New Lit on the Block :: Vine Leaves Literary Journal
Vine Leaves Literary Journal is a quarterly online (PDF, Scribid) and print annual of vignette prose, poem, script, and art/photography.
Editors Jessica Bell and Dawn Ius started Vine Leaves after looking at the literary landscape:
The world of literature nowadays is so diverse, open-minded and thriving in experimental works, that there doesn’t seem to be any single form of written art missing from it … you would think. But there is.
The vignette.
It’s rare for a literary magazine to accept the “vignette” as a publishable piece of literature. Why? Because it is not a “proper story.” We beg to differ.
So, what is a vignette?
“Vignette” is a word that originally meant “something that may be written on a vine-leaf.” It’s a snapshot in words. It differs from flash fiction or a short story in that its aim doesn’t lie within the traditional realms of structure or plot. Instead, the vignette focuses on one element, mood, character, setting or object. It’s descriptive, excellent for character or theme exploration and wordplay. Through a vignette, you create an atmosphere.
Vine Leaves, will entwine you in atmosphere; wrap you in a world where literature ferments and then matures. . .
Readers of Vine Leaves can expect to experience the vignette as “bite-sized snapshots of life written in a range of genres such as literary, minimalist, experimental, slipstream, fantasy, and black comedy.”
Contributors to the first issue include Adrianne Kalfopoulou, Alaine Benard, Amie McCracken, Amy Saia, Angela Felsted, Belinda Dorio, Benjamin Atherton, Ben Nardolilli, Bobbie Troy, Cath Barton, Denise Covey, Elizabeth Varadan, Eric Nguyen, Frank Sloan, Gale Acuff, Glynis Smy, H. Edgar Hix, Halli Dee Lilburn, Howie Good, Ian Anderson, Isa Lenor, J.R.McRae, Jake Uitti, Jamie Provencal, Janîce Leotti, Janice Phelps Williams, Jim Murdoch, Kevin Ridgeway, Kyle Hemmings, Kyle W. Kerr, Laurel Garver, Linda Cassidy Lewis, Madeline Sharples, Mallory Peak, Mark Van Aken Williams, Matthew MacNish, Melissa Sarno, Michael Keenan, Michael Neal Morris, Michelle Davidson Argyle, Michelle Kennedy, Nicole Ducleroir, Patricia Ranzoni, Richard Merrill, Rick Hartwell, Salena Casha, Sheri Larsen, Stephen Parrish, Tamim Sadikali, Tiggy Johnson, Valentina Cano, Vicky Ellis, and William Haas.
In addition to putting out a print “best of” annual and planning writing contests, Editors Bell and Ius are currently in the process of applying for grants with the hope to pay writers for their work.
Vine Leaves is open for submissions of prose, poetry and script with preference in genres of literary, mainstream, speculative, and slipstream. “We will, however,” says Bell, “accept all genres except erotica. We seek to make the feel of every issue completely different, so don’t rely on the content of previous issues to decide what to submit. Just submit your best work. Write something brilliant and woo us into publishing it!” Artwork or photography will be considered for the cover and/or interior of each issue. See the publication website for specific details.
