Astra Magazine, Ecstasy: Issue One

by Nadja Spiegelman (Editor), Mieko Kawakami (Contributor), Leslie Jamison (Contributor)

Astra Magazine is the new literary magazine of the moment, a must-read for anyone interested in the most vital contemporary literature from around the world. Astra Magazine connects readers and writers from New York to Mexico City, Lagos to Berlin, Copenhagen to Singapore and beyond around a unified aesthetic that highlights the luxurious pleasures of reading. Each issue contains prose, poetry, art and comics, artfully produced on silky smooth paper with luxurious French flaps. The Ecstasy Issue contains work by Mieko Kawakami, Fernanda Melchor, Catherine Lacey, Leslie Jamison, Solmaz Sharif, Terrance Hayes, Don Mee Choi, Ada Limón, Chinelo Okparanta, Sayaka Murata, Katharina Volckmer, Kate Zambreno, and many more.

Genres: Poetry, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies

192 pages, Paperback

Published April 12, 2022

About the author

Nadja Spiegelman is the Eisner-award nominated author of the ZIG AND WIKKI graphic series for young children and LOST IN NYC: A SUBWAY ADVENTURE. Her forthcoming memoir, "I'm Supposed to Protect You from All This," will be published by Riverhead Books in August 2016. She currently divides her time between Paris and Brooklyn.

Reviews

[ocelia]

i read a literary magazine! it was fun! cool to read little stories by big authors i haven't got around to yet (mieko kawakami and otessa moshfegh) before delving into their lengthier works. like sephora samples for literature. also nice poems by my queens ada limón and solmaz sharif and sick illustrations throughout. and lots of good stuff from authors i have never encountered before! standouts to me were in the essays section: sublet by kate zambreno/den by helena fagertun - super neat essays by an author/translator duo about one another and place and translation. languages are cool and fun and freaky! and also dreamers in broad daylight by leslie jamison about daydreams :)

[mali]

the literary world took a big L when it was announced that this magazine is now cancelled ://

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billed as an "international magazine of literature" that publishes "the best work in English and in translation, from internationally renowned authors and new voices," Astra Magazine certainly gets off to an impressive start with this first issue. Fiction, art and comics, poetry, and essays coalesce into a really varied and engaging collection. Many of these were authors quite high on my to-be-read list or already enjoyed by me. I think the essays actually stood out for me more than any other type of writing as a whole, but there were some great pieces in all formats and no bad ones in the bunch. Favorites included: "House Party" by Katharina Volckmer, "Sublet" by Kate Zambreno, "Things Seen Right & Left Without Glasses" by Terrance Hayes, "Dreamers in Broad Daylight" by Leslie Jamison, and "Queen, Slave, Woman" by Fernanda Melchor. The multiple wordless comic strips by Evan M. Cohen were enticingly unsettling.

I definitely want to read issue two, which I believe was just released. If I didn't have so many unread books, I'd dive right into a subscription (most likely, I still will).

[cass krug · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely loved this, so sad to hear that the magazine is being shut down 😭

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific collection of translated & domestic short stories, essays, art appreciation, poetry. Going to subscribe to this magazine!

[softykitsune · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best magazine to ever exist

[franaksi · Rating 5 out of 5]

♥ excellent ♥

[Merribit · Rating 5 out of 5]

i picked this up in boston when I went for new years, and thought it would be a good way to focus on reading. never finished it in one sitting, and would often just read bits at different points of free time. I look at things around me differently because of how many perspectives each story or poem walks you through, how alien you can feel in another persons home, routine or even a significant part of their life. I will probably read this over and over again in my life, and pick apart the ones that stick to me. I cant say I resonated with every bit of the book, some poems were hard for me to navigate or feel like I had a good grasp of but it's not all about me. there is absolutely something in here that will make some part of you curl in, and clutch at that part of you that desperately needs to know someone else has felt like you. it aggressively reminds you of how dogged you can become chasing a bliss, or how your inaction is whittling away at the person you wish to be. the only way to live is to try!

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, Astra Magazine as an object is one of searing beauty. There are marvelous illustrations in there from the likes of Maria Medem and Evan Cohen that are expressive and bold - this is an item to treasure. At its best, stories and essays from Mieko Kawakami, Fernanda Melchor and Leslie Jamison are truly mesmerising. Wisteria from Mieko Kawakami is particularly beautiful in its precision and circularity - this piece was actually the reason I initially bought the magazine. At its worst, there are some fairly forgettable pieces which seem to really fall into that trope of slightly aloof solipsism - naval gazing for its own sake. Very sad this magazine was cancelled before its time.

[Syd · Rating 5 out of 5]

goddamn not a single miss in here. so excited for the next issue :')

my favorites:
wisteria by meiko kawakami
house party by katharina volckmer
rites of spring by maría medem
blowing on the wheel by ada limón
in paris, my asian body by lin yu-hsuan
role play by maria clara drummond
a summer night's kiss by sayaka murata
love by margaret ross
another birth by forough farrokhzad
the smile by dhalia de la cerda

[Kurishin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea behind the magazine is excellent and the editors did a good job of getting contemporary authors to contribute. The design and paper are also excellent. Shorter short stories are the norm here, so the content volume is high, which means not all of the content can be of the same consistent quality in my opinion. I am looking forward to the 2nd issue.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially attracted to this new literary journal because of its Kate Zambreno piece, I’m glad I subscribed to the rest of its issues. Artful, astute, and moving work by Leslie Jamison and others as well. I’m a big fan!

[Olivia Spring · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
So excited about this new lit mag which features a great blend of essays, fiction, poetry, & art. Love the design & the paper is so soft! Excellent range of voices & topics, too, with most pieces evoking a strong sense of place. Particularly enjoyed the essays by Dorthe Nors and Kate Zambreno

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a chance on this in a random bookstore -which is something I never do! Didn’t exactly pay off…. Only a small few stories or poetry I liked. But really appreciated the global-ness of the collection and the design of the publication as a whole was beautiful.

[Lex Poot · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is too bad this magazine got canceled after 2 editions. This volume concentrated on female authors and illustrators. I enjoyed finding stories by authors I revered like dorthe nors and find new ones like kate zambreno. Highly recommended. Though maybe hard to find as only 5000 were printed

[Ola Klamut · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treat- the essays are magnificent, can’t wait for more

[Alex P · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book so much

[Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

No suelo reseñar revistas, pero se trata del debut de una publicación bianual que va a pegar bien fuerte. Este primer número de Astra lo protagonizan casi exclusivamente mujeres y todo el repertorio roza lo excelente; de hecho, tardaría menos en citar los textos que me han llegado menos. La frescura, lo vivo que se siente el lector al enfrentarse a páginas concebidas en su mismo presente, es la sensación más intensa que he experimentado al asomarme a las letras de Mieko Kawakami, Dorthe Nors, Maria Clara Drummond o Dahlia de la Cerda, esta última el gran descubrimiento para mí. En cuanto al formato de la revista, me parece una auténtica gozada tanto por tamaño, papel empleado, maquetación, ilustraciones... Rara vez doy cinco estrellas a este tipo de publicaciones, y no va a ser el caso, pero se me hace necesario remarcar el gran nivel encontrado en todos los sentidos.

[Gubriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alas! Gone too soon, Astra Magazine. There was lots to enjoy here, and great heights to achieve later on. Your emphasis on international literature was right for our moment, but apparently the project could only have worked out long term starting in some other era.