Fourteen Hills Literary Magazine

The muse as Raven invites us from the cover of the Spring 2010 edition of Fourteen Hills (vol. 16.2) with outstretched wings to enter. Inside we find stories of how people process irreparable loss and change. Not surprising, he visits new voices, notably Emma Schoenberg, recently out of high school, in the guise of a pigeon shattered like a glass bottle in her debut poem called «Pigeons,» and emerging novelist Lauren Hamlin in the short piece, «Domestic Tornados,» in which his strike is ever imminent. However, in the feature interview with Alice LaPlante, we find Raven also teases veteran storytellers with such headaches as finding the form fit to tell the story effectively. We are treated to a unique presentation in the excerpt from LaPlante’s upcoming novel, Do Not Go Gentle, about a murderess without memory of the act. The whole issue delights us with the adroit skill of its writers, most beyond the first blush of the newly published. We see Raven fly in twists and turns through each of them.

14 HILLS 16.1 POETRY
I’ve been reading the poetry published in issue 16.1 of 14 Hills, San Francisco State University’s graduate literary magazine. As far as the poetry is concerned, let me just say that this is one of the best literary magazines in the Bay Area because the poetic forms and style range from traditional to more experimental poetry. Hush by Susanna Rich is a persona poem which uses the poetic page as a canvas. While there is no punctuation, Rich uses white space as a indication to the reader where to pause. Also, it’s a pleasure to read a poem like Signs by Katie Cappello because it reminds me why I love poetry. The language is sparse but so well-​executed because Cappello’s word choice is impeccable. Everything is necessary as nothing is overlooked. Finally, Airport Shoeshine Transaction by Marc Stone is a poem that best exists spoken aloud rather than simply read on a page. It’s a dialogue poem and a nice change of pace from the rest of the magazine. After reading the poetry from 16.1, I enjoyed that 14 Hills did not always adhere to one poetic style and/​or form. They are open to many different voices, and that’s a wonderful characteristic for a literary magazine to have.

If it’s made from words (not even always just words, sometimes just needs to be two dimensional) and it makes you think, laugh, cry, or any combination of those, it can be found in Fourteen Hills. The staff has sold their cookie cutters as scrap metal to pay the printer and now there are no rules but merit. Buy it. Read it.

Dear Unilocalers,
I’m going to come out and say that I am a very biased source for info about this literary journal. I’m currently the managing editor of Fourteen HIlls: The SFSU Review. But I’m also here to tell you that, in my humble (but also knowledgeable) opinion, Fourteen Hills stands out as an all-​star magazine.
Our not-​so-​modest goal of being the «best literary magazine or journal staffed exclusively by volunteer graduate students» is one that I think we’ve pretty much achieved. If someone were to create a list of «best graduate student run literary journals» and 14 Hills was not on it, well, I’d be very surprised.
In our 16 years, we’ve published everybody. From heavyweights like Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Peter Orner, Ray Bradbury, and Lydia Davis, to young up-​and-​comers like Tao Lin, Andrew Palmer, Jill Tidman, and more.
In the past few years, we’ve really taken that literary talent and run with it. We’re refocusing our emphasis on not just selecting the best work by the best writers, but also promoting their careers, especially our emerging writers, like Jill Tidman who received the $ 500 Bambi Holmes award that we give out annually. We’ve embraced viral social marketing and mixed in our already-​established strong community presence (we throw great parties with great readers). We’re open to trying things that few literary journals are trying. We’re open to the idea that a print journal can exist outside the print, and not only that, but the only journal with a chance at being in any way important MUST exist outside the print.
Look for Fourteen Hills in the future. Big waves are made here. Big writers are being discovered.

There are a lot of literary magazines out there. I’m not sure how many, but enough for the average person to spend weeks – if not months or years – just scanning through them.
Of all the literary magazines I’ve read, or worked on, or written for, this is one that truly stands out from the rest. Many of the writers published in Fourteen Hills over the years have gone on to greater recognition and acclaim, if you care to pay attention to that sort of thing.
My point is this: Fourteen Hills is a very good magazine, particularly if you want to get a grasp of the true range of the newest, smartest and most innovative prose and poetry happening right now.
The recently reprinted short fiction collection is a perfect example of just how this student-​run magazine has been consistent in its editorial acumen: publishing writing that is excellent, and often as challenging of literary convention as it is satisfying.

OVERALL REVIEW OF 14 HILLS
14 Hills is a literary magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction and short plays. But the journal is far from ordinary. The semi-​annual publication is definitely something to talk about inside and outside the academy. As the writing found in its pages is outspoken and frank, something in every issue successfully presents the provocative. From front to back, every issue is a collection of diverse of literary works, as diverse as the vibrant city of San Francisco itself, the community in which it was founded.
I am glad to say that it cannot be said that the magazine is specifically aligned with or conforming to any class or school of urbane aesthetics, which is a very good thing for the greater public. For in the near future, there will be no doubt that the postmodern literary works in America and 14 Hills will be running parallel with one another, if not becoming identical in the 21^st Century. And I have come to this conclusion in my opinion upon a close reading of several issues, as I have observed that the writing that is called forth and submitted, requested and delivered, sought and found is independent and honest; the work in 14 Hills is far from being genteel, manicured, and dreary. The literature of 14 Hills is perhaps best explained to be governed by a simple commandment: Every work shall be vigorous, resounding, and, of course, have a lot heart.
This journal is definitely for the independent writer who is writing something new. Thus, this journal is undeniably enough for the independent reader who is seeking the work that is progressive in its offerings by emerging writers, as well as by established writers. 14 Hills is the journal that is and looks to remain independent, innovative, and experimental. And it is not for the lighthearted, but it is best suited for those with a heavy heart.
R. R. REESE