There is a new sweet-sounding literary journal on the Columbus art scene, and the submission deadline for its first issue is Oct. 25.
The journal, called Candygram, accepts any type of creative writing as well as artwork in black and white.
Started by Shannon Byers, a fourth-year in English, Candygram was made to fill a void Byers saw in local literature after interning at the poetry publisher Pudding Press.
“Working for them was inspiring, but it really represented an age divide within writing in Columbus,” Byers said. “They were all post-graduate, late 30s to early 50s, and I just realized that outside of academia, workshop classes and things like Mosaic, there really wasn’t any forum for discussion and this dialogue of literature and creative writing in Columbus.”
Working independently of academic institutions, which she feels act like filters, is important for Byers. “I’m interested in what our generation has to say in a visceral sense, outside of academia, instinctually,” Byers said.
Byers has been involved with small press operations and creative writing for years.
Previously, she wrote and published a zine called Machine Gun. But with Candygram, she wanted to create something more community-based that would bring in a variety of viewpoints.
“I had this idea to start this thing called Cenaclehouse Publications,” Byers said. “Cenacle means a dining room where people gather to talk about literature and philosophy.”
To be as welcoming as possible to other writers in the city, Byers gave her journal an unpretentious name.
“Candygram means language that tries to sweeten what is bitter. It’s catchy but light-hearted, something I thought would be really approachable,” she said.
Choosing to publish on paper while the print industry is in shambles is something Byers decided consciously and sees as an upside.
“I could publish online for free, but there is something about breaking the spine and throwing it in your bag and jostling it around a little bit and the relationship you form to the piece of literature in that way,” Byers said. “I’m interested in how to keep this literary tradition going in a paper form and not just a blog.”
The finished product will be published quarterly and available for free at coffeehouses and art spaces such as Skylab, where Byers will be screen printing the covers of her journal.
Byers stresses that these are the initial plans, and that in the future, Candygram might take a different form. “I just want to get it out there and see what happens,” she said.
A wide variety of material is accepted for submission including poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, plays, black-and-white photography, illustration and painting. To submit, send a file of your work to [email protected] by Oct. 25.
