We all know, read, and send our writing to literary magazines and journals, and for many of us, publication in their pages is the first time we see our work in print, our first professional nod. But where did this practice come from? Has the mission of a literary journal changed or stayed the same over time? Furthermore, who are these editors that writers are trying to impress? What makes one journal more renowned or popular than another? In this lecture, we’ll consider the literary journal as a social form — as a dialogue between writer and editor, editor to writer, writer and reader — that becomes a collage of voices. Through sharing the story of how Annulet came to be, editor Alicia Wright will provide answers and context for these questions, and will address what helps literary journals and their communities last.

Alicia Wright is the editor of Annulet, a literary journal, and Annulet Editions, a new small independent press. Her poetry appears in The Paris Review, Kenyon Review, and Ecotone, among others, and her debut poetry collection, You're Called By The Same Sound, is forthcoming in 2025 from Third Hand Books.