Editor Interview: Gryllus Magazine

Literary sorcery

We love other literary-forward journals like Muumuu House, Adroit Journal, Granta, Hobart, Wigleaf, Guernica, Forever Magazine

Pathos and finesse are a must. Umberto Eco, Georges Perec, Joy Williams, Helen DeWitt, Lydia Davis. The 'Gryllus Zone' is the heady but heartbreaking.

Gryllus is a one-man operation! The DIY ethos is crucial; Gryllus Magazine & Hobby Horse Press were formed as a reaction to the slow collapse of the old institutions. Your work will be lovingly sculpted to the best possible version of itself.

We want work with strong personality and an original idea of beauty. If your stuff sounds like a million other stories, we may not be the magazine for you.

I want to laugh and be surprised.

Not wrong--but our ability to edit poetry is very limited! Unless something truly obviously excellent comes across the editing desk, it will usually be rejected. This is due to my own shortcomings as an editor--not you!

Cover letters can be helpful! But are definitely not necessary. Previous pub credits are a plus.

Short work we will usually read all the way through. Longer novellas (submitted to Hobby Horse), we tend to stall out once we're sure it's not a fit.

Sometimes we will request additional edits! We love the editing process and want to work with you.

Usually I try to handle submissions in batches! Between submission reading, website layout, and additional side projects, there's always something to do!

It depends on the piece. We will reach out to the author and work closely to arrive at a version that works for us and them.

Not yet! But as we continue to ramp up our operation that would be a good goal.