Image: bombsite.com
Do you remember the first time you flipped through the pages of an art zine or independent literary publication? There is a feeling one gets when holding something so prolific, so unique in their hands; the delight and intrigue that art journals radiate is such a drastic departure from the glossy, throwaway magazines that dominate store shelves. And while those magazines too have their place, independent publications, and the creative minds behind them, have contributed greatly to the way that art and literature is shared and examined.
One such publication is BOMB, a quarterly magazine edited by a collaborative, diverse group of artists and writers. BOMB has been in circulation since 1981, when its original editors and creators “saw a gap between the way art and literature were discussed and understood by those individuals outside the creative arts and those within the discipline.” Named after Wyndham Lewis’s Blast, a 1917 journal that was also edited by artists and writers, BOMB has published conversations and works from more than 1500 artists from a range of disciplines over its decades-long existence.
Image: bombsite.com
Unlike other literary magazines that focus solely on publishing discerning works, BOMB has been committed to sharing the voices of artists in a variety of ways. Each issue features original prose, poetry, and writings from emerging and established writers, but more of a focus is placed on interviews between artists. “Delivering the artist’s voice through carefully developed conversations between artists about the creative process,” is an editorial method that has shaped the publication’s identity and philosophy. Rather than simply present bodies of work, BOMB has dedicated pages of every issue to sharing illustrated interviews about how the work was conceived and executed. These interviews are conducted between artists of all kinds; from writers, to visual artists, and everything in between, BOMB’s editors want to share not only artists’ work, but also the creative mind behind it.
BOMB believes that “Revelations happen in conversations. They make art and literature more accessible, not only to the reader, but to the artists themselves.” This independent publication has been dedicated to sharing every facet of the artist’s voice for decades, and is one of the most unique and prolific literary magazines around. Learn more about BOMB and where to find issues at www.bombsite.com.