Today we’d like to introduce you to River Styx.
Hello River Styx, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
River Styx literary and visual arts magazine began in 1975 in St. Louis. It was an extension of a reading series that started among River Styx artists and writers in the 1960s, which led to a River Styx radio program in the early 1970s. River Styx has continued to hold readings, concerts, and other events, anchoring a St. Louis literary epicenter. Past magazine editors have included Michael Castro, Jan Garden Castro, Carol J. Pierman, Jennifer Atkinson, Richard Newman, Jason Lee Brown, and Angela Mitchell. For nearly fifty years, the magazine published many writers who later became literary giants, such as Toni Morrison, Joy Harjo, Allen Ginsberg, Margaret Atwood, Carolyn Forche, and others. The magazine has also published many visual artists over the past decades, including Ansel Adams. Recently, River Styx published several fire paintings by St. Louis artist Sarah Lorentz. Following a brief hiatus of the magazine during COVID, the magazine returned in early 2023 with a new editorial team, which includes Editor-in-Chief Deborah Taffa, Managing Editor Bryan Castille; Fiction and Multimedia Editor Christa Fraser, Nonfiction Editor Carla Crujido; Poetry Editors Danielle Wheeler and Micah Bateman; Scripts and Plays editor Kaia Lions; and Assistant Editor Matthew Torralba Andrews. The magazine publishes a print edition twice a year and four online editions. Bridging the magazine’s past and future, River Styx will celebrate the life of former editor Michael Castro on April 19th at the High Low.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Following the temporary shutdown of the magazine in 2022, Editor-in-Chief Deborah Taffa and Managing Editor Bryan Castille were tasked with putting together a new editorial team, acquiring new funding sources, and relaunching the magazine. After bringing on Christa Fraser as Fiction and Multimedia Editor, the journal quickly brought on Danielle Wheeler, Micah Bateman, and Carla Crujido. Recent editorial hires include Matthew Torralba Andrews and Kaia Lions. Additionally, the magazine has acquired several new board members, a new Contributing Editor, Abigail Jensen, and a new Marketing Manager, Abigail Melchior. At the same time, there have been challenges in transitioning to a new leadership. The editorial team receives many high-quality submissions and publishing work that reflects the publishing principles with which the magazine began.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar with what you do, what can you tell them about what you do?
Very few literary magazines have persisted for nearly half a century. Throughout the many decades of River Styx’s publishing trajectory, we have displayed a prescience regarding predicting writers and artists who will impact arts and letters. Our roster of published writers and artists is full of luminaries who published with us early and, in some cases, often. We are also very proud of our focus, which is regional to St. Louis, national, and even international. Recent issues have included a St. Louis painter, writers from across the US, and writers who live and work abroad.
Do you have any advice for those just starting?
We suggest reading widely and writing and revising in earnest for writers just beginning. But, perhaps most importantly, writers and artists must build community and find a readership, viewership, and support from those friends and supporters within that creative community; it’s also essential to be bold and submit widely. Also, it’s important to recognize that rejections are normal and often line the path to success for talented people who persist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.riverstyx.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riverstyxmag/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverStyxLiteraryMagazine/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiverStyxMag
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RiverStyxMagazine
