NEW YORK (AP) — A prominent literary journal is shutting down this fall after losing support from its publisher, Bard College. Conjunctions, founded in 1981 by Bradford Morrow and the recipient of numerous awards, has been a forum for writers ranging from W.S. Merwin and Richard Powers to Kelly Link and John Edgar Wideman.
“I’ve been informed that the cost of continuing to publish the journal has become unsustainable for the college, which has made the decision to cease publication at the end of this calendar year,” Morrow wrote in a statement posted Wednesday on the Conjunctions homepage.
“Editing and publishing a literary journal has historically never been for the faint of heart. I am deeply saddened by this turn of events, but I appreciate Bard’s having been a steadfast supporter of the journal for these past three decades.”
Conjunction's final issue will “feature some of the great pioneering writers of innovative poetry and prose whose work we have championed since their debuts or earliest publications, together with those whose voices are now just emerging,” Morrow said.
In a statement also posted on the Conjunctions site, Bard spokesman Mark Primoff praised the magazine for “enabling some of the most daring and distinguished literary voices of our time to find a home in print.”
The demise of Conjunctions follows last fall's news that another top literary publication, The Believer, would close this year. The Believer, whose contributors included Eula Biss, Nick Hornby and Leslie Jamison, had been based at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The college called the decision part of a “strategic realignment” related to ”the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic."
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Online: http://www.conjunctions.com
Hillel Italie, The Associated Press
