About torches n' pitchforks

Jim Churchill-Dicks: Editor

torches n pitchforks online student literary journal is dedicated to exploring the evolving relationship between form and content in creative writing, while also unleashing promising teen voices to the public. It is an independent entity with no official affiliation with any academic institution or school district.

Here are the main reasons why torches n' pitchforks is an independent journal:

• With the current budget crisis nationwide torches n' pitchforks does not want to compete for already-stretched resources for the arts.  Being privately and independently funded keeps t n' p from hindering the other great artistic work that is happening in our schools.

• After communicating with a panel of regional literary journal directors, I have found that there is both a considerable need and an interest for an excellent literary journal to be in place for a wider teen population.  Expanding its scope beyond one school district will also improve the recognition and merit of the journal in the broader literary world, thus providing a greater and more esteemed service to the teens being published in t n' p.

• Students discovering their authentic voices can sometimes be unsettling for a secondary educational institution, due to issues in content.  Since it is not a sanctioned School District Journal, students have more freedom to explore their concerns and obsessions.  This way, the form and content of these works are legally between an independent publisher, the teenager, and that teen's parent/guardian.

 

Eventually, I would like to encounter a diverse group of writers/mentors who are unified in the purpose of empowering young people to discover their voices in a deeply crafted way. Perhaps these encounters can lead to a common vision for the future of this journal, and its contributors.