New Lit on the Block :: DisLit Youth Literary Magazine
“Writing is important because of the voices represented through its art,” says DisLit Youth Literary Magazine Founder and Editor-in-Chief Miley Weiner. “Writing is a way that people, for centuries, have been able to communicate with one another and express themselves. Even in times long ago when people were separated from their loved ones, writing brought them closer together again. Writing can act as a bridge in people’s lives in whatever form that may be, and because of that, the power of words cannot be denied.”
Providing a new open access online platform to share that power, DisLit is a magazine with a mission to empower youth with disabilities or mental/physical illness. “We believe that teens with these conditions should not be stigmatized,” Weiner asserts. “We have created our magazine to be a safe space for them to express themselves through their writing.”
DisLit currently accepts all genres of writing with new content published daily with plans to accept art/visual submissions soon.
To Start or Not to Start a Lit Mag
“Starting a literary magazine is the best choice I’ve ever made,” Weiner says. “Being able to see writers come together and share their work is amazing, and it truly allows me to see just how many talented teen writers there are in the world. In addition, many magazines either don’t provide feedback or if they do, it’s generic. At DisLit, we provide feedback specific to a piece so the writer can truly grow in their writing. There is not much recognition for teen writers online, but by starting my magazine, I have been able to combat that.”
Currently a high school student, Weiner enjoys writing more than anything else and believes that writers with disabilities deserve more recognition in the world. In addition to her role with DisLit, she is a writer and editor for the international youth magazine The Teen Magazine. Her own work has been recognized as a topical winner for the National Poetry Quarterly JUST POETRY!!!
For Writers & Readers
For writers looking to submit works, Weiner says she handles those herself because she wants to make sure that exceptional feedback is provided to each contributor. “When you submit your writing to DisLit,” Weiner explains, “I carefully go through to provide specific feedback on the writing, so writers can continue to grow their craft while simultaneously being proud of their work. Everyone who submits writing to DisLit will receive feedback on their piece within 24-72 hours, if not sooner. DisLit prides itself on having a quick response time, so writers are never left in the dark in regards to the status of their piece.”
For readers coming to explore DisLit, Weiner says, “They can expect to find anything and everything in our magazine! We have published pieces in multiple genres and are hoping to expand to include even more. Along with our multitude of writing types, we have pieces on all kinds of topics as well. From pieces that express what it is like to live with illness to writing that does not even mention the word sickness. To top it all, we have published writers from multiple U.S. states, eight countries, and have received submissions from several continents as well. DisLit does not just showcase writers from one side of the world, but rather, the entire globe.”
Persistence Pays
Reflecting on lessons learned from starting a literary magazine, Weiner admits, “I was struggling to get the magazine out there. No one was reading DisLit or had even heard of it. Because of that, no submissions were sent in either. However, as time went on, and I continually updated the magazine, I began to work on popularizing it through social media. This helped a lot and the magazine quickly grew. The greatest lesson I thus learned was that perseverance is worth it. Even though expanding DisLit was beyond hard, I am extremely happy with the final result. I am proud of all the voices my magazine has been able to bring to light, too. Through this dedication and struggle though, I have come to understand that the harder something is, the more it’ll be worth in the end.”
DisLit‘s future goal is to keep expanding. “We want to publish 100 writers and have more genres showcased,” Weiner says. DisLit is also adding a new section called “DisLit’s Digest,” which will feature journalistic style articles that depict different illnesses, disabilities, or other components of the medical world. “We believe that there can never be too much awareness regarding teenage health conditions, and we are determined to demonstrate that.”
“We are so proud of everything our DisLit has accomplished,” Weiner adds, “and we can’t wait to see what it does in the future.”
