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Puerto del Sol, now over 50 years old, is the contemporary literary journal of the English Department at New Mexico State University dedicated to providing a forum for innovative poetry, prose, drama, criticism and artwork from emerging and established writers and artists. Generous support from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Mercedes Delos Jacobs Endowment help fund the journal.
The journal accepts submissions all year, but our reading period coincides with the academic year. Puerto del Sol offers anonline edition with work not featured in the print issue at visit https://www.puertodelsol.org/. Our website also features access to a growing online archive, submission links, contests, reviews, current masthead, subscription information, and editorial blogs such as Black Voices Series (edited by Naima Yael Tokunow) and VOZ.
Puerto Del Sol History and Vision
History
Puerto del Sol was founded at NMSU in 1964 as a 25 page stapled venue for student creative writing and art; over the next decade it developed into a nationally and internationally acclaimed literary journal, averaging 225 pages per issue, perfect-bound, with a four-color cover. Since its beginning, Puerto del Sol has attracted original work from such renowned and influential writers as Joy Harjo, David Foster Wallace, George Saunders, Pam Houston, Lee Ann Roripaugh, Esther Lee, Robert Boswell, Peter Turchi, Grace Dane Mazur, René Char, T. Zachary Cotler, Brian Evenson, Blas Falconer, Rob Schlegel, Elisa Gabbert, James Grinwis, Martha Silano, Philip Jenks, Simone Muench, Roberto Tejada, Rosa Alcalá, Shya Scanlon, Craig Santos Perez, Kim Chinquee, Dan Beachy-Quick, Laura Kasischke, Sam Witt, Arielle Greenberg, Helen DeWitt, Blake Butler, Jenny Boully, Rodrigo Toscano, Julie Carr, Mónica de la Torre, and Susan Briante, among many others.
Mission
Puerto del Sol's overall mission is the discovery, advancement, and promotion of new writing. On a national and international stage, Puerto del Sol aids new writers to reach their readers through publication in our semiannual journal. The magazine exuberantly embodies the university motto of "BE BOLD" by showcasing contemporary, innovative and socially and historically relevant work that may be unknown to readers. The writing we publish arrives from countries not well exposed in the American mainstream or through writing in translation. The showcasing of international literature and work in translation is also in alignment with the university's to support "creating healthy borders." The emphasis, especially on writers from the border region and Spanish language literature, also aligns with NMSU's designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. We publish writing produced by people of underrepresented races, ages, and sexual identities.
We offer issues of the magazines free to members of the English Department community and encourage its use in the classroom as a free textbook. This access to the magazine as a textbook in general education courses and creative writing introductory courses aligns with the English Department mission. We sponsor readings by our contributors to reach NMSU audiences. We offer staff positions editing, reading, and curating this writing to our graduate students in the Creative Writing Program and undergraduates in the broader NMSU community. This work, guided by a faculty advisor, teaches the vital skills of critical analysis, values forming, and professional writing and communication skills such as copyediting. The English Department mission to "help our students become thoughtful readers [and] encourage students to develop habits of mind that allow them to read a range of literary and other texts with critical understanding, to write a variety of creative, academic/scholarly, and practical texts, and to work in thoughtful ways with a commitment to the good of the community" is met by the pedagogy of literarymagazine production. We maintain our longstanding commitment to a comprehensive evaluation of each submission to Puerto del Sol by several readers from our editorial board. We also respond individually to the thousands of submissions we receive, allowing student staff to offer direct editorial feedback prepared to encourage writers to develop their craft. Puerto del Sol students learn to promote and foster the literary tradition of small magazines, showcasing lesser-known poets and writers and affording foundations for their literary careers. We support a "living literature," holding that it is desirable to seek, acknowledge, and celebrate contemporary writing of imagination, substance, and craft. Not only do these skills aid students in the completion of their degrees and deepening of their education, but it also helps to develop professional skills that translate into success on the job market and proficiency within their occupations.
We donate issues of the magazine to local prison reading programs. The magazine is showcased in the English Department as evidence of this significant cultural work. We hope that all of these activities help to illuminate the writing craft and to allow local readers direct contact with writers both well-known and newly-discovered. We partner with national and local organizations in many of NMSU programs, reaching writers and readers of all demographics. This partnering is in alignment with the English Department outreach mission to "support the local, state, national and international communities through public outreach." Providing free access to the magazine through our online edition allows us to provide access to relevant and vital literature to all communities via the internet. Furthermore, the magazine is distributed to university libraries across the country in both print and digital formats. The magazine was recently featured at the International Book Exposition in Seoul, South Korea. We are represented at America's largest writing conferences and book fairs (AWP) each year. Our issue launches at these conferences feature writers we have published and attract a diverse audience. We work with an Advisory Board of significant writers and editors across the country include Francisco Aragon, Allison Field Bell, Jenny Boully, Blake Butler, Julie Carr, Danielle Dutton, Joanna Howard, Evan Lavender-Smith, Kyle Minor, Roberto Tejada, Laura van den Berg, Tara Westmor, and Rebecca Wolf. Selections from Puerto del Sol are considered for the Pushcart Prize, O. Henry Awards, Best American Short Stories, Best American Essays, and other awards, and we publish the annual winners of the AWP Intro Awards in addition to running two juried contests in poetryand prose each year.
