Since our last birthday on the 1st of October 2021…
Spellbinder contributors from 2022 have identified with 19 national identities from 6 continents; some of them have dual nationality. These are British, American, Australian, Canadian, Irish, French, Indian, Belarussian, Hong Kong, Italian, Brazilian, Pakistani, Filipino, Mexican, Israeli, Portuguese, New Zealander, Singaporean, and Nigerian.
Statistics
ACCURATE FOR THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE 1st OF OCTOBER AND MIDNIGHT ON THE 30th OF SEPTEMBER 2022
- Print copies sold: 129 (220 in Spellbinder’s lifetime)
- Website subscriptions paid: 15 (25 in Spellbinder’s lifetime)
- Number of staff members: 11
- Published poems: 25
- Published scripts: 6
- Published nonfiction pieces: 8
- Published fiction pieces: 15
- Published artworks: 15
- Total number of contributors: 69
- Featured contributors: 2 (Hiro Fukadepero and Ryan Meyer)
- Other magazines promoted in our promo pages: Issue 5: Perennial Press, Silly Goose Press, Yuzu Press. Issue 6: Fahmidan Journal, Dead Skunk Mag, The Echo. Issue 7: Chill Subs, Mausoleum Press, Nocturne. Issue 8: Soft Star Magazine, The Icarus Writing Collective, The Primer.
- Number of website visits: over 11500 sessions from over 100 countries (over 40% coming directly from social media channels)
- Top month for website visits: January 2022 with 1531 monthly users
- Most popular pages: Submission Guidelines (7281 views), Homepage (5049), Useful Links (4182), Submission Form (3414), Staff page (637).
- Most popular blog post: Editor’s Picks – Autumn 2021 – Poetry (170)
- Most popular blog category: Editor’s Picks (393)
Timeline
Awards
- Poetry prize: “I Will Write a Poem to Live In”, Aimee Lowenstern. The reason I found Aimee’s poem really impressive is in the way she brings words to life. Her desire to create a poem that she can reside within, resonates with us deeply. We all want to build a space of our own. It might not seem like such an uncommon theme in itself. But the metaphors she uses to make this happen is refreshingly unique. They have a very tangible, physical presence. In a sense, her poem flows almost like an oral narrative. We can hear her voice lilting, rising, pausing, emphasizing each thought with the effect that it envelopes us in a bubble full of sounds and poignant images like perching on top of the capital Ys, evoking sensations both realistic and dreamlike. Rarely, if at all, do we come across poems that capture and hold our attention, transporting us to a different realm so effortlessly. Published in our Autumn 2022 Issue. Picked by Shruba, Poetry Editor.
- Drama prize: “The Exodus of the Gulls”, Rebecca Ressl. I have selected Rebecca’s stage play for this year’s drama winner because it is a work which has stayed with me since I first read it. Rebecca’s play leaves you disturbed and unsettled, impatient to read it again in search for some clue to the ‘migration of memories’. Published in our Spring Issue 2022. Picked by Amber, Editor-in-Chief and Temporary Drama Editor.
- Nonfiction prize: “How to Pack Your Life in 46 kg”, Rishika Pandit. This piece is introspective and funny, really relatable and overall offers a great depiction of the state of mind of someone young who’s about to move for the first time. Published in our Summer 2022 Issue. Picked by Linda, Nonfiction Editor, and Adrija, Associate Editor.
- Fiction prize: “Ghost”, Jocelyne Lamarche. It’s extremely poignant, its prose sharp yet delicate. This story encapsulates a deep sense of grief with startling corporeal detail, capturing a humanity that goes beyond flesh and bone. Despite its brevity, it is utterly unforgettable. Published in our Summer Issue 2022. Picked by Bruna and Ned, Co-Fiction Editors.
- Art prize: “Sea Rise”, Anthony Jimenez. Anthony has created a beautifully tonal piece that creates an essence of tranquillity and inspires the imagination. There is a great sense of depth to this piece, even with a limited colour palette, generating curiosity and interest within the spectator. I am so grateful we got to share his work on the cover of our Spring 2022 issue. Picked by Kate, Art Editor.
What’s next for Spellbinder?
In order to expand Spellbinder further and increase its success, it is vital that we set ourselves targets for the following year. By our third birthday, we would like to have launched a writing competition for children, and possibly even host creativity workshops for young people in schools. We would also like to increase our Instagram followers to 1500, and potentially even 2000. This year we are going to have a huge marketing push and therefore hope to be able to double our annual paperback sales. Our fourth objective is to create a platform on our website where we can record news about significant developments in the art world, particularly in relation to international prize-winning writers and artists, and also give you our suggestions regarding what book and art fairs, as well as other literary events, you can attend this year.