Type Of Organization
Magazine
Phone
(847) 970-2506
Mission Statement / Editorial Focus
Lazuli Literary Group is a platform dedicated to fostering the delight of the literary imagination through a small publishing press, writing contests, and an online/print literary journal, AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought. We are a two-person editing team with diverging tastes (one classic and one contemporary) that harmonize in a third, uncharted space. We are particularly drawn to writing that broadens the concept of "literary" to one that pulls from a global pedigree of storytelling technique. We seek authors who revel in the rhythmic possibilities of the poetic line, who contemplate the flavor, the shape, and the history of every word they use; who are so committed to the pyrotechnics of the written word that they comprehend the beauty of classical forms and yet feel compelled to constantly re-invent their craft. Our goal is to support underrepresented styles of writing, specifically within a genre that we imagined, which we call otherworld realism. We like work that generates an eclectic mix of literary, lyrical, experimental and witty reading experiences; as such, we publish works that may not be suited for mass consumption, due to their raw yet polished innovations in content and form. Lazuli Literary Group and AZURE are co-founded by Diana McClure and Sakina B. Fakhri. AZURE is currently edited by Sakina B. Fakhri.
Social Media Platforms Used
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram
Is Your Group Affiliated With A University, Portal Or Other Agency?
no
Primary Editor/Contact Person
Sakina Fakhri
Contact Title
Co-founder/Editor
Publishes
essays, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, reviews
Submissions Policy
Our year-round blind submissions process via the Submittable.com submissions platform is based on a mutual agreement between the editors that a work aligns with our mission as a publication. We accept both unpublished and previously published work, provided it does not infringe upon any held copyrights. We do not charge a reading fee for submissions.
Accepts Unsolicited Submissions
Yes
Submission Guidelines URL
Simultaneous Submissions Accepted
yes
Reading Period
Year round
Reporting Time
1 - 6 weeks
Author Payments
copies
Contests
Lazuli Literary Group Writing Contest (quarterly) - $100 First Prize
Number Of Paid Staff
3
Year Founded
2015
ISBN Number
978-0-99-942430-8
Average Print Run
150 (annual print anthology, including 4 issues)
Total Circulation
900 (mailing list)
Individual
$$20 per anthology (print) / free (online)
Insitution
$$20 per anthology (print) / free (online)
Single Copy Price
$$20 (annual print anthology)
Total Number Of Issues Published
26
Back Issues Available
yes
Unsolicited Manuscripts Accepted
yes
If Yes, What Percent Of All Unsolicited MSS Are Published
2%
Format
perfect
Dimensions
8 - 10
Average Number Of Pages
115
Name
Sakina Fakhri / Diana McClure
Title
Co-editors
What Is The Staff Structure At Your Magazine/press?
The journal is managed by co-editors Diana McClure and Sakina Fakhri, and we are joined by in-house illustrator Evgenia Barsheva. Every single submission is personally handled by an editor.
Do You Have Any Cover Letter Advice?
We assess solely based on the quality of the writing and its suitability for AZURE; we don't look at the cover letter until after the fact, when we become curious as to what sort of mind has wrought the compelling piece that appears before us.
How Are Submissions Processed In Your Magazine/press?
Blind submissions process, culminating in a mutual agreement by co-editors that the piece dazzles us. Every piece published in AZURE appears alongside a customized black & white sketch that is devised and executed by our in-house illustrator.
What Do You Look For In A Submission?
We love work that is linguistically, intellectually, and emotionally demanding of the reader. We want literary fiction that grows in complexity upon each visitation; we enjoy ornate, cerebral, and voluptuous prose executed with thematic intent.
What Advice Do You Have For First-time Submitters?
Writers we admire are Zadie Smith, Virginia Woolf, Tom Wolfe, Charles Dickens, Toni Morrison, Thomas Mann, Robert Musil, Tom Stoppard, Vladimir Nabokov John Keene, and James Baldwin.
Who Is Your Ideal Reader?
Writers we admire are Zadie Smith, Virginia Woolf, Jorge Luis Borges, Tom Wolfe, Charles Dickens, Toni Morrison, Thomas Mann, Robert Musil, Tom Stoppard, Vladimir Nabokov, John Keene, and James Baldwin; the ideal reader might be similarly inclined.
Magazine