''Ninth Letter'' is a literary magazine that 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 ...

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

, and

nonfiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to present topics objectively ...

. It is an interdisciplinary collaboration between th
School of Art + Design
and the Creative Writing Program at the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

. ''Ninth Letter'' exists in two related but distinct forms: a biannual print magazine and
website
that features new electronic content on a continuous basis. In 2004, the first issue was published. It included fiction from

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

recipient

Robert Olen Butler Robert Olen Butler (born January 20, 1945) is an American fiction writer. His short-story collection '' A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain'' was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1993. Early life Butler was born in Granite City, Illin ...

, Katherine Vaz, and an interview with

Yann Martel Yann Martel, (born June 25, 1963) is a Canadian author who wrote the Man Booker Prize–winning novel '' Life of Pi'', an international bestseller published in more than 50 territories. It has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and spe ...

, the author of the

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 ...

-winning novel ''

Life of Pi ''Life of Pi'' is a Canadian philosophical novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist is Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, who explores issues of spirituality and metaphysics from an early age. After a ...

''. Notable contributors include

Roxane Gay Roxane Gay (born October 15, 1974) is an American writer, professor, editor, and social commentator. Gay is the author of ''The New York Times'' best-selling essay collection ''Bad Feminist'' (2014), as well as the short story collection ''Ayiti ...

, Jaquira Díaz, John Sibley Williams,

Ismail Kadare Ismail Kadare (; 28 January 1936 – 1 July 2024) was an Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter and playwright. He was a leading international literary figure and intellectual, focusing on poetry until the publication of his first novel ...

, Jennifer Percy, Kathy Fagan,

Lynne Sharon Schwartz Lynne Sharon Schwartz (born March 19, 1939) is an American prose and poetry writer. Biography Schwartz grew up in Brooklyn, the second of three children of Jack M. Sharon, a lawyer and accountant, and Sarah Slatus Sharon; she married Harry Schwar ...

, Janice N. Harrington,

Lisa Russ Spaar Lisa Russ Spaar is a contemporary American poet, professor, and essayist. She is currently a professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Virginia and the director of the Area Program in Poetry Writing. She is the author of nu ...

and other writers.

Awards and honors

Work published in ''Ninth Letter'' has been selected for many awards anthologies such as Best American Nonrequired Reading, Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prize, Best American Short Stories, Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, Best Creative Nonfiction, Best New Fantasy, Best New Poets, Best of the Net, and New Stories from the Midwest. It has also been honored in

Best American Essays ''The Best American Essays'' is a yearly anthology of magazine articles published in the United States.Robert Atwan (ed.), Adam Gopnick (guest ed.). ''The Best American Essays 2008'', Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008. It was started in 1986 and is ...

. Roxane Gay's “To Scratch, Claw, or Grope Clumsily or Frantically," appeared in '' Bad Feminist'' after it was published in ''Ninth Letter''. At an editorial meeting, Philip Graham learned that Gay competed in Scrabble tournaments. So, he said, “Hey, let’s contact her and ask if she’d be interested in writing an essay about that for us.”. It was later honored as a notable essay in ''The Best American Essays'' ''2013'' edited by

Cheryl Strayed Cheryl Strayed (; née Nyland; born September 17, 1968) is an American writer and podcast host. She has written four books: the novel ''Torch'' (2006) and the nonfiction books '' Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail'' (2012), '' Ti ...

and Robert Atwan. The journal has also received many national and international awards for graphic design, and has been featured in the design awards annuals of both STEP Inside Design and HOW Magazine. In 2005 Ninth Letter was named Best New Literary Journal by the Council of Learned Journals, an affiliate of the Modern Language Association. In a 2021 spotlight, The Bennington Review described a recent issue of Ninth Letter as an issue marked by "amazing pieces of poetry and prose" and "visually stunning pages of artwork sprinkled throughout." Newpages describes ''Ninth Letter'' as "a fun project that ticks all the normal lit journal boxes while providing energy and flash where other journals play it low key." The journal is ranked as one of the best places that publish fiction and nonfiction. It has also been lauded for its commitment to diversity

References

External links

ninthletter.com
{{University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus Poetry magazines published in the United States Biannual magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 2004 Magazines published in Illinois University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign publications 2004 establishments in Illinois

Awards and honors

See also

References

External links