Gulf Coast Journal

28/10/2023

Issue 36.1 of our Online Exclusives is LIVE!

It was a joy assembling this issue and we are so thrilled to be able to share this incredible and thought-provoking work with you.

Check out the names of all of our wonderful contributors below, then head to the link to dive into the full issue!

Art: Kaneem Smith, Means for Impetus Recovery, fiberglass and steel, installation, 10’ x 3’ x 3’ feet each, 2009.
from the forthcoming print issue.
🎉😍

https://gulfcoastmag.org/online/36.1-summer/fall-2023/

06/07/2023

The 2023 Gulf Coast Journal Prize in Translation is open to short prose, fiction, and nonfiction in translation! The winner receives $1,000 and publication, and honorable mentions receive $250. All submissions will be considered for online publication. This year's prize is judged by the incomparable Katrina Dodson. Find out more here, and be sure to submit by August 31! https://bit.ly/3MTHbxm

30/06/2023

The 2023 Beauchamp Prize is open NOW!

This year's prize will be judged by Micki Meng.

First prize will receive $3000 and two honorable mentions will receive $1000.

Head to our website for more details: https://gulfcoastmag.org/contests/the-beauchamp-prize/

Founded by Donald Barthelme and Philip Lopate, Gulf Coast publishes a mix of emerging and establishe

11/02/2023

The 2023 Gulf Coast Prizes are officially OPEN!

Our final judges this year will be Alexandra Kleeman (Fiction), Ingrid Rojas Contreras (Nonfiction), and Carmen Giménez (Poetry).

Head to the link below for submission details.

Entries for Gulf Coast Prizes in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry are accepted annually between February 11 and April 16. The contest awards $1,500 and publication in Gulf Coast to the winner in each genre. Two honorable mentions in each genre are awarded $250. All entries are considered for publication and the entry fee includes a one-year subscription to Gulf Coast.

https://gulfcoastmag.org/contests/gulf-coast-prize/

20/10/2022

As a supplement to the evening reading this Friday, will be doing a public, semi-formal afternoon craft Q&A session for local writers, graduate students, and anyone wanting to join in!

This event is free and open to the public and will be held at Black Hole Coffee House.

See you there! ☕️

05/10/2022

We are beyond thrilled to have our most recent issue of Online Exclusives LIVE on our site now!

Featuring poetry from Joshua Jennifer Espinoza and Timothy Liu, fiction from Dustin M. Hoffman and Bailey Cunningham, nonfiction from Sandra Simonds, graphic memoir from Edie Quinn, and so much more.

You will also find interviews and reviews of exciting new work by writers such as Ottessa Moshfegh and Ingrid Rojas Contreras!

This is just a taste, but head to the link in our bio to dive into the full issue!

Art: Houston Studio, Image courtesy of the artist Lanecia Rouse Tinsley (Photo by Bethany Brewster), from the forthcoming print edition GC 35.1.

28/09/2022

God and I are playing Monopoly again. He’s chosen the iron as his game piece. It is forever the iron and only occasionally the wheelbarrow. When I ask why, he claims to enjoy the novelty of the design, so simple and useful. So, pride in humanity, I assume.…

28/09/2022

You love to see it—discrete individual units realizing they are notat all that. Like a grass field caught in wind, finally understandingits purpose, I breathe with the sound of God breathing. Fading into obscurity hurts, like dying, and feels good, like…

25/09/2022

Some shots from our event-filled Friday!

Thank you so much to for a fun and informative craft talk along with a fantastic reading.

Thank you also to our glorious grad student readers .mia.k & 😍👏

We really enjoyed our first reading event of the season and can’t wait to see you all again soon!

22/09/2022

As a supplement to the evening reading this Friday, Lisa Nikolidakis will be doing a public, semiformal afternoon craft Q&A session for local writers and graduate students!

This event is open to the public and will be held in the Creative Writing Reading Room on the University of Houston's Campus in the Roy G Cullen Building, 2nd floor.

It will be moderated by UHCWP MFA Sara Kaplan-Cunningham.

