''Existere - Journal of Arts & Literature'' is a Canadian

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

that publishes twice a year through

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

's Writing Department in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. The

publishes

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

articles Article often refers to: * Article (grammar), a grammatical element used to indicate definiteness or indefiniteness * Article (publishing), a piece of nonfictional prose that is an independent part of a publication Article(s) may also refer to: ...

book reviews A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, an opinion piece, a summary review, or a scholarly view. B ...

essays An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

interviews An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

from contributors around the world.

History and affiliation

The journal was established at York University's Vanier College and was funded by Vanier College Council from its founding in 1978 to 2019. It was originally published as a quarterly, but since 2007 has published bi-annually. In 2018 it moved to Founders College and is now operated and published by the York University Professional Writing Program in the Writing Department, first through funding from the Office of the Dean of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, and now through the generous donation of our readers and contributors. ''Existere'' has appeared in many shapes and forms since its conception in 1978, but has ultimately retained a 6x9” format since Edward Fenner revived it in 2007, and presents anywhere from 80 to 100 pages, with full-colour covers. The journal is currently published only in digital format, with both full-colour covers and visual art submissions.

Call For Back Issues

''Existere'' is on a campaign to recover information and back issues lost to the mists of time and unfortunate housekeeping.

Noteworthy Contributors

Noteworthy writers and poets that have appeared on ''Existere'' pages or who have edited the journal:

Canadian

* Adebe D.A. (Canadian poet, former Junior Poet Laureate for the City of Toronto, 2010

Dylan Thomas Prize The Dylan Thomas Prize is a leading prize for young writers presented annually. The prize, named in honour of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a remuneration of £30,000 (~$46,000). It is open to published w ...

long-list nominee, and past editor of ''Existere'') * Barry Dempster (Canadian poet and novelist based in

Holland Landing Holland Landing is a community in the town of East Gwillimbury, located in the northern part of the Regional Municipality of York, in south-central Ontario, Canada. Its major road is Yonge Street (bypassed by the former Highway 11) and the commu ...

, Ontario) * Carole Glasser Langille (American-born Canadian poet and writer in Atlantic Canada). She was nominated for the

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

in 1997. * David Lomax (Scottish-born Canadian novelist, educator and past editor of Existere based in Toronto, Ontario) Winner of the East York/Scarborough Reading Association's 2006 Reader of the Year Award.http://readingfortheloveofit.com/pdf/SpeakingofReadingFall2008.pdf * Barrie P. Nichol (late Canadian poet, concrete poet, teacher, and writer in many genres). His poem "Lament" appeared in ''Existere'' in 1982. *

Michael Redhill Michael Redhill (born 12 June 1966) is an American-born Canadian poet, playwright and novelist.playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

, current

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

of '' Brick, A Literary Journal'' in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and 2007

Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

longlisted novelist) *

Jacob Scheier Jacob Scheier (born February 2, 1980) is a Canadians, Canadian poet born in Toronto. His debut poetry collection, ''More to Keep Us Warm'', was published by ECW Press in 2007 and was named the winner of the 2008 Governor General's Awards, 2008 Gove ...

(Canadian poet and winner of the 2008 Governor General's Award for

English poetry This article focuses on poetry from the United Kingdom written in the English language. The article does not cover poetry from other countries where the English language is spoken, including the Republic of Ireland after December 1922. The earl ...

) *

Susan Swan Susan Swan (born 9 June 1945) is a Canadian author, journalist, and professor. Susan Swan writes classic Canadian novels. Her fiction has been published in 20 countries and translated into 10 languages. She is the co-founder of the Carol Shiel ...

(Canadian author and now retired professor at York University in Toronto) * Priscila Uppal (Canadian poet, novelist, and professor of literature and creative writing at York University in Toronto) * Myna Wallin (Canadian poet, prose writer, radio host, and poetry editor for Tightrope Books) * Zachariah Wells (Canadian poet,

anthologist In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...

, editor,

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...

). His poems "Starfish Song," "Atum", and "In Praise of the African Naked Mole Rat" appeared in 2006.

International

Oliver Rice Oliver may refer to: Arts, entertainment and literature Books * ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry * ''Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens Fictional characters * Ariadne Oliver ...

(American poet and winner of the

Theodore Roethke Prize ''Poetry Northwest'' was founded as a quarterly, poetry-only journal in 1959 by Errol Pritchard, with Carolyn Kizer, Richard Hugo, Edith Shiffert and Nelson Bentley as co-editors. The first issue was 32 pages and included the work of Richmond ...

in 1998)

References

External links

''Existere''
official website {{York University Literary magazines published in Canada Magazines published in Toronto Magazines established in 1978 1978 establishments in Ontario Biannual magazines published in Canada York University