Hi everybody. I want to tell you a story.
My name is Alberto and I founded Rivista Letteraria in 2014 at the bar Picchio in Milan.
Here’s the evidence.
It’s been two years now, a lot of things have happened, none of them was less than thrilling for most of the writers and friends implied. Or wasn’t it? It was for me.
Some of the adventures, I’m starting to forget them, because they’re so many, so I thought it was the time to take stock of the situa (Milanese slang can do either in English, here).
So here’s what I’ve been through in the last two years. AKA, what you should expect if you start a literary magazine.
November 2014, first it was all give me money give me money give me money (did you know there’s banks where you can’t enter, if not invited? Once you enter it, it’s only meeting rooms everywhere, no money implied, no employees, no staff, just you and the man — actually a woman — with the wallet).
Then it was distribution distribution distribution. The first issue of Rivista Letteraria was completely free (because yes, someone gave me the money, in the end) and you could get it almost everywhere in Italy and somewhere outside Italy.
- Milano
- Roma
- Salerno
- Scozia
- New York
- Bergamo
- Torino
- Venezia
- Cina
- Bologna
- Viareggio
- Reggio Emilia
- Sicilia
- Torino
- France
The beginning was wild and funny and easy because it was punk and DIY and because I didn’t know much about the process (I’m a journalist, anyways), but I knew I had to print this magazine, that it had to be made by paper and stacks (fu*k you Internet! and fu*k you online magazines) and that people would have decided if they liked it or not, who cares? Really, I didn’t.
I just knew that the right thing to do was to throw parties and force people to go out and stay with us, with me and the authors.
Like when we had the release party of the issue number 2, for instance.
I’d like to tell you how I achieved all the things Rivista Letteraria achieved. But there’s secrets implied in the process… that I’m not going to share for free. What I can tell you is that all that crap, I mean all that goals, entrepreneur, big data, if you dream it you can make it, start-up, angel investors shit is good for failed guys.
So, hold tight your secrets and don’t follow those stupid PNL motivators that measure life in success coin.
Flavio Pintarelli, do you remember when we had that amazing release party in Bolzano? You and me on stage, two microphones, the literary quiz, the free drink cards, the concert by Bob Corn…
Soon it was time for special packages, like the one in collaboration with Luca Vicenzi and his novel “Stelle grigie”, sold altogether Rivista Letteraria.
Then one summer (2015 already? I don’t remember) IL — Intelligence in lifestyle, the literary monthly magazine by the superpowerful publishing house Il Sole 24 ore took “strong inspiration” from our entire layout, and I’ve gone mad, then I calmed down and I thought that maybe it was a coincidence if their supercolourful, superheavy, supercomplex and shiny layout all of a sudden became radically black and white with no images and no photos and no illustrations and no strange fonts and no graphic embroidery when they came out with their literary issue. Exactly like Rivista Letteraria does. But it’s a coincidence.
Then Julia Finocchi Sarmiento moved to Africa and we missed her so much.
Then it was Christmas, and because we love Christmas we’ve had a Christmas party with Modalità Demodè. They did all the job, and we thank you again and again.
What else. Ah, Liu Miao was at the party in Shanghai, too
La Repubblica newsroom supported us, thank you Luca De Vito!
Modalità Demodè, too, supported us very early, they were the first to talk about Rivista Letteraria.
Wine shops, bars, pubs, clubs, live venues, soon became our warmer distributors and supporters. Vinello a Milano, for instance, “The Best Place To Grab An Aperitivo In Milan” as put by Huffington Post, is a Rivista Letteraria avid readers spot.
Oh, wait, I found another photo showing that little layout problem we had with IL — Intelligence in Lifestyle.
Most karmic moments? Seeing happy writers.
And happy, patient, lovely supporters and collaborators.
Then in no time Santeria Letteraria was born. The writing class of Rivista Letteraria at Santeria Club in Milan has been a success.
Let me be clear: Santeria Letteraria was in a very real sense a success, like… Iacopo Pelagatti took part at the workshop, and now you cand read him in the issue number 4 of Rivista Letteraria, he’s one of my favourite new voices in Italian fiction!
Fairs are such horrible, I mean amazing events, and we’ve always said yes to everybody, though they’re painful the day after.
Ah, punk winter literary nights are cool. Like the ones with Timmerman collective at La Cueva No Art Gallery in Navigli district.
Bookshops and libraries. Plenty of.
Ah, here’s a photo of the writing class of Santeria Letteraria.
And we’ve been at the Brooklyn Independent Books Fair. And then at Cosmos, in Arles because our friends at Genda are family and they always help ❤.
Beer is good for alt–lit parties.
Ah, did you know that Rivista Letteraria is in limited edition, hand numbered? Here’s the evidence.
Beers and Rivista Letteraria, again. Before the release party of issue n. 3 started.
About the issue n. 3: in my opinion n. 3 is a state of the art issue, stories are great. And it’s been so painful not to run out of copies because I’ve got the cover layout wrong. I mean… too thin, too minimalistic. Let’s have a look at it, again.
It’s stylish, art directors always go for issue n. 3 during the publishers fairs, but it’s not straight forward. Andrea Kate Ferrario, a terrific book blogger tried to compose a photo of it and… judge by yourself, I’m too implied.
After Santeria Letteraria writing class we’ve held a writing class for the students at Brera Academy, it was a bespoke workshop for the project Golden Formula, you’ll hear about this squad very soon!
This below is a super limited edition of 100 copies of the issue n. 4 printed for preview and for collectors in July 2016. Out of copies, if you find one, buy it.
Rivista Letteraria issue n. 4 preview super limited edition release party.
I must say that Do You Read Me? Berlin’s distributor has helped a lot. Like when they came to the Salone del mobile di Milano and they sold all the copies we gave them TWICE!
Then one day we started a correspondence with Russell Bennetts. Globetrotter, poet, master of puppets at Berfrois and Queen Mob’s Teahouse, Russell and I started talking online only through Facebook stickers.
He’s got us Andare a sbronzarsi, a crazy poetic ride into an alcoholic saturday night (it’s the first story in Rivista Letteraria 03) and made Berfrois / Rivista Letteraria meeting party come true. This crazy, impossible meeting of writers from London, Florida, Chicago, New Orleans took place in Milan in spring 2016. Those 48 hours has changed everything. And I still don’t know what this means.
If you’re asking, yes, we’ve visited the Duomo and La Scala and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. But our headquarter was la…
Things you’d never expect when you found a literary magazine? To write a submission call and to pin it at the Shakespeare and Company library wall in Paris.
To be spotted on the movie set of CSI Miami, read by Kari Shemwell, in the changing room during the breaks.
To do a presentation with tape, instead of using PowerPoint.
To shoot this photo.
To behave and wear a tie.
To attract people with a straight edge punk fanzine (because this is what we are) featuring essay, non-fiction, experimental poetry.
To have Erin Belieu reading at our international meeting/party!
To have such a generous literary brother as Russell Bennetts on our side.
To share stories. And to help Milan grow an international appeal.
Anyways, this is all. We’ll soon be at Art Fair in Bologna, in Perugia in Spring, we’re thinking about an international meeting/reading/party in Madrid, issue n. 5 will be out in February.
Did you enjoy the story so far? Then you should really buy Rivista Letteraria and gift it. It’s easy, just CLICK HERE!
She’s done it already, look what an amazing time she’s having!
And, far better, you should try yourself with our SUBMISSION CALL.
Ah, this was the beginning of it all.
Love, Alberto.
