Electric Literature’s mission is to make literature more exciting, relevant, and inclusive. In addition to essays, criticism, and literary news, it publishes two renowned weekly magazines: Recommended Reading, which features short stories and novel excerpts with introductions by esteemed writers, and The Commuter, a home for flash fiction, poetry, and graphic narrative. EL has been widening who is included in the literary conversation since 2009, and everything it publishes is available online for free. It favors writing that is intelligent and unpretentious, and literature that fosters empathy with pathos, critical thinking, and humor. EL also offers an abundance of resources to readers and writers, including virtual salons that help demystify the craft of writing and the publishing industry.
An indispensable project with exceptional reach, Electric Literature evaporates publishing’s traditional barriers and makes literature transparent, accessible, irresistible. This is no small feat. Electric Literature pushes the boundaries of what a literary magazine can be, with legions of readers turning to the website every day for timely literary news, illuminating craft essays, compelling fiction, and provocative poetry. Electric Literature can be whatever its reader needs most: a sanctuary, a community, a map charting literature’s course.