The busy bees over at the University of Wynwood have been working nonstop to brighten this neon town with poetic radiance. Lately, they've brought the word to the streets, from the Miami Art Museum to Sweat Records. These pseudo-collegiate bastards are fully committed to making our lives less boring and our brains less stupid.
To further foster a thinking, writing, and poetry-reading community in sunny SoFla, UW has started their very own zine. Hitting the streets sometime around the clusterfuck called Art Basel, the inaugural issue of Jai-Alai Magazine will include poetry, short fiction, black and white drawings, and short essays. The plan is for the zine to be a bit fancier than your average stapled-together packet of feminist drivel.
The editorial staff includes artist Gean Moreno, poet Peter Borrebach, and writer/designer (and New Times contributor) Elena Chiriboga. Lastly, the associate editor is Lea Anderson. According to publisher and UW founder P. Scott Cunningham, "My goal is to make it fun to read. Print objects should be a joy to have around. They should inspire other people to create stuff. They should make people think, laugh, cry." So, make it good people. Make Scott cry.
The first issue debuts this December and will be invitation-only. However, after that, the University of Wynwood will be accepting submissions for Jai-Alai's second issue. To submit your best oeuvre, you'll have to travel to a TBA drop-box at one of Miami's cultural hotspots. You won't miss them: The fancy receptacles will be arted-up by Miami artists. More good news: Once published, Jai-Alai Magazine won't cost too much, and copies will be available at small businesses and cultural institutions around town.
Did your short essay on the half-life of pretend dinosaurs not make the cut? No worries. The University will be archiving all rejected submissions. Tres OCD. Cunningham says "When people submit, they know their work has value because it's going into this archive. I think that's empowering in a relationship (editor, blind submitter) that is traditionally very one-sided."
Cunningham also thinks the "archive allows us to tell more than one story to future generations of Miamians." So do it. Jump at the chance to be part of Miami's literary memory -- limited as it may still be. With University of Wynwood around, the probability of expansion looks pretty good.
Cunningham also thinks the "archive allows us to tell more than one story to future generations of Miamians." So do it. Jump at the chance to be part of Miami's literary memory -- limited as it may still be. With University of Wynwood around, the probability of expansion looks pretty good.
Click here for submission guidelines. Visit jaialaimag.org or universityofwynwood.org.
