Hunger Mountain

Hunger Mountain is an American literary magazine founded in 2002 by Caroline Mercurio. A member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, Hunger Mountain is based in Montpelier, Vermont at The Vermont College of Fine Arts,^[1] one of the top-ranked low residency MFA (Master of Fine Arts) programs in the country.^[2] Originally published in Spring and Fall, there is now a yearly print issue as well as online issues. Hunger Mountain publishes fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, young adult and children’s writing, and visual art.^[3] The online issues also showcase author interviews and craft essays.

Hunger Mountain's mission is to cultivate engagement with and conversation about the arts by publishing high-quality, innovative literary and visual art by both established and emerging artists, and by offering opportunities for interactivity and discourse.

Reading period is from May 1 to October 1, during which time general submissions are accepted.

History

Hunger Mountain is named for a mountain in Middlesex, Vermont. According to legend, a group of men who went hunting on this mountain always returned home hungry, having caught only one quail between them. This mountain can be seen from many vantage points in Montpelier, where Hunger Mountain the magazine is located. The initial goals of the magazine were to call attention to established and emerging writers, while also highlighting local Vermont writers and artists. The journal was founded in 2002 by Caroline Mercurio and was made possible through a generous donation from a Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Writing alumnus. The premiere issue, released in the fall of 2002, included work by Wally Lamb, Maxine Kumin, and an interview with Grace Paley. Miciah Bay Gault took over as managing editor in 2009 and Samantha Kolber began her post as managing editor in July 2015.

Current masthead

College Hall, where the Hunger Mountain offices are housed.

• Miciah Bay Gault,^[4] editor
• Samantha Kolber, managing editor
• Robin Behn, poetry editor
• Rebecca Macijeski, assistant poetry editor
• Barry Wightman, fiction editor
• Q Lindsey Barrett, assistant fiction editor
• Andrea Rothman, assistant editor for fiction
• Kurt Caswell, creative nonfiction editor
• Laurie Easter, assistant creative nonfiction editor
• Bethany Hegedus, YA/children’s lit editor
• Caroline Carlson, fiction editor for children’s lit
• Rachel Smoka-Richardson, assistant children's lit editor
• Humberto Ramirez, visual art editor
• Claire Guyton & Cynthia Newberry Martin, arts and life editor
• Phillip Garcia, social media coordinator
• Daniel Torday, contributing editor
• E. Kristin Anderson, Phillip Garcia, Leah Kaminsky, Gwen Mullins, John Proctor, Donald Quist, online editors
• Karen Cygnarowicz, editorial fellow
• Laura Rossi-Garcia, design fellow

Writing contests

Each year, Hunger Mountain sponsors four writing contests for different genres.^[5] The entry deadline for each contest is March 1.

• The Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize
• The Ruth Stone Poetry Prize
• The Hunger Mountain Creative Nonfiction Prize
• The Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult/Children's Literature

Past contributors

Contributors to Hunger Mountain have received and been nominated for numerous accolades, among them MacArthur Fellowship Grants, Guggenheim Fellowships, Pushcart Prizes, PEN/O'Henry Prizes, and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction.

References

External links

• hungermtn.org
• http://www.hungermtn.org/the-faces-of-hunger-mountain/
• clmp.org/directory/index.php
• perpetualfolly.blogspot.com/2009/11/2010-pushcart-prize-rankings.html