Little Magazines

"Little magazines" are vital lifelines for readers and writers of poetry: these indie literary journals publish new voices, allow editors to develop and champion their aesthetic vision, and supply a steady stream of new work to interested readers. The production of little magazines exploded in the mimeo revolution of the mid-twentieth century, as many Beats and New York School poets turned to DIY publication in the face of literary gatekeeping and occasional outright censorship. The kitchen-table magazines of this era were historically important but physically fragile: frequently bound only with staples, most were made to circulate quickly, and few have survived the ensuing decades intact. The Poetry Center has collected little magazines throughout our 60-year history with an eye toward preserving these ephemeral productions for future research. Here we present a sampling of infrequently seen little magazines from our collections.