What to Expect From Carpe Articulum

What You Know:

Carpe Articulum is an international, cross-genre literary review that challenges the traditional format of black and white. CALR seeks to dissolve the interdisciplinary, divisive boundaries and to embrace a wider audience in love with the written word, beautiful photography and a desire to connect with a global community of like-minded people. Scientists, Writers, Journalists, Actors, Homemakers, Artists, Human Rights Activists, Photographers and others from all cultures and walks of life, have a place to meet here at CALR. People whom might never have met, find kinship and camaraderie in the unity of the pen. They can experience and touch one another’s lives, so that oceans of divide are united by the single turn of a page. The egalitarian nature of the written word, photography, and an accessible literary program make all of this all possible.

What You May Not Know:

CHARITY: Carpe Articulum not only supports The Arts via monetary awards and publication, it also supports various other charities in hopes of making the world a better place for the future. For instance, you may have noticed that on every issue since 2007, the back cover has been reserved for a specific bird species. The National Audubon Society is one of our favourite charities and we are proud to spread the word about their good work. We feel especially bound to do this in view of the recent oil spills that have destroyed so many helpless animals, many of which, such as the sea turtles, died tragically due to the oil itself or burned to death in its ignition. And those are only the ones they found…Only 444 were able to be saved as of  July 10, 2010. Five of the seven oceanic species are endangered or threatened. Many more birds were lost and of those, several were likewise already listed as threatened species. We want you to know that when you support Carpe Articulum, you are not only helping a vital literary source and a platform for The Arts to gather and converge in this great forum, you are also supporting the other charities Carpe Articulum donates to as well. Carpe Articulum is not satisfied with this effort alone, however, and feels strongly about giving more direct support of The Arts in particular. For this reason, Carpe Articulum pays one of the largest sums to writers and photographers in the literary world. Annually, it gives monetary scholarships and awards in excess of $10,000.00 USD. This is achieved by providing the Carpe Verbum Award Series. The winners receive publication and the financial support that great emergent voices need to continue the pursuit of the craft.

GREEN: We are extremely environmentally conscious. By printing quarterly as opposed to monthly, by producing an environmentally responsible product, and by making it a collectible instead of a temporary and disposable periodical, we are doing our part to ensure not only a healthier planet tomorrow, but a place for The Arts in that world. These are all very practical implementations which can be adopted by many publications in the industry and we hope that others will likewise endeavor to achieve more green products and services. If everyone makes small changes, the impact upon the future will be incalculable.

THEMATIC: Every issue is thematic. While the published pieces do not always have to precisely reflect our overarching theme for the quarter, the photography, many articles and sometimes even the interview questions will reflect the chosen theme for the issue. The theme is always announced on the cover. No matter the quarterly theme, however, there is always an undying love for nature photography which graces each issue. This is selected carefully each quarter in order to bring the natural world into the homes, offices, and educational institutions as a respite from the busy world, and as an inspiration to the reader’s eye.

CROSS-GENRE: We support and publish all of the major writing genres. This includes Short Fiction, Non-fiction (including Creative Non-fiction, Essays, and even Scientific and other scholarly papers), Poetry, Screenwriting, and even Novellas. Moreover, we include a very special Photography section which is a particular favourite among our readers (and ourselves). This is important as well because we believe the introduction of the visual arts to the traditional literary review is not only compatible, but compelling as well.

ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS: Carpe Articulum provides regular, informative articles on the issues arising in the writing world, as well as interviews with famous and successful people in the fields. This way our readers can stay abreast of the rapidly changing industry and hopefully avoid traps and mistakes that can happen easily occur early on in one’s career. The added perspective also offers valuable insight into the industry’s inner workings. For instance, Screenwriting used to be an incredibly difficult thing to break in to, but that is no longer the case since television writing has exploded in the last five years, and has now become a significant path in a writer’s overall goal to live (and be supported by) the pen. Even major motion picture stars are beginning to embrace this new phenomenon, since television writing has excelled in some cases, to rival that of traditional theatre.

QUALITY: While it is true that literary publications from prominent newspapers to magazines are dwindling in numbers, slashing content and beheading invaluably seasoned editors and writers, we have passionately rebelled against the trend. Our issues have grown in every direction, from the quality of paper to the sum of writers and artists featured. Our staff, paid and intern, has expanded. Our distribution has grown to over 35 countries. While other literary groups are “slimming down,” we are “beefing up.” We will continue to go against the grain in this area, defying the nay-sayers. We will not allow great and unheard voices go quietly into the night. What these writers represent, and what we do our best to do for them, is far too important to marginalize for a better “bottom line.”

READER HIGHLIGHT: One last little commentary on a newer tradition here at CALR is the Reader Highlight. It struck us from early on, how diverse, how interesting and how far-flung CALR’s audience has grown. Finally we decided to share in some of that excitement by including some our more memorable communications with you, the reader. From people in Tibet to Inchigeelagh, Ireland; from the Isle of Malta to Prespa Greece, there are so many wonderful people in this world with no other unifying force than this magazine. For that reason, we choose one person every quarter to spotlight and share with everyone the other readers. It is a personal touch that reminds us all who is reading us and reading with us. It’s very inspirational to the staff as well, keeping us focused on why we do what we do. If you have an inspiring reader to share with us, feel free to do so via our contact email on the general information page at the beginning of every magazine.

So what can you expect from Carpe Articulum? Bigger, better, more dedicated than ever with each passing year. Traditional values with an innovative spirit. Welcome to Carpe Articulum Literary Review, where The Arts are thriving.