The best thing about reviewing for The Review Review is the opportunity to read in areas that could almost be called my literary unexplored territory. It’s good to be reminded of how easy it is to get in a rut, not reading anything out of my usual comfort zone for long periods. For instance, the world of online magazines was completely new to me. Now I wonder why I stayed away so long. While some literary sites are offshoots or replacements for journals that used to use paper, many are completely children of the web. Of course not all lit mags, whether in print or online, are created equal. That’s the fun of it, the constant surprise. Each one is its own little world, waiting to be explored.
Word Riot was born online in 2002, part of the wave of excitement that accompanied the beginning of popular use of the Internet as a way to communicate without barriers. As life online has evolved, many of those early sites have been gobbled up by commercial interests or closed down for one reason or another. Sometimes it’s difficult to recapture that early enthusiasm when online communities were popping up like mushrooms, and like-minded people could come together no matter the physical distance between them. Word Riot has managed to retain some of this feel, with editors listed for each of their categories--fiction, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, book reviews, and interviews—that live in different parts of the country, but presumably have much in common philosophically. Remember the days before e-mail?
The development and widespread use of social media had also changed the face of everything online, with unprecedented interaction taking place. Now you no longer have to attend a lot of readings or subscribe to a ton of lit mags to be read a large sampling of what’s new in the literary world. Word Riot has 2.9 thousand Facebook likes. That’s quite a community. There are also links to authors’ websites, audio of some pieces being read by the authors, and the ability to print or email pieces, creating a spirit of sharing—a joy to see in this pay-per-click era.
Usually this type of endeavor is a labor of love, the product of one person whose vision keeps the whole thing going. In the case of Word Riot, that someone is its founder, Jackie Corley. In an interview on The CommonLine Journal, she talks about what type of writing most appeals to her. “I like work that is bold and visual. I like work that challenges a conventional approach to looking at society. I like experimental writing. At the end of the day, though, there has to be some element in the piece that I connect with as a reader—a character, a vivid description, whatever.”
This point of view is apparent in the current issue of Word Riot, especially in poems such as "Plague" by Joanna Chen and "[the floor broke]" by Freya Gibbons. These pieces have a strong visual appeal, while being experimental in form and language. The interview of Noah Cicero by Caleb Hildenbrandt was laugh-out-loud entertaining. Perhaps the interviewer and interviewee know each other. They definitely had a rapport, perhaps based on their common experience trying to make their way as writers today.
The poem "Still Life with Kendrick Lamar’s Mama’s Van Driving in Reverse" by Cortney Charleston of the Excelono Program was definitely an unconventional look at what it means to grow up African-American in a predominantly white environment. Having access to an audio of the author reading brought the poem alive. My favorite piece was the story "Sheetz vs. Purple Martins" by P.G. Firmani, a heartbreaking tale of what it can mean to be a true artist. This story was more conventional in form, but, by building strong characters and using the first person very effectively, ends up packing quite an emotional punch. It was also the longest piece in the issue, and so had the space to develop. I will be looking for more from this author.
There is another category of submissions according to the Submissions page called “Stretching Forms.” This is for work that does not fit into the other categories mentioned. Since that list seemed pretty inclusive, I was extremely curious about what such a piece might look like. Unfortunately, the current issue did not include one. Perhaps this category usually gives them room to publish longer pieces that are experimental in nature.
Word Riot seems to be all about connection. The authors represented in this issue are not limited to one age group or physical location, but rather are connected by their love of writing, and their enthusiasm for new forms. Submission to Word Riot is through their site powered by Submittable. It should definitely be on your radar.