Submitting your fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction to a literary magazine is a lot like wearing your heart on your sleeve. For those just beginning their writing lives, the act of sending out creative work to literary journals is often met with a healthy dose of intimidation, doubt and hurt feelings. Rejection is never easy, and yet we’re told, always part of the writing journey.
Choosing to subvert this narrative, James Stuart (B.A., ’11) set out to cultivate a more inviting literary landscape: A publishing project that would show emerging and unpublished writers and poets that their work was not only worthy of inclusion, but also celebration. Essentially, Stuart wanted to reject the premise that rejection is a hard requirement on the road to publication. His dream took shape in early 2021 as the Denver-based literary magazine Twenty Bellows, an outlet run by a passionate team of volunteers committed to elevating voices of the West.
The mission of the magazine, Stuart explained, is to showcase a variety of perspectives of the modern West by those who live and experience it. So, what exactly does Stuart mean by the “modern West”?
“The modern West is what our writers make of it. And no, that doesn’t mean you have to write Westerns,” he laughed. “There’s a multifaceted tapestry of experience of those living in Wyoming and Colorado that we want to explore and uplift.”
“There’s a multifaceted tapestry of experience of those living in Wyoming and Colorado that we want to explore and uplift.”
While the magazine started out as an online venue in its first year, the Twenty Bellows team has since launched a print anthology series, as well as in-person and virtual programming like community writing groups, open mics, local author readings and craft talks.
Last month, the magazine celebrated its second print anthology, We are the West: Tributaries, with a release party at Petals & Pages in Denver. Here, contributors had the chance to read their work publicly, some for the first time.
“In many cases, we’re our contributors debut publication, or the first place that’s given them the opportunity to read their work for an audience—it’s very cool to be a part of that pride and excitement,” Stuart said.
“Easily the best part of the work is being able to help eliminate obstacles and give people the chance to become published and call themselves writers.”
Returning to his roots
Initially, Stuart enrolled at CSU to become a veterinarian. He was all set to major in animal science the summer before school started, when he had a change of heart. “I really wanted to write,” he said. “I knew that’s where my interest, my real passion, was.” During freshman orientation, he switched his major to English and never looked back.
After graduating with a B.A. in English and concentration in creative writing in the spring of 2011, Stuart pursued a career in public communication, working first for El Paso County as a communications technician. From there, he grew into the marketing and strategic communication space, and has since worked in a variety of communications roles within the construction industry.
It wasn’t until the pandemic that Stuart began to re-evaluate his relationship with writing. Though he continued to write a few short stories here and there, he hadn’t committed himself to a big project in years. When was the last time he set creative goals rather than professional ones?
While living in Tacoma, Washington, Stuart connected with Creative Colloquy, a nonprofit based in Western Washington that “strives to highlight the South Sound literary community and build relationships based on mutual admiration of the written word.”
With Creative Colloquy, he published a few short stories and became integrated into a robust writing community. “The environment they created was great, just a really tight-knit group of people with constant participation,” he said.
When Stuart and his family decided to return to their home state in October 2020, he was inspired to tailor Creative Colloquy’s model to fit Colorado (with CC’s blessing, of course).
“I wanted to create a space for people here in a similar boat, who wanted to find their way back into the creative world as I had,” he said.
Crafting community through collaboration
Continuing to build a supportive and inclusive community is at the forefront of Twenty Bellows’ goals in the new year said Stuart.
One way the magazine separates itself on this matter is by working one-on-one with writers through the revision process. If a poem or story or essay isn’t quite there yet, but shows real merit, the editors open a conversation about revising the work rather than slam the door.
“What I love about being a Twenty Bellows Editor is that we genuinely want to get our submissions to a ‘yes,’” said Marissa Forbes, managing editor at the magazine. “If a piece hits most notes but needs a little refining, we will work with the writer to get their piece published.”
“What I love about being a Twenty Bellows Editor is that we genuinely want to get our submissions to a ‘yes.’”
Echoing this sentiment, Stuart added, “We’re not so concerned with just churning content out that we won’t take a break and be willing to work with a writer who shows promise.”
Forbes, who joined the editorial team after answering a call for readers and editors through Instagram, has been with Twenty Bellows since its inception. On top of her editorial responsibilities, Forbes has also helped launch programming around Denver that “educates, connects, and promotes writers in the Colorado and Wyoming community.”
“In 2023, we partnered with the Center for Colorado Women’s History for many workshops, and our programming is set to expand in 2024,” Forbes said. Additionally, Forbes will host multiple events at the Aurora History Museum later this year and is excited for Twenty Bellows to continue to collaborate with other indie presses like Beyond the Veil Press and Middle Creek Publishing, and the literary magazine Tiny Spoon.
As the magazine grows and expands, Forbes said she would love to add single author publications to the Twenty Bellows catalog in the not-so-far-off future.
“Being able to publish poetry chapbooks and fiction novellas is a definite goal I want to begin accomplishing by 2025,” she said.
Submit your work to Twenty Bellows
While Twenty Bellows predominantly seeks to publish writers who currently live in Wyoming and Colorado, Stuart said the residency requirement isn’t without its exceptions.
“If you live here half the year, or attend college in Wyoming or Colorado, or were born and raised here and still have a strong connection since moving away, we’re interested in seeing your work,” he said.
Twenty Bellows does not charge for submissions and accepts general fiction, poetry, and nonfiction submissions year-round, while special calls for themed issues of the magazine occur throughout the year. Currently, the magazine is accepting submissions for their upcoming fiction-centered anthology, Horizons.
Open to short stories, flash-fiction, and stand-alone novel excerpts, “Horizons: Expeditions in Short Fiction” seeks “imaginative short fiction that defies all expectations, wonders aloud, and dares to peer beyond the horizon.” Submissions for Horizons close on February 16, 2024.
To learn more about Twenty Bellows and submit your creative work, visit https://twentybellowslit.com/submit-your-work.