***Masks are required for this event***

07/09/2022

🚨The 2022 Summer Contests are open for ONE MORE WEEK 🚨
Our fantastic judges this year are: for the Barthelme Prize for Short Prose, Daniel Borzutsky for the Translation Prize in Poetry, and for the Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing!
✨
Submission details and guidelines can be found on our website gulfcoastmag.org or through our Submittable: https://gulfcoastajournalofliteratureandfinearts.submittable.com/submit

05/09/2022

We spent some time this rainy long weekend digging through our archives and revisiting these gorgeous works by the late Dean Young. These poems come from issues 17.1 and 25.1 and are well worth a revisit. Grateful to have them in the pages of Gulf Coast💗

02/09/2022

The deadline for our 2022 Summer Contests has been EXTENDED!

You now have until September 14th to submit your writing to be considered by our incredible judges. Read more below and head to https://gulfcoastmag.org/ to submit! ✨

28/07/2022

Head to our site to read ’s interview with .a.flores about his latest book VALLEYESQUE.

This fascinating conversation moves from Jimi Hendrix to Frank Capra while shedding light on the creative process of this astoundingly talented writer. ✨

28/07/2022

🥁DRUMROLL PLEASE🥁
Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Gulf Coast Prizes! The winning pieces will be published in print and online in our next issue.

The winner in Fiction is Emma Binder; the winner in Poetry is Samyak Shertok; and the winner in Nonfiction is May-lee Chai.

A huge congrats to our honorable mentions as well!
Honorable Mentions in Fiction: an chang joon & Nadiya Shabnam
Honorable Mentions in Poetry: Reyes Ramirez & Rebecca Martin
Honorable Mentions in Nonfiction: Alexander Lumans & N.R. Robinson

Thank you to our outstanding judges Micah Dean Hicks, Jennifer Chang, and José Vadi

Read more about the winners and what our judges had to say about their winning pieces at the link below!

https://gulfcoastmag.org/contests/gulf-coast-prize/

We are now accepting entries for the 2022 Gulf Coast Prizes in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry. Judges: Micah Dean Hicks (Fiction), Jennifer Chang (Poetry), José Vadi (Nonfiction).

20/07/2022

The 2022 Summer Contests are now open! Our fantastic judges this year are: for the Barthelme Prize for Short Prose, Daniel Borzutsky for the Translation Prize in Poetry, and for the Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing!
The deadline to submit is August 31st.
Submission details and guidelines can be found on our website gulfcoastmag.org or through our Submittable.
We look forward to receiving your submissions! 🏖✏️

20/04/2022

Join us on Friday at Lawndale Art Center for our reading series event featuring Bonnie Jo Campbell, Justin Jannise, Tayyba Maya Kanwal, and Joy Priest. This is not one to miss!

This Friday, catch our partnership with the Gulf Coast Journal (Gulf Coast Journal]) for the 2022 Gulf coast Reading Series featuring Bonnie Jo Campbell, Justin Jannise, Tayyba Maya Kanwal, and Joy Priest.

Doors open at 6:30 PM, and the event starts at 7 PM.

Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts presents readings from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program graduate students and contributors to its pages. The monthly Gulf Coast Reading Series supports the journal’s mission to spotlight the work of both esteemed and emerging writers with voices as diverse as the Gulf itself.

The Gulf Coast Reading Series is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance and receives additional support from Humanities Texas, the Texas Commission on the Arts, Poets & Writers, and the English Department at the University of Houston.

For more information about this event please visit The Gulf Coast Reading Series (Gulf Coast Journal]) and our website.

.maya.kanwal

13/03/2022

In the most recent Online Exclusives, we've launched our newest feature, Beyond Lauren Berlant, a monthly series highlighting the influence of the late scholar and cultural theorist. In the inaugural essay for the series, Gabriel Ojeda-Sagué explores what he calls "Berlant's Phraseology" and dives into how these "Laurenisms" illuminate Berlant's theories.

