LAZULI LITERARY GROUP - Lazuli Literary Group

AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought
(a project of Lazuli Literary Group)

Latest Issue (online quarterly):
Volume 7, Issue 2

READ ONLINE QUARTERLY

otherworld realism
[uhth -er-wurld] [ree-uh-liz-uh m]

noun

a style of literature devoted to intellectual and imaginative pursuits that point towards a potential, evolved reality.
a genre that represents the known, often mundane world in an elevated or defamiliarising way through the use of linguistic craft, innovative language, or experimental structure; contrast with magical realism, which integrates choice plot elements into a conventionally accepted reality.
art and literature that evokes the space before clarity in which one must navigate the logic of intuition and instinct, alongside the duplicity of fact.
an approach illuminating a psychic space of process; a space of ambiguity, silence, and internal struggle.
the pre-dawn.

Word Origin
2017; coined by Lazuli Literary Group; first appearing in AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought, Volume One.

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Keeping intelligent and delightfully experimental literature afloat is very important to us and we appreciate your support!

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SUBMISSIONS CLOSED:

Lazuli Literary Group Writing Contest (Summer 2023)

PRIZE:

$500
+
publication in AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought

Deadline: August 23, 2023

See winners

Literature Courses

September - October 2023

Sept 14-Oct 5 | Lear Among the Ruins: An Introduction to the Infinity of Literature (in progress)
Sept 24 | The Voyage Out: Virginia Woolf in Poetic Echoes

"Lear Among the Ruins: An Introduction to the Infinity of Literature" is the first of a four-part series that includes readings of King Lear, Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and Blood Meridian.

"The Voyage Out: Virginia Woolf in Poetic Echoes" is the first in a nine-session series that moves chronologically through the novels of Virginia Woolf. Each discussion includes a presentation and analysis of supplementary excerpts--"echoes"--from works of poets & writers throughout history. Sign up for each session separately.

The Voyage Out: Virginia Woolf in Poetic Echoes

Norms we seek to brazenly flout. Please help us!

Here's a bit about how we hope to conduct our particular enterprise:

Our social media reticence

We would like for people to come to know of us through word-of-mouth: the organic, individualized transmission of our journal from those who have been meaningfully affected by it to those who might be.

We heartily believe our writers are talented and the quality of their work is its own advertisement—if we at least did not think so, we certainly wouldn’t have published it.

*You can help by discussing (in-person) or forwarding links (free!) to AZURE stories that either meant something profound to you or gave you a hearty chuckle.
*You can keep a print copy of AZURE on your coffee table for your guests to flip through and discuss on the spot. Perhaps you can meet for one Sunday morning every year to discuss the new volume over brunch & lattes…
*If they strike you as worthy of thought, you can use AZURE stories for your workshops, classes, or book clubs. Almost all of our stories are available for free online.
*If finances allow, we’d love for you to buy our print volumes, as we consider these our true art objects.
*We humbly entreat you to subscribe to our newsletter. We don’t send too many emails, but this is a way of showing that you are part of our “circulation number” and provides us a silent nod of support. Simply put, it makes us feel really good that all our efforts are not being subsumed into a black hole.

Time stamps on journals

We purposely label our journal in numbered volumes ("Volume One," "Volume Two," etc.) instead of dated ones ("Summer 2016," for instance). We consider each volume its own lasting, with-any-luck-timeless book for which the publication date seems to us a mere formality. Thus, we don’t formally designate (even in terms of ISBNs or ISSNs) our work as a series, but rather as independent books.

Administrative burdens on submitters

We understand that it’s frustrating to create different headers, footers, and formatting for different journals, especially for submitters who are expending time on writing as a labor of love for little or no money. Send us the document in whatever style you have it—if it’s in a font that’s difficult to read, so be it. You can either put your name or not put your name in the header (in either case, we'll ignore it). Any sort of spacing is fine. Numerous industries benefit from courting those who can follow guidelines—this isn’t one of them. It all comes down to whether we enjoy the read!

Support us for free!

Use the button below to sign up for our mailing list--we promise not to inundate you with messages shouting needlessly about ourselves. We send fewer than 5 emails per year (if that); you'll hear from us only if something very new or exciting is afoot! Signing up for the list gives us your silent nod of support, and that makes both us and our writers feel good. They like to know that there is a substantial number of eyes looking at the work they have so tirelessly created, and we take heart in knowing that all the time we put in to run Lazuli means something to somebody. Thank you!

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