Illuminations Literary Magazine

Illuminations made its first appearance in Columbia, South Carolina in 1982 under the editorship of Peter MacMillan. The issue featured poems by Seamus Heaney, Stephen Spender, and newcomer Sam Boone. Subsequently edited from England, Japan, and Tanzania, the magazine returned to South Carolina in 1996 where it was edited by Simon Lewis at The College of Charleston until 2011. Over these many years Illuminations has remained consistently true to its mission statement to publish new writers alongside some of the world’s finest, including Nadine Gordimer, James Merrill, Carol Ann Duffy, Dennis Brutus, Allen Tate, interviews with Tim O’Brien, and letters from Flannery O’Connor and Ezra Pound. A number of new poets whose early work appeared in Illuminations have gone on to win prizes and accolades, and we at Illuminations sincerely value the chance to promote the work of emerging writers.

 Issue 40 includes poems by writers from the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands, as well as translations from Spanish, Dutch, and Chinese. The cover-image and artwork in the issue feature the work of New Orleans artist Demond Melancon. 

To order a copy, please send a check for $10 payable to Illuminations to Simon Lewis, c/o Department of English, College of Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424-0001, USA.