We also have new poems from Rebecca Hazelton (written as a collection of answers), and nonfiction from David Shields (in the form of questions). Megan Milks sends us through a surreal world of hybrid po*******hy and transgression, and Nora Hikari thinks through the violence of line breaks with manic force. Jari Bradley reflects on nostalgia in their review of José Vadi's INTER STATE: ESSAYS FROM CALIFORNIA. Alyssa Manansala prompts us to reconsider the category of "human" through melancholy and death in her review of Janice Lee's IMAGINE A DEATH.

Founded by Phillip Lopate and Donald Barthelme in 1986, Gulf Coast is a journal of literature, art, and critical art writing, publishing contributors who represent a flow of international cultures, voices, and aesthetics. Through programs and publications, and in collaboration with the University of...

31/12/2021

The City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA), in partnership with the Houston Arts Alliance (HAA), is awarding $9.5 million in grants to 87 individuals and 151 arts and culture nonprofit organizations.

The funding is part of a strategic and compassionate response to the impact of the pandemic on the City’s arts and culture and will sponsor projects offering public exhibitions, presentations, and performances in 2022. The City, in partnership with HAA, is leveraging 2021 grant funding by supporting new grantees and 2020 grantees.

“Houston is an international arts and culture city, and our continuous investment in the arts builds a strong foundation for the future,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “The awards will strengthen Houston’s creative economy, which includes artisans, artists, musicians, creative workers, festivals, and organizations that reflect the diversity and inclusivity of our City.”

The funds were awarded via the Support for Organizations, Festival and Support for Artists and Creative Individuals grant programs, which supports individuals, nonprofit organizations and fiscally sponsored projects with annual arts and cultural programming that is available to Houston residents and visitors. These competitive grant programs are managed and administered annually by the HAA and are funded by a portion of the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT).

To read more, please visit:
https://www.houstontx.gov/culturalaffairs/20211228.html
Houston Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs
Houston Arts Alliance
Houston Complete Communities
Grantees:
4th Wall Theatre Houston
A.D. Players at The George Theater
AFA
Alley Theatre
Ambassadors International Ballet Folklorico
Aperio, Music of the Americas
Apollo Chamber Players
Ars Lyrica Houston
Bayou City Art Festival
Art League Houston
Asia Society Texas Center
Aurora Picture Show
Axiom Acapella Quartet
Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theatre
BOX 13 ArtSpace
Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Buffalo Soldier National Museum
The Jung Center of Houston, Texas
Casa Cultural de las Americas
Chamber Music Houston
Children's Museum Houston
Academy of City Ballet of Houston
Classical Theatre Company
Community Artists' Collective
Community Music Center Houston
Cone Man Running Productions
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Culture of Health - Advancing Together
Dance of Asian America
Dance Source Houston
Diaz Music Institute
Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.
Discovery Green
DiverseWorks
Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston
Express Children's Theatre
Creativity Shell
FLATS
FotoFest
Houston Black Heritage Festival
Foundation for Modern Music
Fresh Arts
Glasstire
Houston Show Choir
Gulf Coast Journal

01/12/2021

This special evening of poetry, video, and live art making features poet Joy Priest and artist Andrew I. Wilson in dialogue with the exhibition “Afro-Atlantic Histories.”

22/11/2021

Come join us on 29th NOV for an online launch and reading/panel discussion of Shreela Ray: On the Life and Work of an American Master featuring Tishani Doshi, Vandana Khanna, Kazim Ali and Rohan Chhetri.

The University of Houston & The Unsung Masters Series Present Shreela Ray and Asian-American Poetries

November 29, 9:30pm Central Time / 7:30pm Pacific Time / 6:30am Gulf Standard Time

This panel will explore the life and work of Indian-American poet Shreela Ray, whose lineages include, according to poet and critic Kazim Ali, “such Indian Anglophone poets as Kamala Das and Eunice De Souza but also the global Anglophone approaches to the lyric of Seamus Heaney, Derek Walcott, or Fleur Adcock.” Born into a mixed Hindu and Christian family in India in 1942, she spent her productive life as a poet in the United States.

This panel celebrates renewed interest in this vital poet’s body of work in association with the Unsung Masters Series and the publication of the book Shreela Ray: On the Life & Work of an American Master.

