Suss: another literary journal is a monthly online publication of Lintel, Sash, & Sill. We publish original writing, reviews, interviews, recommendations of cultural highlights we find inspiring and think you might too, and provide space for literary-minded folk to talk about how they go about getting others to read, create, and/or talk about good writing. Here’s how it works:
The Writing
We aim to publish the best poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction we can find. We have a wide range of interests and find value in a great variety of styles, schools, and voices. If the phrase hadn’t been overused to the point of meaninglessness, it would be appropriate here for us to highlight our eclectic tastes. Instead, we’ll say that we hold among our collected favorites the big names of whatever canon the American reading public might want to agree on; the lesser names among post-avant poets and (post)postmodern fiction writers; mainstream journalists; clear headed academics; fringe bloggers; and so many more. We like genre mysteries and sci-fi as much as we like literary fiction, long-dead high modernist poets as much as recent practitioners of flarf. Our tastes veer toward the accessible and the moving—we like laughing as much as we like navel-gazing—though we’re not averse to what John Ashbery calls “something with a certain amount of crunch and resistance to it.” No matter the genre, style, or manner of construction, we are ultimately concerned with the quality of writing. A subjective rubric, yes, but the only one we have.
The Learning Annex
The Learning Annex is a pedagogy column written by educators of all stripes. Each column presents ideas on how to teach and discuss literature to and/or with a wide array of students and readers.
The intent of the column is two-fold:
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to start a discussion with each new column about teaching, reading, and writing and
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to compile and curate an ever-increasing free library of open source lesson plans, writing prompts, ideas, and methodologies for getting anyone from elementary school students, teenagers, grad students, prison inmates, nursing home residents, or community book club members and beyond to engage with literature in some constructive and active way, either as a reader or a writer.
The label ‘educator’ as we use it is malleable; for instance, a librarian may discuss trends she sees in what her patrons are reading and how she encourages them to read more and more widely. While her column won’t necessarily have a writing focus, it will necessarily involve intelligent and thoughtful discussion of reading, which is equally important. The world will only be better with more and more quality readers and we intend to help in that fight.
Interviews
Each month we present a conversation between some revered artist and one who reveres her, focusing on art and all else that can come of such a conversation. Most interviews are either solicited or conducted by the Suss staff. We are, however, open to submissions of interview transcripts and ideas. Please see our submission guidelines for more details.
Reviews
Each month we publish some number of brief book reviews focused on collections new, old, or neglected, limited to a primarily positive viewpoint and about 250 words. Most reviews are either solicited or written by the Suss staff. We are, however, open to submissions and ideas. Please see our submission guidelines for more details. If you’d like us to review your book, you can find the appropriate information on our contact page.
Gossip!
Every month the collective Suss body (including current authors, editors, readers, etc.) point to some number of things currently interesting us (be it a book, a building, the awesome peony bush outside their kitchen window, an idea they particularly like...) and explain to us, in a sentence or two at most, why we should also spend some time with this thing of theirs. All writers appearing in that month’s issue will have their say; all reader gossip can be sent to us via the contact page.
