For those of you who have not yet heard, Rock & Sling: A Journal of Literature, Art, and Faith is suspending publication until further notice due a lack of funding. In their hiatus they will be looking for a sustainable source of income. We at Relief are devastated by this news.
Since learning of this, I’ve been thinking a lot about the fate of literary journals in general and the fate of us here at Relief. Granted, we’re not quite at the place where Rock & Sling is, but we come darn close at times. But then we get a donation, or a few more subscriptions and then we’re afloat once again for another print run. It’s a constant struggle. We think about money all the time, always on the lookout for more funding and more subscribers. We’re all part-time volunteers doing a full-time job.
I can only imagine what Rock & Sling is feeling.
There are times when we all wonder if our effort is even worth it. At AWP in New York, I attended many a panel all designed to help literary journals gain funding and keep subscribers. And wow did I hear some stories. One guy told me he sold his truck in order to fund a print run! One woman's marriage ended because of how much time she was devoting to her journal! Every journal, at some point wonders, "Is it worth it?" Earlier this year, at the Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing, when I was introducing the purpose of our journal to one woman, she replied, “Oh, so you’re just like Image? Well, why do we need another Christian literary journal?” [and here’s me, stunned and speechless]
How do you sell something to someone who doesn't think that that something is worthwhile?
Why We Need More
I'm not going to type out every reason, but there are a few main points I keep coming back to in discouraging times. There are literally hundreds of print literary journals out there in which to choose. In my database alone, I have about 450 named. Of the Christian literary print journals running strong (and here I’m distinguishing journal from magazine), there are only three. THREE. And Rock & Sling is one of them. Did you know that there are more gay and lesbian journals than Christian ones?
A friend of mine who was enrolled in a well-known and somewhat prestigious MFA program was told by a writing professor to not write a Christian-themed/influenced story because there would be no place that would be willing to publish it. And so, my friend wrote a different story.
The Christian publishing industry NEEDS Rock & Sling. WE need Rock & Sling.
What You Can Do to Help:
1. Give them some money. 2. Find money for them. 3. Tell someone else to give them money.
Spread the word. Put the Save Rock & Sling widget on your blogs, Facebook pages, whatever. Twitter/Plurk about it. Stumble and Digg it! Tell your grandmothers about them. Dedicate a song on the radio to them. Do whatever it takes to get them up and running again.
What are you doing still reading this?! Go. Help our "competitor"!
Devoted. Inspiring. Infuriating. Humbling. All words that desribe emotions caused by reading from Relief or Rock & Sling. There's a real passion for writing in these journals that is captured by the hard-working editors who do it simply for the 'love of the game.'
The Battle of the Buck
