Chill Subs Weekly Wrap Up # 5
2023 Lit Mag Nominations, Some sweet staff picks, updates, recommendations, workshops, and loads more.
Nominate Your Favorite Lit Mags of 2023!
Yup, we’re doing an awards thing.
There are prizes, panels, judges, and all sorts of accolades in indie lit to highlight different magazines who have published great writing. But we want to do something a little different.
We see magazine editors and writers as partners. So, we want to show some love for those magazine editors who go above and beyond.
No judges, no panel of experts or requirements for entry. Just writers showing their appreciation for a magazine’s contribution to the writing community.
So we’re asking you to nominate your favorite magazines of 2023. You can nominate one or up to three. We will gather together the results over the next two weeks, put it to a vote, and then promote the hell out of the top 5 magazines.
We’re keeping it simple. Just fill out this form sometime in the next two weeks and we’ll handle the rest:
*lol, we posted this in our Sub Club Newsletter 25 minutes ago and already have 50 nominations. This is going to be fun.
Staff picks from Chill Subs’…staff
Moon City Review - Miley (Research)
One thing about me, I am a sucker for a good cover— and Moon City Review’s 2023 issue is my new favorite. It’s by Shen Chen Hsieh and it is SO lively and vibrant. It combines so many things I adore. The colors are gorgeous and rich, the illustration is done with the magazine format in mind (look at those decorated borders! look at that typography!), the spacing is perfect and the details are so endearing. I am serious when I say this is a dream cover! Cannot wait to see what work Moon City Review has included in this beautiful issue.
Little Engines - Nikita (Design)
A small samizdat marvel crafted by Adam Voith and Marianna Fierro, offering free print issues as a unique feature! Their ninth Issue featuring Kyle Seibel, Kevin Morby, Bob Hicok, and Bethany Ball, with paintings by Kami Baergen is available on substack. (Oo, cool, I did not realize they were getting into Substack. Love it and wow! It looks really good. So glad to see the top-notch artwork that graces the website has translated so well into Substack).
Broken Antler - Shelby (Socials)
When I was a kid my camp councilor had long eyelashes and swirled her coffee cubes while she talked. She was astonishing. I wanted to be her so I asked for a coffee on my birthday. It was nasty but I didn’t care less because each time I took a sip, I was Kelsey Rio for a minute. This is the level of cool that Broken Antler magazine is giving. Clear guidelines. Meticulously edgy, neat, and minimalistic website. “Work selected for Broken Antler’s print issue receive $20 + a contributor copy of the magazine. We pay a token of $10 (per piece) for work published in our online venues.” and you KNOW that issue is gorgeous.
Chill Subs Tutorial (On a weekend! At a convenient time! No way.)
We’re doing a tutorial again! Plus answering any Chill Subs questions you have this Sunday at 10 AM EST
What we published this week
Kailey, editor-in-chief: This week, I’m recommending a list of newsletters I’ve been loving lately:
- by -Come because it’s Stephanie, stay for her video series, The Middle Third where she answers reader-submitted questions and talks about all the things we want to know, like money, process, outlines, and what she’s reading.
- by - Danielle just wrapped up her Revision Season series, where she walked us through the process of writing her novel. These are a delight to read! She is also starting up a new series called In Process here, she talks to other writers about what they are working on and how they are tackling it.
- by - an honest account of the trials and tribulations of being a writer, plus very wise advice on how to keep going. I’ve learned so much from Sarah.
The Other Ppl podcast newsletter by
- weekly list of what you should be reading on the internet and his latest podcast episodes.Our assistant interview editor,
writes which is a wonderfully written series of reflections on the writing life, navigating new motherhood and teaching. I look forward to reading whatever Brittany writes!
We took Thanksgiving week off from publishing anything new so here are our recommended revisits!
Interview from May 2, 2023- Gina Chung: On Millennial Novels, MFAs, The Importance of Asking Questions, and Her Debut Novel ‘Sea Change’ by Shelby Hinte
“I think friendship is just so important to write about and to depict in the arts because we live in a world that still prioritizes the couple and romantic relationships over other kinds of relationships, but friendships are truly the things that have sustained me in my darkest moments.”
Essay from April 23, 2023- The Least Interesting Burlesque Dancer: On Writing About Me by Lauren Emily Whalen
“In many ways, writing and burlesque worked in parallel for me: tiny steps (sometimes in high heels), a shitload of trial and error, and constantly looking over my shoulder, fearing disapproval. In writing and in burlesque, I had to learn to tell my fears to fuck off and make the tiny steps bigger.”
Feature from July 17, 2023 - 6 Books to Help You Survive the Writing Life by Nicole Louie
Saturdays, December 2 & December 9, from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM (EST)
How Real Humans Talk!: Dialogue Writing Essentials with Lauren Veloski
This workshop is a fun, collaborative, observation-based 2 weeks where you will learn to identify convincingly real ways “real humans really talk” (read: fumbling, dumb, inarticulate, subtexy, halting, exquisitely imperfect stuff!). Learn tricks and techniques on how to nail down your characters' idiosyncratic talking styles and develop a highly attuned ear for authentic versus inauthentic dialogue in films, books, and plays.
Sunday, December 3 • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (EST)
Write (Fiction) Like Taylor Swift: The Method to Her Madness & Magic (& Heaven & Sin) with Erin Karbuczky
Let’s explore creativity and the writing process through Taylor Swift! We will learn to apply her methods to our own writing as well as draw inspiration from her work.
Saturday, December 9 from 11:00 AM - 3:30 PM (EST)
The Write Together Retreat featuring Etaf Rum
This month’s retreat features the bestselling author of A Woman is No Man and Evil Eye, Etaf Rum! Give yourself the gift of scheduled writing time and join us for a day of writing during our virtual retreat! You will have the opportunity to write alongside other writers in real time and learn from Etaf during her special craft chat and Q&A session. We hope to see you there!
None of the content in this newsletter will ever be paywalled, but if you’d like to support the work we do, you can upgrade to a paid subscription as a form of donation.
Love this: "We see magazine editors and writers as partners."