Introducing the Epiphanic
We’re pleased to announce a new monthly feature showcasing four critically minded writers: Zack Graham, Tess Crain, Robb Todd, and Siena Oristaglio. The Epiphanic, so-called, will publish at least one piece each month about an artistic enthusiasm, whether literary, visual, or performative in nature. While these monthly columns may explore a recent novel release, they might just as often focus on work that tends to be lost in the shuffle—an older book, an underground art exhibition, a chamber quartet performance at Barbès, a vintage issue of a lit journal, a single poem. We live in a multifarious age when anybody, it seems, can strive to be anything, and the only limitation on doing a thing, they say, is the will to pursue it. Stop for a few minutes to share in sudden, intuitive insights about what's behind commonplace appearances. The intention here is to provide an extended space for critically minded writers to develop their perspectives. If literary culture is to survive well into this new century, the vital role of critics cannot be ignored. Algorithms do not speak with an individual voice; it is the individual voice, finally, or several in conversation, that consecrate literary endeavor. If the perception of value is left to the marketplace alone, well, then, it’s safe to say we all stand to miss a great deal.
Zack Graham’s writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, GQ, Newsday, and elsewhere. He is the recipient of an Emerging Critics Fellowship from the National Book Critics Circle, and is at work on a collection of short stories and a novel.
Tess Crain is a graduate of the NYU Creative Writing Program, where she served as a Goldwater Fellow. Her writing has appeared in the New Republic. She lives in New York City.
Robb Todd is a journalist and author in New York City. He has lived all over the country and was lucky enough to live in Hawaii twice. He also lived in Texas twice. And North Carolina twice. Actually, this is his second stop in New York City, too. He doesn’t do things right the first time.
Siena Oristaglio is an artist and educator. She co-runs The Void Academy, an organization that helps independent artists thrive. To date, she has helped artists raise over $1.6 million (and counting) towards their projects. She lives in New York City.
