Lynda Barry is not afraid to show herself on the page. Her alter-ego characters, like Marlys and the nearsighted sock monkey and Sea-Ma remind me of all the things we are to ourselves and the people in our lives. It’s a good reminder if you want to be the funk queen...

There’s an odd stigma in the literary world that genre fiction holds less merit and is somehow less important, relying too heavily on bells and whistles that literary fiction writers refrain from implementing. I call bullshit through cupped hands through a megaphone....

Many writers around the world attempt to search everywhere for new material. Many of us are also unfortunately constrained to searching only where we live, but this does not have to be a negative thing. No matter where you live, inspiration is around you. For...

As a self-proclaimed burgeoning techie, I’m obsessed with things that make me feel like the future is unfurling in front of me. A few months ago, I watched a short documentary by the Verge via YouTube about a company called Wattpad. It’s a platform for writers to post...

As a poet I am a bit of a language geek. The structure of language from diction to syntax is fascinating and playing with it makes me feel a bit like a mad scientist. However, examining language I think is key to improving writing in general and is not something...

When a 20-something signs onto their social media accounts, what do they see? What I see is a mixture of things; pictures from a friend’s spring break trip, a horrifying debate about what color a certain dress is, and fairly common rants from my passionate political...

Unity in a collection of literature is an often overlooked aspect of putting together a literary magazine. I've seen numerous times in literary magazines, particularly college- and university-run magazines, where the content of the magazine seems to be an amalgam of...

Situated on the corner of St. Clair Avenue and Snelling Avenue, the St. Clair Broiler opened its doors in 1956. The display sign boasts classic neon letters and flames, a callback to that decade of monogrammed blouses, stylish eyeglasses, and rock & roll. While...

 #1 Steven Roggenbuck Steven Roggenbuck is the master of combining hilarious-absurd YouTube comedy and inspiring/very serious poetry. Not only can you find the majority of his poetry online, but he truly encourages free poetry for the masses, such as with his...

Do you want to be the best writer around? Well, as the song in The Karate Kid goes, nothing’s gonna ever keep you down if you follow these tips.1. Bring a notebook with you. Put a notebook in your purse/bag to be prepared when inspiration strikes. Also, putting a...

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a Caribou Coffee and peer editing a friend's fiction short story. During a break to refuel, we started to chat about literary journals and how necessary they are to read, support, and ultimately, submit to. You're widely encouraged to...

So, you've got this brilliant idea and you think it will make a great story, do you? Well, where do you go from here? That's a difficult question. You see, everyone's creative process is different. Writing is not a science. There is no one guaranteed way to get a...