We are pleased to announce that The Common is among the 93 literary nonprofit organizations awarded a 2023 Literary Magazine Fund Grant by the Amazon Literary Partnership Literary Magazine Fund, in conjunction with the Community of Literary Magazines & Presses. Since 2017, funding from the Amazon Literary Partnership has helped further The Common’s mission of publishing and promoting emerging and diverse authors who deepen our individual and collective sense of place. In 2023, the Amazon Literary Partnership awarded nearly $1M in funds.
“We are grateful for the continued support of the Amazon Literary Partnership,” said Jennifer Acker, The Common editor in chief. “This grant enables us to pay our contributors a competitive rate, one of our first commitments, and to involve them in every step of the publication process.”
The Common plans to use this $7,500 grant to continue highlighting the voices of underrepresented or overlooked literary communities around the world. Past funding from the Amazon Literary Partnership has funded portfolios of translated Arabic fiction from Morocco (Issue 21), the Arabian Gulf (Issue 22), Palestine (Issue 23), and Kuwait (Issue 25). In fall 2023, the grant will support a unique portfolio of fiction, essays, and poetry from the farmworker and farm laborer community, co-edited with Lambda Literary Fellow Miguel M. Morales.
“Literary magazines are often the first place writers connect with readers, agents find authors to represent, and book publishers discover new voices,” said CLMP Executive Director Mary Gannon. “They serve as an essential proving ground and vital record of our country’s literary culture, and CLMP is extremely grateful to Amazon Literary Partnership for its ongoing support of these publishers through the Literary Magazine Fund.”
Since 2009, the Amazon Literary Partnership has been committed to amplifying the voices of overlooked or marginalized writers by supporting the literary community, providing more than $13 million in funding to writing programs and nonprofit literary organizations including the National Book Foundation, Cave Canem, PEN America, and Poets & Writers. In 2019, the Amazon Literary Partnership worked with the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses to establish a new Literary Magazine Fund, and The Common was one of only 15 magazines awarded a grant from the Fund in its inaugural year.
“It’s an honor to fund these vital institutions that support writers in all aspects of their writing career,” said Al Woodworth, Manager of the Amazon Literary Partnership. “At Amazon, we believe in the power of the written word to expand our thinking, advance our empathy, and change our world. We are grateful for the incredible work that these organizations do to champion writers and their stories, today and every day.”
About The Common
The Common is an award-winning print and digital literary journal. The nonprofit magazine is based at Amherst College in Massachusetts. Since its debut in 2011, The Common has published nearly 1900 authors from 53 countries. Pieces from The Common have been awarded the O. Henry Prize, the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Award, The Pushcart Prize, and have been selections and notable mentions in multiple genres in the Best American series. The journal’s editorial vision and design have been praised in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, Slate, The Millions, Orion Magazine, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Visit www.thecommononline.org.
About The Amazon Literary Partnership
Since 2009, the Amazon Literary Partnership has provided more than $16 million in grant funding to more than 150 literary organizations, assisting many thousands of writers. Among the organizations we have supported over the years include the Academy of American Poets, Asian American Writers Workshop, National Book Foundation, Cave Canem, PEN America, Poets & Writers, Girls Write Now, Lambda Literary, Loft Literary Center, National Novel Writing Month, Words Without Borders, Yaddo, and many more. This year, Amazon Literary Partnership awarded 74 grants. Through our annual grants, we support literary centers, writing workshops, residencies, fellowships, literary magazines, independent publishers, poetry and translation programs. Writers supported by some of these organizations have gone on to become best-selling
and award-winning authors and poets. To learn more about the Amazon Literary Partnership, please visitwww.amazonliterarypartnership.com.
About CLMP
CLMP ensures a vibrant, diverse literary landscape by helping mission-driven independent literary magazines and presses thrive. We provide publishers with funding and technical assistance; facilitate peer-to-peer learning and group action; serve as a dependable, essential hub for best practices, resources, and nurturing community support; and build bridges to connect publishers with other groups of literary stakeholders, including readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, educators, presenting organizations, and funders. To learn more about CLMP, visit www.clmp.org.
