About this project

How often are you surprised by what you read in a magazine? How often do you read a story or poem by someone very different from yourself? APIARY publishes writers that traditional journals don't, alongside acclaimed local authors. We make space for young and beginning writers in a literary scene of which they are an essential (but often invisible) part. Our readers have the chance to listen to someone they may never meet otherwise, or to find their deepest secrets reflected in our pages.

We're 4 Philadelphia writers and friends who saw no magazine that represented the vitality and variety of artists working in our city. Dedicated poets put on slams and readings every night of the week, myriad literary communities buzz with activity and kids' writing programs flourish. But too often these communities stay self-contained. Too few venues exist for rising young voices to be heard at large. So in 2009, we founded APIARY: an all-ages magazine to unite these countless hives.

And so far it's working. Our first issue brought together 50+ local writers, unknown and widely celebrated, ages 7 to 70. The Light & Honey launch party enjoyed an audience of 200+ performers, friends and newcomers. Our readers have called us "beautiful," “fresh,” “truly enjoyable,” and “a paperback sanctuary for the human heart.”

To fulfill our mission, this project must move between and outside the borders of the usual literary audiences. That's where Kickstarter - and you, dear friends - come in.

For issue 2, we hope to print enough copies to (a) donate to classrooms, community and senior centers, and youth writing programs (We offer a free writing workshop to every classroom to which we donate copies of APIARY) (b) sell in bookstores and at events. This will pay for future web and print issues, thus helping us become self-sustaining.

For the price of a cheesesteak, YOU can help us bring something beautiful into the world. A donation of $12 or more will get a magazine delivered to your home, so consider this a way to order your copy.

One of the best ways you can contribute is sharing our link on Facebook or telling all your friends about our campaign.

We have chosen to gather funds through Kickstarter because we want the readers as well as the contributors to feel connected to its production. For us, writing is not just a solitary act, but the community that forms when writing is shared.