Editor Interview: The Opiate

Work of a Boschian flavor

Public Illumination Magazine, they're the only ones still doing weird shit with a pure and true DIY spirit. And yeah, to be honest, the entire reason The Opiate began was in response to a general lack of iconoclasm in what's left of the industry.

We accept art as an accompaniment to writing, if the writer wishes to submit an original image for consideration to go along with their piece.
That said, favorite writers:
Virginia Woolf
Albert Camus
Françoise Sagan
Jean Rhys
F. Scott Fitzgerald (even if the writing was via Zelda)
Marguerite Duras
Alberto Moravia
Elsa Morante
Bret Easton Ellis
George Orwell
Agatha Christie
Simone de Beauvoir
Edith Wharton
Sappho
Vladimir Nabokov

There is a level of love, care and devotion--of sheer painstaking sacrifice--to this magazine that pretty much radiates from its entire physical being.

Tell a story with a first line that brings us down the rabbit hole and makes us never want to resurface. We also value non-generic titles.

The grammar and spelling are impeccable, for one (it's truly shocking how many writers submit something with a total lack of attention to detail on this front). The ideal submission is also a story or poem that doesn't overtly pander to current trends of the "literary scene."

Sometimes silence is an answer.

A quick introduction is sufficient, no need to get elaborate unless you want to. We enjoy knowing where our writers are geographically based (location is still everything, isn't it?), as well as what motivated them to start writing in the first place.

We read through to the end of each piece, but don't let that make you comfortable. It's best to immediately dazzle without too much of a slow build.

Gut reactions aren't a science.

It's too unglamorous to discuss.

We try to edit with an "invisible hand" as much as possible to preserve the voice and original intent of the author. We also prefer to accept pieces that do not require heavy editing, as most writers are sensitive about their work and its alteration. The author is sent a proof for final approval, we take those notes to heart and typically implement the requests. On a side note: The Opiate does not believe in the Oxford comma.

Usually Pushcart.