A Farewell from Midwestern Gothic

Dear MG Community:

It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? Wherever you are, we hope you’re doing well and taking good care.

We started Midwestern Gothic and MG Press because we loved this big ol’ beating heart middle of the country that we felt had been overlooked for too long. We wanted to create a space to showcase your stories, to really see what makes the Midwest sing.

Quite frankly, when we announced our hiatus back in 2019 we intended on it being a temporary one. The MG staff was going through many life changes, and we had wanted to regroup, refocus, and make sure we were serving y’all as best we could. Amidst the pause, we continued to hold discussions about what would be next for MG and how we could continue to support the brand. While it was hard to admit, we came to realize over time that while we love, beyond measure, working with authors, helping to publish your work, and curating this space, we became concerned with our ability to put the proper time and effort into the journal and the press to give the authors and their work the devotion they deserved.

The hardest thing we have come to realize is that, while we love this brand and have poured years of our lives into it, we believe, sadly, its time has come to an end.

We survived all these years because of the generosity of our staff and all of you. To everyone who volunteered time, sent us their words, read the work we published, supported us with a tweet…we are eternally grateful. More than we could ever really say. Ultimately, working on MG has helped us deeply appreciate our home, our stories, our shared experiences, and our beautiful differences.

awptable

So, what’s next?

Our plan is to keep issues of Midwestern Gothic and our MG Press books on sale through the 2021 calendar year. After that, we’ll remove our books/issues from various platforms. For now, for the foreseeable future, we’ll keep our website up and running, so you will still have access to our content.

We know this isn’t the best news, but we hope you’ll understand. We are heartbroken, yes, but we also recognize this is what’s needed. We can’t say this earnestly enough: it has been a helluva ride; there really aren’t words to express our gratitude and love. Thank you. And, as we’re fond of saying in the Midwest to express our truest affection: Drive safe, watch out for deer.

♡ Jeff and Rob

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After 11 years, there are so many people to thank, but we felt like there needed to be some special shout-outs. A humungous, can’t-possibly-say-it-all-in-words thanks to the following fine folks:

  • Christina Olson, our poetry Editor Extraordinaire who elevated everything she touched.
  • Allison Reck, our Digital Marketing Director, a true leader and visionary.
  • Lauren Crawford, whose aesthetic and design talent was unmatched.
  • Laura Thomas, who helped create and design and plan our Voices of the Middle West literary festival, a true friend to literature and the Midwest.
  • Jon Darga and Katie Marenghi, our very first interns who set the bar.
  • Our editors and interns and copyeditors who, undoubtedly, carried us through it all: Cam Finch / Marisa Frey / Rachel Hurwitz / Mackenzie Meter / Sara Moore Wagner / Giuliana Eggleston / Sydney Cohen / Lauren Stachew / Ariel Everitt / Henry Milek / Jo Chang / Jamie Monville / Kelly Nhan / Biz Dokas / Kate Cammell / Laura Dzubay / Kathleen Janeschek / Stephanie Bucklin / Audrey Meyers / Maya Hausammann / Claire Denson / Lauren Stachew / Megan Valley / Kristina Perkins / Ally Wright / Hannah Bates / Hannah Gordon / Morgan Dean / Benjamin Ratner / Nate Zachar / Michelle Torby / J. Joseph Kane
  • Our MG Press authors for trusting us with their exquisite work: Eric Shonkwiler / Kali VanBaale / Scott Dominic Carpenter / John McCarthy / Keith Lesmeister / Julie Babcock / Anna Prushinskaya / 826michigan
  • Our mighty readers: Graham Dethmers / Benjamin Rosenstock / Jordan Kern / Nellie Stansbury / Carla Barger / Melissa Durante / Marjorie Robertson / Rebecca McKanna / Randy Magnuson / Rachel Horn / Elle Gover / Kaity Teer / Taylor Grandinetti / Brian Rocha / Erin Campbell / Leah Von Essen / Jackie Charniga / Sarah Dougherty / Elizabeth Boyle / Adam Theisen / Emily McGill
  • To our *many* journal contributors: We love you, we existed because of you generously allowing us to publish your work, and we love how we were able to paint such a vivid portrait of the Midwest because of you and your marvelous work.
  • To our *many* readers: A publication is only as good as the folks who pick it up, read it, devour work by brilliant writers.

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