New Queer Literature: A Conversation with ‘Homology Lit’
Author: Alyssa C. Greene
August 19, 2019
Spotlight on New Queer Literature is a monthly series highlighting publications that are LGBTQIA owned, promote queer and trans writers, or publish work on LGBTQIA themes, seeking to connect Lambda’s readership with contemporary queer publishers and authors.
This month, Lambda spoke with Savannah Slone, founder of Homology Lit. Founded in July 2018, Homology Lit is a Pacific Northwest-based online literary magazine.
Tell us a little bit about Homology Lit and its mission.
Homology Lit is an online literary magazine created by and for marginalized individuals. We publish the poetry, prose, and visual art of people of color, queer people, and disabled people. Everyone on our editorial team identifies with at least one of these communities, but oftentimes more. As people who have existed on the outskirts of the media, we know that seeing yourself represented in the media you consume is incredibly powerful. Our goal is to offer a platform for raw expression, as well as a safe and inviting space to witness said expressions.
How long has Homology been around? How has it developed or changed since it began?
In June of 2018, I put my feelers out into the Twitterverse to see if the basics of my magazine idea sounded like something folks might want to be apart of, whether as a writer, an artist, a member of the editorial staff, or even as a reader. The response was pretty overwhelming, so I got the ball rolling quickly with website and logo creation. After pinpointing exactly what I wanted in terms of submission guidelines, frequency of issue releases, the editorial process, and so on, I reached back out to my online writing community and sought out individuals who wanted to join me on launching the first issue. We began working together as a team in July and shortly after opened submissions. Our inaugural issue went live on December 1st and we’ve since released two more. In terms of its evolving over time, there hasn’t been much. We’ve created eBook versions of each issue, which wasn’t previously planned and have tightened up the editing schedule and voting process to be as efficient and transparent, while simultaneously flexible and understanding, as possible. We are all very passionate about this project and want to support one another as wholly as we can.
What kind of work do you publish?
We publish poetry, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art, but are most certainly open to hybrid pieces and work that doesn’t quite fit into any of those boxes.
How would you describe Homology’s aesthetic?
Homology’s aesthetic varies from piece-to-piece quite a bit, but is often holds a theme of otherness. Submissions, by no means, have to contain a theme of marginalization, but when you’re treated like an “other,” you naturally end up with stories to tell. To sum it up, I’d define our aesthetic as gritty, sensual, floral, grotesque, confrontational, and rooted in empowerment.
Where can new readers start?
I would recommend starting with the following pieces (though they’re all pretty equally amazing) because they are all multilayered and multidimensional in a way that is deeply personal to the point of being universal. The language and sensory descriptions within are impeccable [….] I like reading work that leaves me with an emotion that I can physically experience without having directly walked in the speaker’s shoes:
“Black History Month” by Quintin Collins
“Before You” by Meg E. Griffitts
“the podcast defines nostalgia” by Jody Chan
What would you like writers and artists interested in submitting to Homology to know?
I want individuals considering sharing their work with us to know that they deserve to tell their stories and they deserve to be heard. It is such an honor to essentially curate small collections of work that could very well be life changing for some readers. To feel represented in art and literature hasn’t always been the case for many communities. We treat our staff members and contributors like family and will continue to promote their pieces and celebrate their external successes long after publication. Above all, we would like potential contributors to know that they are capable, whole, and worthy of inclusion, opportunity, and appreciation,
