The Idiom Magazine

The Idiom Magazine (2005-Present) is a free Underground Culture literary magazine based in New Jersey. The Idiom Magazine focuses on publishing poetry, prose, essays, reviews and stories from unknown and established writers. Currently considered "the biggest undergound literary magazine in the state of New Jersey" and was the winner of the 2007 London Book Festivalcontest in the Comics/Zine category.

Overview

The Idiom began for two reasons: I wasn't getting published anywhere, and being an unpublished poet doesn't impress women. I've learned that being a published poet doesn't impress women either, but at least now I can say The Idiom is the biggest underground literary magazine in the state of New Jersey. The Idiom has been reviewed and written AbOUT in several magazines and newspapers, and reports of The Idiom showing up in people's houses and restaurant bathrooms are frequent. The "Walking English" Graffiti in a bar in Nashville, Tennesse was perhaps the highlight of our advertising campaign. The Idiom is banned from the Douglas Campus of Rutgers University, and in 2007 it won the London Book Festival contest in the Magazine Category. We've impressed Both ENDS of the literary spectrum by presenting The Idiom at college level creative writing classes and annihilating Frank Walsh at the Underground Literary Alliance "Poet Slam."

Why Idiom?

The Idiom was given its name for a variety of reasons, foremost because it sounds like The Idiot (novel). Some have called the material "pop literature". I like to refer to it as more of an introduction for those who are surprised to find that poetry can be written in a voice that is natural and relatable. I think a lot of poeople see poetry as something only read and appreciated by those prestigious types, so The Idiom breaks those boundries. The work in The Idiom is addressed to an audience that normally doesn't read poetry.

The actual definition of the word, idiom, was also appealing. Wikipedia tells us that an idiom is a term or phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitions and the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through common use. For example, if I say "it's raining cats and dogs"...it does not mean that dogs and cats are falling from the sky....(it simply means) that it is raining extremely hard

Mission Statement

"Writing is an art. I think people forget that, especially these days where every image is created immediately for the audience on a screen. Because it's an art it is meant to entertain. You should get the same entertainment from reading a work as you do listening to your favorite CD or watching your favorite movie. The problem some have with the written word is, it's not as immediate as the other arts. You can watch a movie or hear a song and instantly be attracted to it. With the written word you have to create your own images in your head, so it takes longer to read a work than it does to watch something. Most writing takes a good three or four reads before an image hits you. We don't have time for that. This magazine is meant to drop all of that and focus on the simplicity and entertainment of the written word. The works within are meant to be read once and immediately entertain, which is why most works are less than a page, some are only a few lines. There May Be bad grammar. They might not make any sense to you. But that's when you move onto the next one. Then when you put the magazine down and return to your beer or looking through that musty bookstore, hopefully you will remember some of the images this magazine portrayed much like that of your favorite song or scene from a movie."

The First Issue

(In 2005) The first issue of The Idiom began through a professional printing company. A lot of money was paid...It had a color cover, and although there were only a few poets The Idiom became an instant success....When the first volume of The Idiom made its impact in New Brunswick (NJ), the first parody literary magazine, The Idiot, was created. After that doppelganger of other underground literary magazines began spouting up and around the state presented in the same fashion that The Idiom was presented, free and for the majority.

"Charge it to the Game"

After the success and popularity gained from the first issue, a more affordable means of distribution needed to be employed. The staff of The Idiom purchased a photocopy machine and The Idiom truly went underground, hosting folding and stapling parties in the editor’s basement. More poets were needed, so writer Stephen McNamara was called. McNamara introduced The Idiom to Walking English…Production of The Idiom increased since the merger of Walking English and The Idiom to a standard of 1,000 copies per issue. People began to notice The Idiom and artists began submitting their drawings.

Banned From Rutgers

The Idiom attended the Rutger’s Zine Fest in 2006. The first organized feature reading by The Idiom Poets occurred at the Zine fest and a limited greatest hits edition of The Idiom was created for the occasion. Stretching the boundaries of free speech, the editorial staff decided to replace a word in popular movie titles with a derogatory word, used for female anatomy, and these titles used on a mock movie marquee was the cover design. The self proclaimed “feminist campus” at Rutgers did not take kindly to this expression and The Idiom was shunned from their community. The following letter was sent to the staff of The Idiom after the festival:

Dear Idiom Magazine,

The admin of the DCC building had a little chat with me about some stuff she heard about zine fest. First, people were finding what looked like [...] around the building. She showed me and it was The Idiom. I explained that it was a zine, not [...]. She also said people were complaining about being approached outside the building. Everyone’s supposed to stay inside the building because it goes against state soliciting laws if we go outside. The admin was pretty peeved and I had to sit there and listen to them telling me about respecting the building if we went to use it again next year, so, keep these things in mind for the future. I’m sure we’ll be able to use it again, but the admin can be strict, so just keep that in mind.

A follow-up email included that The Idiom was not invited back and this event set the stage for things to come....

Joining Forces

After news about the Rutgers Zine Fest spread, Frank Walsh, a prominent figure in The Underground Literary Alliance took to The Idiom. Walsh began hosting Idiom Readings and The Idiom began publishing writers from the Underground Literary Alliance. In 2008, Mark Brunetti, Editor and Publisher of The Idiom officially joined forces with The Underground Literary Alliance. Both The Underground Literary Alliance and The Idiom believe in free speech and that unheard voices should be listened to.