Media Contact:
Mary Gannon, Executive Director
(212) 741-9110 x14 / [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2020 (New York, NY)—In alliance with the Amazon Literary Partnership, the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses [CLMP] is pleased to announce the 2020 grant recipients of the Literary Magazine Fund. The Amazon Literary Partnership launched the Literary Magazine Fund with CLMP in 2019 to help CLMP continue its 54-year history of supporting the crucial work of literary publishers.
Grant applications were reviewed by a panel of judges convened by the Amazon Literary Partnership and CLMP. The judges were Amanda Lee Koe, award-winning author and former fiction editor of Esquire Singapore; Carmen Giménez Smith, author of several books, poetry editor of The Nation, and publisher of Noemi Press; and Jeannie Vanasco, memoirist and professor of English at Towson University. Final selections were made by the Amazon Literary Partnership and CLMP.
The 2020 Literary Magazine Fund Grant Recipients are:
American Short Fiction, Inc.
The Common Foundation
Electric Literature
Kweli Journal, Inc.
Manoa
Mizna
Narrative Magazine
One Story
The Oxford American
The Paris Review Foundation, Inc.
A Public Space
Slice Literary, Inc.
ZYZZYVA
“Toni Morrison reminded us that language can bridge the ‘distances among us, whether they are continental or on the same pillow.’ Awarded in this spirit, an Amazon Literary Partnership grant provides critical support for organizations like Kweli, whose work brings essential voices from the margins to the center of cultural awareness,” said Laura Pegram, Editor of Kweli Journal, one of this year’s recipients. “We are grateful to the CLMP community for their genuine care and commitment, and for tirelessly advocating for mission-driven literary magazines.”
“Since its inception, CLMP has been dedicated to sustaining the health and extending the reach of the nation’s literary magazines. Often the first places writers find their readers, these publications are essential to the publishing ecosystem, providing fertile ground for diverse voices to thrive,” said CLMP Executive Director Mary Gannon. “CLMP is honored to lend its expertise to the Amazon Literary Partnership’s ongoing financial support of these underserved and uniquely vulnerable publishers.”
“The Amazon Literary Partnership’s goal has been to support organizations that are vital to sustaining the literary culture of their communities,” said Alexandra Woodworth, Manager of the Amazon Literary Partnership. “By funding organizations working to uplift the voices of underrepresented writers, we hope to champion the writers of the world we live in now. We are thrilled to be working again with the Community of Literary Magazine and Presses to recognize vital literary magazines.”
About Amazon Literary Partnership
Since 2009, the Amazon Literary Partnership has provided more than $13 million in grant funding to more than 175 literary organizations, assisting many thousands of writers. Among the organizations Amazon Literary Partnership has supported over the years are the National Book Foundation, Cave Canem, PEN America, Poets & Writers, Girls Write Now, Hugo House, Lambda Literary Foundation, Loft Literary Center, National Novel Writing Month, and Words Without Borders. Through Amazon’s annual grants, Amazon supports literary centers, writing workshops, residencies, fellowships, literary magazines, independent publishers, and poetry and translation programs. Writers supported by some of these organizations have gone on to become best-selling and award-winning authors. To learn more about the Amazon Literary Partnership, visit www.amazonliterarypartnership.com.
About CLMP
CLMP ensures a vibrant, diverse literary landscape by helping mission-driven independent literary magazines and presses thrive. We provide publishers with funding and technical assistance; facilitate peer-to-peer learning and group action; serve as a dependable, essential hub for best practices, resources, and nurturing community support; and build bridges to connect publishers with other groups of literary stakeholders, including readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, educators, presenting organizations, and funders. Along with directly serving 400+ member-publishers located in almost every state in the country, CLMP administers the Lit Mag Adoption program, which provides to educators and students discounted literary magazine subscriptions for use in the classroom; an annual Indie Lit Fair, featuring magazines and presses at the PEN World Voices Festival; the Literary Writers Conference, a two-day professional development event for writers held every December in New York City; and the annual Firecracker Awards for Independently Published Literature, which celebrate magazines and books that make a significant contribution to our literary culture. To learn more about CLMP, visit www.clmp.org/about.
