Knockout (literary magazine)
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Knockout Literary Magazine is a bi-annual literary magazine published in Minneapolis, Minnesota since 2007. Edited and financed by its two editors, Jeremy Halinen and Brett Ortler, it is known for the wide range of styles it publishes, its nearly 50/50 mix of GLBT and straight writers, and its dedication to social causes.
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[edit] History
Knockout was founded in summer 2007 by Jeremy Halinen and Brett Ortler after both graduated from Eastern Washington University's Master of Fine Arts Program. They had previously served as poetry editors at Eastern Washington's Willow Springs.
The first issue was all poetry and 140 pages long, with a print run of 1,000 copies. A second issue, which will include interviews, poetry, and fiction, is scheduled for Spring 2008.
[edit] Work Published
Knockout's inaugural issue featured work by a National Book Award winners (Robert Bly), former US Poets Laureate (Billy Collins), U.S. State Poets Laureate (Marvin Bell, Iowa; Robert Bly, Minnesota), as well as winners of many major awards, including the $100,000 Kingsley-Tufts Poetry Prize (Thomas Lux) and the Lamont Poetry Prize (Marvin Bell), among many others. In addition, many of the poets published in Knockout have been awarded the Pushcart Prize. The second and third issues will include work by other notable poets and award winners, including a Nobel Prize for Literature recipient.
[edit] GLBT Advocacy
Knockout is well-known for its support of GLBT causes, and specifically for the diversity of its writers. Knockout features a nearly 50/50 mix of queer and straight writers in each issue. Discussing this in an interview with The Minnesota Daily, Halinen said, "It's something that I don't see a lot of other magazines doing," Halinen said, having a diverse group of writers, working to "bring them all under one cover."
[edit] Knockout and the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation
Knockout donated 50% of the proceeds from its first issue to the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, a 501(c) non-profit which aims to support educational opportunities for those in Southern Sudan.
[edit] Notes and references
1. Willow Springs website, accessed March 28, 2008. [1]
2. Minnesota Daily article, March 13, 2008. [2]
3. New Pages Review of Knockout Literary Magazine, accessed March 28, 2008. [3]