Participants:

Kazim Ali (moderator): Ali is a writer, translator, and editor who has published over twenty books of poetry, essay, fiction, and cross-genre work. He is Professor of Comparative Literature and Creative Writing at the University of California in San Deigo.

Rohan Chhetri (panelist): Chhetri is a writer and translator. His latest book of poems is Lost, Hurt, or in Transit Beautiful (Tupelo Press/ HarperCollinsIN, 2021). He co-edited the recent volume on the work of Shreela Ray.

Tishani Doshi (panelist): Doshi is a Welsh-Gujarati poet, novelist and dancer. Her most recent books are Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods, shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Poetry Award, and a novel, Small Days and Nights, a New York Times Bestsellers Editor’s Choice.

Vandana Khanna (panelist): Khanna is a writer, educator, and editor born in New Delhi, India. She is the author of two poetry collections and her work appears widely in such publications as The New Republic, New England Review, and Guernica. She is Poetry Editor at the Los Angeles Review.

Zoom Information:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88399826978...
Meeting ID: 883 9982 6978
Passcode: 006317

Funded by the Houston Fund @ The University of Houston

28/09/2021

How long will I last before ruining this?Escaping the heat that teethes from your chestlike barbed wire with little dogs in it.Mess of your face cracked from sweat. I love my ownsmallness when you forget it’s me, being draggedwith the corner of our blanket.Your…

15/09/2021

Check out our newest Online Exclusives! Featuring new poetry from Natalie Scenters-Zapico & Xandria Phillips; fiction from Micah Dean Hicks & Yunya Yang; nonfiction from Allie Spikes & Megin Jiménez; and much more!
https://gulfcoastmag.org/online/summer/fall-2021/

Including new poetry from Natalie Scenters-Zapico & Xandria Phillips; fiction from Micah Dean Hicks & Yunya Yang

26/02/2021

If you have poems, stories, or essays you'd like us to consider, now is the time to submit! We will close our submission portal for the print Journal on March 1, 2021. We will not reopen for print submissions until September 1, 2021. However, our submission portal for Online Exclusives will remain open. We look forward to reading your work.

Submit poetry, fiction, or nonfiction to Gulf Coast Journal before the print submission period closes on March 1.

16/02/2021

Introducing new Online Exclusives (33.2)--Contained in whatever spaces we find ourselves this winter, we reach out through ever multiplying threads. The matrix we call the Internet is a way into other places, other voices. Our most recent Online Exclusives map a range of experiences. Brandon Shimoda seeks poetic reconciliation with "the repercussions of war / the multiplying of god’s face." Jensen Beach’s fiction meditates on familial connection, looking into "rooms within our own hearts that our fathers cannot enter." Quintan Ana Wikswo traces the struggles of q***r and marginal outsiders and Michael Colbert asks Peter Kispert about gay liars. That’s just a preview. Much much more of our Online Exclusive content can be found on our website.

Featuring poetry from Brandon Shimoda, fiction from Jensen Beach, creative nonfiction from Quintan Ana Wikswo, and much more.

30/01/2021

Rachel Heng is our featured reader and will read alongside Ryan Bollenbach, Joshua Gottlieb-Miller, and Sarah E. Robinson.

This online event is produced in partnership with Lawndale Art Center. Parts of this event were filmed in Lawndale Art Center’s John M. O’Quinn Gallery, featuring Marcelyn McNeil’s Good Day Bad Day. After the stream, recordings will be made available.

Follow and subscribe for updates and to watch:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GulfCoastJournal
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC_XfGZtVnYq3OjNGrTbLgcg
Instagram: www.instagram.com/gulfcoastjournal/

11/12/2020

Congrats to all of our Pushcart Prize nominees for 2020!: Francisco González, Leyla Çolpan, Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, Stephanie Jean, Samyak Shertok, Anthony Sutton. We stand behind all of the work we publish, so it wasn't an easy choice.

10/12/2020

It's with great sadness that we share the news of Karl Killian's passing. He was a former Gulf Coast board member and the founder of Brazos Bookstore. It was thanks to Karl that the Gulf Coast Reading Series became a regular event at Brazos. He will be missed.