Narrative Magazine


Narrative Magazine is an American online literary magazine that has been published since 2003. The magazine has its headquarters in San Francisco.

History and profile

Narrative was founded in 2003 by former Esquire editor Tom Jenks and author Carol Edgarian. It is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the literary arts in the digital age. Its online library of writing by established writers, such as T. C. Boyle, Joyce Carol Oates, Tobias Wolff, Robert Olen Butler, James Salter, Ann Packer, Chris Abani, Ann Beattie and Jayne Anne Phillips, and younger, new, and emerging writers, such as Anthony Marra, Emily Raboteau, Nate Haken, Edan Lepucki, Skip Horack, Josh Weil, and Will Boast is available for free.
The Narrative Prize, awarded annually for the best short story, novel excerpt, poem, or work of literary nonfiction published by a new or emerging writer, has been given to the following: Maud Newton, "When the Flock Changed," 2009 Winner; Alexi Zentner, "Trapline," 2008 Winner; Michael Dickman, "Returning to Church," 2008 Winner; Alma García, "Letter to El Mateo," 2007 Winner; Saidiya Hartman, "A Journey along the Atlantic Slave Route," 2007 Winner; Mermer Blakeslee, "Leenie," 2006 Winner; Ned Parker, "On to Baghdad," 2006 Winner; Pia Z Ehrhardt, "Famous Fathers," 2005 Winner; Min Jin Lee, "Axis of Happiness," 2004 Winner.
In addition to fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry, Narrative also publishes features on craft, teaching, and other topics related to a writer's professional life. It was the first literary magazine available for the Kindle.