Permafrost: Literary Journal
Encyclopedia
Permafrost is the nation's farthest north literary journal. Based out of the University of Alaska Fairbanks
, Permafrost publishes poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and photography from around the country, Canada, and Europe. While not officially dedicated to writing from Alaska
, since 2005 the content has represented an increasingly northern flavor, publishing interviews with such notable Alaskan writers as Gerri Brightwell, Derick Burleson
, and Richard Nelson
. Recent cover art has been predominantly influenced by Alaskan culture, highlighting the likes of painter David Mollett and photographer Larry McNeil.
Having celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2008, Permafrost continues to publish notable writers/artists such as Allen Ginsberg
, Ilya Kaminsky
, and Andy Warhol
alongside up and coming writers such as Dan Pinkerton, Billy Thorpe, and Siân Griffiths. The journal's staff is 20 to 30 volunteers from the UAF English Department and specifically students of the MFA in Creative Writing program.
The Midnight Sun Fiction contest is also held at this time.
In 2008, the journal's dimensions were 8.5 by 5 inches, and was 196 pages in length.
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
, Permafrost publishes poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and photography from around the country, Canada, and Europe. While not officially dedicated to writing from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, since 2005 the content has represented an increasingly northern flavor, publishing interviews with such notable Alaskan writers as Gerri Brightwell, Derick Burleson
Derick Burleson
Derick Burleson is the author of Never Night . His first collection of poems, Ejo: Poems, Rwanda 1991-94, won the 2000 Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry. He was also the recipient of a 1999 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry...
, and Richard Nelson
Richard Nelson
Richard Nelson may refer to:* Richard Nelson , anthropologist and writer* Richard Nelson , Episcopal bishop in America...
. Recent cover art has been predominantly influenced by Alaskan culture, highlighting the likes of painter David Mollett and photographer Larry McNeil.
Having celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2008, Permafrost continues to publish notable writers/artists such as Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
, Ilya Kaminsky
Ilya Kaminsky
Ilya Kaminsky is a Russian-American poet, critic, translator and professor. He began to write poetry seriously as a teenager in Odessa, publishing a chapbook in Russian entitled The Blessed City. His first published poetry collection in English was a chapbook, Musica Humana...
, and Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
alongside up and coming writers such as Dan Pinkerton, Billy Thorpe, and Siân Griffiths. The journal's staff is 20 to 30 volunteers from the UAF English Department and specifically students of the MFA in Creative Writing program.
Midnight Sun Writing Contests
Each spring the journal sponsors the annual Midnight Sun Poetry Chapbook Contest. The winner of the 2010 competition was poet Richard Sonnenmoser for Science-Magic School. Past winners include Briton Shurley (2007), Holly Iglesias (1999), and Laurie O'Brien (1994).The Midnight Sun Fiction contest is also held at this time.
Circulation and Specs
As one of the growing journals in the field, Permafrost's circulation reached 500 copies in 2008. Situated as the farthest north journal, Permafrost publishers are 350 miles from the nearest city, and separated by country borders beyond that. The journal continues to increase its circulation yearly due to swelling online sales, growing interest from libraries, and the continued support of the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Alaska Humanities Forum.In 2008, the journal's dimensions were 8.5 by 5 inches, and was 196 pages in length.
Past Editors
| 1977: Neil Williams | 1990: Ellen E. Moore | 2001-2: Tom Helleberg, Jenny Lagergren |
| 1978: Elyse Guttenberg | 1991: Steve Baily | 2003: Rachael Alonzo |
| 1979: Greg Divers | 1992: Sandra Keith, Karen Sylte | 2004: Jeff Gaskin |
| 1980: Linda Schandelmeier | 1993: Kip Knott | 2005-6: Steve Goerger |
| 1981: Harley Stein, Tina Matthews | 1994-5: Dafna Rica Ezran | 2007: Brian Keenan |
| 1982: Karl Flaccus, Robert R. Weeden | 1996: Julie Filapek, Jennifer Roberts-Luevano | 2008: Jamison Klagmann |
| 1983-4: Roberta Roth Laulicht, David Sims | 1997: T.J. O'Donnell | 2009: Kyle Mellen |
| 1985-6: R.H. Ober, Alys Culhane | 1998: Tricia Yost, Thomas A. Porter | 2010: Jessica Bryant |
| 1987: Natalie Kusz, Marcia Mason | 1999: Sydney Glasoe, David Houston Wood | 2011: Sharon Frantz |
| 1988-9: Robin Lewis | 2000: Christian Lybrook |