3 Great Magazines for People Who Love Contemporary Fiction

If you are a lover of contemporary literature, or if you know someone who is, there are a few magazines you should know about. Whether your particular interest is along the lines of mystery or hip lit, and whether it is alternative or more mainstream, there is a literary oriented magazine for you.

Below are three such publications and general descriptions. All are magazines that I personally read and highly recommend. They are all great reading, filled with substantial original short and serialized longer fiction and related content, and any of the three will certainly make a terrific (and nicely hassle-free) gift.

The Strand

If The Strand Magazine sounds familiar, it's because it is the same Strand Magazine in which began publication in 1890, and also where Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes short stories were famously first published. The magazine ceased publication in 1950, and began again in 1998.

Lovers of mystery fiction cannot go wrong with this magazine. Inside are interviews with popular writers such as, never before published short stories by well known authors, and many, many detailed reviews for just-released mystery novels. If you're a mystery genre junkie, you need this magazine!

The Strand is published on a quarterly yearly basis, and available at larger newsstands such as found at Barnes and Noble, and of course, by subscription.

Subscription information is here.

The Believer

Columns by Amy Sedaris and Nick Hornby, and over the issues, various interviews or articles by or about Bjork, Arthur Phillips, The Brothers Quay, Sarah Silverman, David Foster Wallace, a Wonder Woman action figure, Amy Hempel, Wanda Sykes, and many other wunderkinds of pop no-brow media.

The Believer is a very self-aware hip magazine, and will appeal to very self-aware hipsters interested in pop culture with a literary bent and brains.

Like The Strand, The Believer is available off-the-shelf at larger newsstands like Barnes and Noble. It is published on a monthly basis.

Subscription information is here.

sub-TERRAIN

This magazine out of Canada is literally packed with good short fiction and poetry. Also included are thoughtful book reviews and art/photography. The writers here are lesser known than those in The Strand or The Believer recommended above, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, it's a very good thing for anyone looking for fresh, new, quality alternative literature.

sub-TERRAIN is published three times a year, and available in Canadian newsstands. I found it in New York at Barnes and Noble, but for anyone wanting to secure a copy, the best bet is by order. Single copies as well as subscriptions are available.

Subscription information here.

Sources:

Strand Magazine, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strand_Magazine

Strand Mag, Story of the Strand, Chris Willis, 1998 http://www.strandmag.com/htm/strandmag_history.htm