has published articles in Funds for Writers, Freelance Writer’s Report, and elsewhere. Learn more at her website: www.bernadettegeyer.com
