Witness blends the features of a literary and an issue-oriented magazine to highlight the role of the modern writer as witness to his or her times. Launched in Detroit in 1987, the magazine is best known for showcasing work that defines its historical moment; special issues have focused on political oppression, religion, the natural world, crime, aging, civil rights, love, ethnic America, and exile. The issues “New Nature Writing,” “The Sixties,” “Sports in America,” and “The Best of Witness, 1987 – 2004” eventually appeared as university press anthologies.In 2007, Witness moved to Black Mountain Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The magazine now publishes one special print issue and two general online issues each year and increasingly seeks out work that contextualizes the American experience by highlighting issues of global concern.
Announcing the winners of the 2019 Witness Literary Awards
The editors of Witness are pleased to announce the winners and runners-up of the first Witness Literary Awards in Fiction and Poetry. Poetry judge Hanif Abdurraqib has selected Sophia Stid’s poem “Apophatic Ghazal” as the first-place winner and Renia White’s poem “lump” as the runner-up. Fiction judge Lesley Nneka Arimah has selected...
Vol. XXXI.3 (Winter 2018)
Rob Allen / “The world changes when it’s below zero” “I woke up and headed out to Door County, WI. About thirty minutes into the drive I realized that I had set my alarm an hour late and was going to be late for the sun breaking the horizon. With a little...
Witness Launches Annual Literary Awards in Fiction and Poetry
The editors of Witness are pleased to announce that we are open for submissions to the first annual Witness Literary Awards in Fiction and Poetry. Submissions to our 2019 contest will be open from August 15 through October 1. *Note: Contest deadline has been extended to October 7* One winner in each...
Vol. XXIX.2 Summer 2016
CURRENT ISSUE » XXIX.2 (Summer 2016) Sugato Mukherjee / “The Living Gods of Malabar” Theyyam is an ancient religious tradition of Malabar in North Kerala, India. A hierarchy of gods and goddesses are believed to be embodied in flesh and blood by oracles, who use ritual music, dance, and chanting to portray...
Vol. XXVIII No. 2 (Summer 2015)
Ashley Gilbertson / VII Fiction Sara C. Thomason, Liberation Day John Colasacco, The Boy Who Didn’t Wash Chris Fink, Strings Lindsay Sproul, Jack Armstrong Gwen Goodkin, One From Many Nonfiction Mike Smith, Shadow Texts Poetry Lia Greenwell, Montauk, NY Christopher Citro, Nerve Endings Like Strawberry Runners Cody Ernst, Unstuck Derek Gromadzki, Escapement...
Vol. XXVII No. 2 (Summer 2014)
Neil de la Flor / “Wraith”Veronica Ortiz (pianist) and Jahzel Dotel perform prior to the opening of Cask, a theatrical dance production created by Marissa Alma Nick based on Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” on October 25, 2013, at the Miami Dade County Auditorium On.Stage Black Box. Fiction...
Ghosts – Vol. XXVII No. 1 (Spring 2014)
David Maisel / INSTITUTE Editor’s Comment Maile Chapman, Witness editor Fiction James Gallant, Segovia in Uruguay Elvis Bego, Hamza the Comedian Sarah Strickley, Peek-a-Boo Bipin Aurora, Satish Kapoor David Rutschman, The Squirrels David Driscoll, Orphans On the Moon Maxim Loskutoff, Bobby’s Brain Elizabeth Eslami, New Year Heidi Diehl, Voice Mail Almasi Hines,...
Vol. XXVI No. 3 (Winter 2013)
Pamela Daum / “Henry House, Manassas Battlefield” Download a copy for your eReader. Fiction Nate Haken, The Vine and the Branches Emily Elbom, Everybody Doing Pretty Here Risa Mickenberg, She Wasn’t Their Mother Poetry Gillian Hamel, NO DISASTER 113 / NO DISASTER 354 / NO DISASTER 083 Ely Shipley, The Witch Doctor...
Vol. XXVI No. 2 (Summer 2013)
Alexis Rhone Fancher / “Perfect Form”An acrobat trains on the Windward Pavilion in Venice Beach, California (5/1/11). Download a copy for your eReader. Fiction Elizabeth Anderson, Daredevil Sam Katz, Island 821 Mimi Lipson, Moscow, 1968 Michael Pearce, Hostage Joel Smith, After St. Ex / Hatemann is Not a Friend Poetry Alicia Mountain,...
Redemption – Vol. XXVI No. 1 (Spring 2013)
Ed Kashi / VII Photo Agency Fiction Abdul Shakoor Jawad, The Hasher Dennis Kennedy, War Babies Kristen Blanco Gottstein, How Easily Swept Away Patty Houston, Beer Sponsor Andrew Wickenden, Inklinks Elise Blackwell, Secessio Daniel A. Hoyt, Girl X Mark Rigney, The Last Horse in Skopje Afsheen Farhadi, The World at His Feet...
Vol. XXV No. 3 (Fall 2012)
Venetia Dearden / VII Fiction Terry Dubow, Wyoming Anne Elliott, Pink Stefanie Freele, The Widow, The Pillow, The Sagging House Jessica Johannesson Gaitán, That’s what Travel must be like Vedran Husić, Like Coming Home Tom Lake, The Chambermaid Poetry Jaclyn Dwyer, The Cavendish Is Nearing Extinction Kent Shaw, How a Country Can...
Vol. XXV No. 2 (Summer 2012)
Tomas van Houtryve / VII Fiction Emily Alford, Aftercatch C.P. Boyko, Sympathetic Mark Brazaitis, Blackheart Paul Robert Chesser, Ambulanced Jim Kempner, The Beast in Paradise Poetry Allison Campbell, You / Loneliness / Humanisticism Bruce Cohen, Sour Candy Christopher Kondrich, from Contrapuntal Anne Marie Rooney, Entry: open sky / Entry: open word Cameron...
