Hello fellow Lit-Cit bloggers,

I'm making my leap into the blogosphere with good news; a new literary magazine is being born. Bear Review is set to release its first online edition in September. Founding editors Marcus Myers and Brian Clifton are busy reading work and raising money to provide us with access to established and emerging voices in poetry, flash fiction, and essay. (Of course, this also means that we creative writers have one more place to submit and publish our work).

In terms of literary citizenship, I'm particularly impressed with their use of the on-line fundraising site Indiegogo. Myers and Clifton have found an endearing way to attract investors without the risk of surrendering creative control of their project.

Let's take a look at the Indiegogo site for Bear Review. Myers and Clifton give us a straightforward pitch for what they want to achieve and why they need our funding. They are also quick to remind us that our contributions are meant to benefit the literary community as a whole, not just their new pet project. The money that goes into the coffers of Bear Review is a means of funding readings, calls for submissions, prizes for literary contests, and operating expenses. Moreover, they offer donors a tangible connection to their project.

Ten dollars gets you a signed thank you note, thirty gets you a screen printed tote bag, one hundred dollars gets you a limited hand bound copy of the first edition (add fifty and the hand bound copy is signed), three hundred gets you a home cooked meal, and for six hundred Myers and Clifton will let you name Bear Review's writing contest.

These two poets provide a great model for how to go about nurturing a reciprocal and productive literary community. They reinforce their dedication to community by making it clear that what they value more than anything is the opportunity to read, publish, and promote original writing.

Check out Bear Review on Facebook and Submittable, and remember to check out their inaugural issue in September.