Monday 10 December 2012

Today is a VERY BIG day ...

A little over a year ago, Dawn Ius and I started Vine Leaves Literary Journal. Why? To give the vignette a piece of the limelight. We started it because, not only do we love to push literary boundaries, but as writers ourselves, we were sick of being rejected by literary magazines due to our work not conforming to preconceived structures. We are good writers. We know what we're doing, and if we want to defy structure it's not because we can't follow rules, it's because WE KNOW HOW TO BREAK THEM.

So why does the vignette push boundaries, you ask? Because a vignette isn't a story as such, it's a snapshot of written time. It differs from flash fiction or a short story in that its aim doesn’t lie within the traditional realms of structure or plot. Instead, the vignette focuses on one element, mood, character, setting or object. It's descriptive, excellent for character or theme exploration and wordplay. Through a vignette, you create an atmosphere.

In one year, we have read approximately 1000 submissions. (Yep, that's a lot.) And out of those 1000 submissions, we published around 160 online in our quarterly issues. And out of those 160 that were published online, we chose 'the best' pieces for our annual print anthology. In our very first anthology, The Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal 2012, we showcase 108 different authors and artists.

The Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal 2012: Official Launch
This anthology launches today in partnership with eMergent Publishing. And Dawn and I couldn't be more proud and thrilled to have come so far. It is proof that you can do anything you put your mind to. If you really want something, just jump in the deep end and swim for your life.

But do you know what I'm proud of the most? That we have given a bunch of writers, photographers and artists the opportunity to get more recognition for their work. Work that may not have found a home simply because it did not fit in a box. This is the be all and end all.

Ultimately, Dawn and I don't do this for us. We do it for YOU. And this is the way it will always be.

Thank you to all who were involved in putting this anthology together, especially Jodi Cleghorn at eMergent Publishing, for agreeing to partner with us for our annual anthologies, and Nick Panagiotopoulos for his amazing design skills. We couldn't have done this without you.

If you would like to support the vignette, please help spread the word about this anthology today. Here are some quick ways you can help:

Share on Twitter:
@VineLeavesLJ Best of #Anthology, #NewRelease out today! Awesome vignettes, incredible talent. Great 4 #xmasstocking! http://bit.ly/VdvIKj

Share on Facebook:

Tell me, what's one thing in your life that you have done for others, that you are super proud of?



19 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Jessica and Dawn! You should be proud of Vine Leaves.

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  2. Congrats Jessica and Dawn! That's an awesome accomplishment. Great how you two partnered up.

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  3. This is such a great occasion!!

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  4. Congrats! Will check it on Amazon.

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  5. Congratulations Jessica and everyone involved... hope you have a great day.

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  6. Very exciting! I'm so proud to be a part of this anthology. Before Vine Leaves, I didn't know about vignettes. Now I keep writing them and wish there were more wonderful places, like your journal, to submit them!

    I'm going to post about this launch later today.

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  7. This is so awesome! You should be very proud! Congrats and I will be sure to share!

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  8. You both completely RAWK!! Thank you for being brave enough to step out of the box, inspire so many to follow, and be persistent enough to make this happen!

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  9. congratulations! What an accomplishment!

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  10. This is not only a very big day, but for me this is a very big post! It's really weird your blog still shows up as very huge on my screen, making it a bit difficult to read. Every other blog shows up as normal for me except for this one. I don't get it--hasn't anyone else mentioned having this problem?

    In any case, congratulations on the release!

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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  11. Hi Jess and Dawn - you've done a truly amazing thing with Vignettes - and highlighting so many .. congratulations to everyone in the Anthology ..

    Cheers Hilary

    PS Lee - no - the post is the same size as I expect ... H

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  12. Like you, when those "in charge" weren't doing what I wanted to do, I did it myself. I started my own theatre company to produce the kinds of shows I wanted to audition for that no one would produce (big, epic, campy stuff). Hooray for DIY.

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  13. Congrats to all involved!
    Volunteering makes me proud~
    Beautiful post :D

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  14. Congrats! Has it been a year already? Time flies...

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  15. Congrats, Jess and Dawn. You've accomplished much in a year. Great Job! (Seems like you were just launching VL.)

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  16. That's amazing, Jessica! So much awesomeness to be had. You deserve a party, or a cruller, whichever sounds better after a busy, successful year. :)

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  17. Congratulations Dawn and Jessica!

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