HOPKINSON: Tell me a little bit about Lumiere Review.
KIM: The Lumiere Review is the brightest literary magazine around! Run by a fairly small team of youths around the world, we are a quarterly online publication that serves as a platform to amplify stories and perspectives from all ages and backgrounds. Submissions are open year-round and we look for poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and artwork that radiates with audacity. We squeal at works that embrace or challenge the boundaries of genre and narrative. Ultimately, we hope to become a hearth for the luminaries of the writing community.
HOPKINSON: How/why was Lumiere Review originally started?
KIM: We started as a literary journal to amplify young writers and artists in the spring of 2020, a safe haven for amplifying the often untold narratives and perspectives. But as we submerged ourselves in the literary community, focusing exclusively on young creatives was entirely impossible. That said, we try to abide by our original mission by including the voices of teenage creatives to the best of our abilities. In a short span of months, Lumiere has gone through many phases of metamorphosis and will arguably continue to do so. One day we may just become a supernova, but we’ll have to see about that.
HOPKINSON: Who is your target reader audience?
KIM: We welcome absolutely everyone and anyone to read our issues on our website. Whether you are an emerging writer who has just dipped your feet in the realm of literary publications or an veteran writer/artist looking for a diversity of works, there’s something for everyone.
HOPKINSON: What type of work are you looking for?
KIM: Is it too much to say we want everything? We’re open to all forms of poetry, prose, and art. We love poetry that is visceral and sensory, prose that is all-encompassing but experimental, and art that reflects a fragment of identity and perspective. Send us your inextinguishable creations, the kinds that light up an unexplored pathway.
HOPKINSON: What do you wish you’d see submitted, but rarely comes in?
KIM: We definitely want to see more visual art pieces. Other than that, experimental work in all genres is something we don’t see too often, but would love to see. Not just experimental in form, but also in subject matter and delivery. And always, we’re looking for more submissions from BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQIA, or other marginalized writers.
HOPKINSON: What are some of your favorite lit mags/journals?
KIM: This is a hard question, but personal favorites would be Wildness, Diode Poetry, Cosmonauts Avenue, Waxwing, and Split Lip. Of the newer magazines, my favorite would be Perhappened!
HOPKINSON: What is your favorite part of being on staff with The Lumiere Review?
KIM: I absolutely love the connections made with our submitters, readers, editors from other literary publications, and of course our fellow staff members. Even though we’ve all been interacting virtually, many editors, friends, and submitters have become instantaneous sources of inspiration and ecstasy. Whether it’s the “congratulations” we get on social media from publishing new issues or an emerging writer telling us we just gave them their first acceptance, these interactions have become such an uplifting force that fuels me to continue developing our publication. I’m so grateful for the literary community’s support, whether direct or in spirit!
HOPKINSON: Where can we send submissions?
KIM: We accept submissions via email at thelumierereview@gmail.com. Be sure to read our submission guidelines beforehand at https://llumierereview.wordpress.com/submit/.
HOPKINSON: If someone has a question, how can they contact you?
KIM: They can email me at thelumierereview@gmail.com. Alternatively, contacting us via Instagram or Twitter (both @lumierereview) works fine too!
Click here to read submission guidelines.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: November 30, 2020 (Rolling)
FORMAT: online
SUBMISSION FEE: None
PAYMENT: None
FORMS: poetry, prose, and artwork
DUOTROPE: https://duotrope.com/listing/29896/the-lumiere-review
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
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