Sulfur (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Sulfur magazine was an influential, small literary magazine founded in 1981
by poet and award-winning translator Clayton Eshleman
and ran for 46 issues until the spring of 2000
. The magazine published translations, poshumous writing by esteemed poets (many pieces previously unpublished), art, art commentary, innovative poetry by well-known and unknown poets, critical articles and reviews.
Sulfur unswervingly presented itself as an alternative to what some of us call 'official verse culture' (backed by The New York Times Book Review, The New York Review of Books
, The New Yorker
, The Nation
, and nearly all trade publishing houses, to the exclusion of contrasting viewpoints)," Eshleman said in an interview when the magazine closed.
Eshleman said the magazine closed for a number of reasons: He was tired of the work of editing it, wanted to concentrate on his own writing, and the magazine had financial trouble. Toward the end, the publication, like many little magazines, had fewer than 1,000 subscribers.
"If I were to have real financial backing I would have been tempted to widen the subscriber base, and to get the magazine into the hands of people for whom what Sulfur is might be a discovery," Eshleman said when the publication folded. But funding was diminishing. From 1993 to 1996 the magazine received $12,000 a year from the National Endowment for the Arts, but the support had dried up by 2000, which also contributed to the closure, he said.
During its run of issues, Sulfur maintained a reputation as the premiere publication of alternative and experimental writing. This was due in no small measure to its impressive masthead
of contributing editors and correspondents. These included Rachel Blau DuPlessis
, Michael Palmer
, and Eliot Weinberger
as "Contributing Editors". The roster of "Correspondents" included: Charles Bernstein
, James Clifford, Clark Coolidge
, Jayne Cortez
, Marjorie Perloff
, Jed Rasula, Jerome Rothenberg
, Roberto Tejada, Keith Tuma, Allen S. Weiss, and Marjorie Welish
. The managing editor was Clayton Eshleman's wife, Caryl Eshleman.
1981 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Jane Greer launched Plains Poetry Journal, an advance guard of the New Formalism movement....
by poet and award-winning translator Clayton Eshleman
Clayton Eshleman
Clayton Eshleman is an American poet, translator, and editor.-Life:Eshleman has been translating since the early 1960s. He is the recipient of the National Book Award in 1979 for his co-translation of César Vallejo's Complete Posthumous Poetry...
and ran for 46 issues until the spring of 2000
2000 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Griffin Poetry Prize is established, with one award given each year for the best work by a Canadian poet and one award given for best work in the English language internationally.* February —...
. The magazine published translations, poshumous writing by esteemed poets (many pieces previously unpublished), art, art commentary, innovative poetry by well-known and unknown poets, critical articles and reviews.
Sulfur unswervingly presented itself as an alternative to what some of us call 'official verse culture' (backed by The New York Times Book Review, The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
, The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, and nearly all trade publishing houses, to the exclusion of contrasting viewpoints)," Eshleman said in an interview when the magazine closed.
Eshleman said the magazine closed for a number of reasons: He was tired of the work of editing it, wanted to concentrate on his own writing, and the magazine had financial trouble. Toward the end, the publication, like many little magazines, had fewer than 1,000 subscribers.
"If I were to have real financial backing I would have been tempted to widen the subscriber base, and to get the magazine into the hands of people for whom what Sulfur is might be a discovery," Eshleman said when the publication folded. But funding was diminishing. From 1993 to 1996 the magazine received $12,000 a year from the National Endowment for the Arts, but the support had dried up by 2000, which also contributed to the closure, he said.
During its run of issues, Sulfur maintained a reputation as the premiere publication of alternative and experimental writing. This was due in no small measure to its impressive masthead
Masthead
-Media:* the masthead , a list, usually found on the editorial page of a newspaper or other periodical, listing the publisher, editorial board, advertising rates, etc....
of contributing editors and correspondents. These included Rachel Blau DuPlessis
Rachel Blau DuPlessis
Rachel Blau DuPlessis an American poet and essayist, is known as a feminist critic and scholar with a special interest in modernist and contemporary poetry.-Life and work:...
, Michael Palmer
Michael Palmer
Michael Palmer is an American poet and translator. He attended Harvard University where he earned a BA in French and a MA in Comparative Literature. He has worked extensively with Contemporary dance for over thirty years and has collaborated with many composers and visual artists...
, and Eliot Weinberger
Eliot Weinberger
Eliot Weinberger is a contemporary American writer, essayist, editor, and translator. His work regularly appears in translation and has been published in some thirty languages...
as "Contributing Editors". The roster of "Correspondents" included: Charles Bernstein
Charles Bernstein
Charles Bernstein is an American poet, theorist, editor, and literary scholar. Bernstein holds the Donald T. Regan Chair in the Department of English at the University of Pennsylvania. He is one of the most prominent members of the Language poets . In 2006 he was elected a Fellow of the American...
, James Clifford, Clark Coolidge
Clark Coolidge
Clark Coolidge is an American poet born in Providence, Rhode Island.Often associated with the Language School, his experience as a Jazz drummer and interest in a wide array of subjects--- including caves, geology, bebop, weather, Salvador Dalí, Jack Kerouac, and movies--- often finds...
, Jayne Cortez
Jayne Cortez
Jayne Cortez is an American poet, and performance artist.-Biography:She grew up in California. She is the author of ten books of poems and performer of her poetry with music on nine recordings. Her voice is celebrated for its political, surrealistic, dynamic innovations in lyricism, and visceral...
, Marjorie Perloff
Marjorie Perloff
Marjorie Perloff is an Austrian-born U.S. poetry critic.Perloff was born Gabriele Mintz into a secularized Jewish family in Vienna. Faced with Nazi terror, her family emigrated in 1938 when she was six-and-a-half, going first to Zürich and then to the United States, settling in Riverdale, New York...
, Jed Rasula, Jerome Rothenberg
Jerome Rothenberg
Jerome Rothenberg is an internationally known American poet, translator and anthologist who is noted for his work in ethnopoetics and poetry performance.-Early life and work:...
, Roberto Tejada, Keith Tuma, Allen S. Weiss, and Marjorie Welish
Marjorie Welish
Marjorie Welish is an American poet, artist, and art critic.Welish is a graduate of Columbia University and received her M.F.A. degree from Vermont College and Norwich University...
. The managing editor was Clayton Eshleman's wife, Caryl Eshleman.
External links
- http://www.samizdateditions.com/issue5/sulfur&after.html Interview with Sulfur founder