October 26,2026
What was/is your favorite periodical from back in the day?
Growing up, my parents subscribed to a number of news magazine.
Newsweek, TIME, U.S. News and World Report. Then there was the periodicals section on the public library, where I spent so much time. The New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and many more. Of course, there was the local daily paper, The Derrick, which covered local and world news. (It exists today, in a sadly abbreviated form, which I don’t subscribe to.) Then there were the “women’s magazines” my mother read: Good Housekeeping, Women’s Day and more.
When I began writing poetry seriously, the first literary magazine I picked up was Writer’s Digest. I found the articles interesting, but not especially pertinent to poetry. That was a long, long time ago, but it seems like they included one article dealing with poetry a month. Always highlighting some poet I’d never heard of.
Then I discovered Coda. I’m not even sure where I found it, but it was dedicated more to to poetry than other forms of writing. I devoured it when it arrived every other month. (It was published six times a year.) What I found most useful were the listings for literary publications that were open to new submissions and their requirements.
Remember, this was pre-internet, when finding options to submit poetry was limited. So, it was the combination of articles, interviews and the listings that made Coda such a great magazine. I kept past copies where I could refer to them whenever I wanted.
But all things change, and eventually Coda morphed into Poets & Writers.
It remained a great resource, but more commercialized, and I thought it lost its “flavor.” I remained subscribed to it for years, but didn’t retain the loyalty to it I’d had to Coda. Perhaps it was due to the change in my jobs, but issues often sat on my bookshelf, not as a resource, but waiting for me to get back to them to read an article I’d skipped. Which may have taken months.
Currently, I’m not subscribed to any magazines, either in print or online. I get most of my literary input through a variety of electronic newsletters. I miss the days of waiting for a new magazine to hit my mailbox.
Now comes the part that happens every week. Want to find out what magazines our other authors read? Find out by following the links below.
And, as always, please stay safe until next time.
October 26,2026
What was/is your favorite periodical from back in the day?
