The Next Chapter Books & Art celebrated the release of issue 2 of The Next Chapter Literary Magazine at ArtWalk on Friday, January 8.
The Next Chapter Literary Magazine is edited by Michelle Garren Flye, local author and owner of The Next Chapter Books & Art, and features stories, essays, poems, art and photography from Eastern North Carolina authors and artists.
“This area is full of creative people,” said Flye. “I wanted to showcase that. The magazine includes authors you can find on my store’s shelves, but it also includes new authors and artists you may never have heard of.”
The January 2021 issue features an introduction by local poet Sam Love, and it presents the theme of the issue, “Creative Convergence”. Flye says Love, who has written several books of poetry, helped her come up with the idea for the theme. She says they have discussed the way New Bern’s situation at the convergence of the Trent and Neuse rivers might have resulted in the amount of creativity you find in the town.
“There are just so many artists, photographers, poets, writers, it’s truly amazing. I came up with the idea for ‘Creative Convergence’ from our conversation. So, it seemed right to ask Sam to introduce the second issue,” said Flye.
Flye added that she plans to make the literary magazine biannual, with issues in January and July. The first issue, which came out in July 2020, had the theme “Arts in Quarantine”. The third issue, which will come out in July 2021, will feature a theme of “Hospitality”. For more information about when and what to submit to the magazine, check out the website https://thenextchapternc.com/home/literary-magazine/.
By Michelle Garren Flye