Editors Note from Volume One Number One

Several months ago I submitted a story to a journal that advertised for previously published stories. This is a rare occurrence in publishing. Most editors refuse to look at work that’s appeared elsewhere. A ten-year-old blog, a now-defunct magazine—it makes no difference; if it’s been published before, it’s editorial poison. The journal’s editor was interested, but I wasn’t willing to accept the story changes he wanted me to make. They would have shifted the focus away from my protagonist to a couple of secondary characters, so I withdrew my submission.
That experience got me thinking. I bet other writers have stories that are itching for a new audience, too. I sent out a request for submissions and got back some brilliant fiction and poetry. But I’m a visual person. I’ve spent long hours shambling through art museums and pouring over image-filled magazines and comic books (Make Mine Marvel). So I sent another request for submissions to some talented artists and photographers. Voila! Litbop!
Why Litbop? Jazz (bebop in particular) is known for looking at music from unusual perspectives and for solo improvisations by one or more of the performers. Musical improvisation is the art of spontaneous composition, but musicians can’t successfully compose music on the fly without having spent years studying theory and practicing chords and scales. In fact, bebop is so intricate an art form that musicians have invented dedicated scales for it. From jazz legends like Charlie Parker and John Coltrane to current players like Caroline Davis, jazz musicians have honed their skills to make their complex playing seem effortless. Likewise, the writers, artists, and photographers in Litbop have put in the work, and they’ve got the chops. I hope you’ll enjoy their unique perspectives on life and art.

Tim Chapman ° Chicago ° 2021