Noon (magazine)
Encyclopedia
NOON is a literary annual founded in 2000 by American author Diane Williams. The 10th Anniversary Edition launched March 2009.
NOON publishes fiction and occasional essays. A full table of contents, including back issues, is available on the NOON website. The magazine has been described as a "beautifully-produced literary journal that features the strongest offbeat writing from a select group of literary stylists." In 2007, Deb Olin Unferth
told Bookslut that NOON founder and editor Diane Williams "inspires excellence and demands discipline. More than an editor, she is an editor-artist."
NOON stories have won numerous awards and prizes, including:
NOON published first or early stories by Deb Olin Unferth
, Clancy Martin
and Rebecca Curtis
, and regularly publishes Gary Lutz
, Lydia Davis
, Sam Lipsyte
, Tao Lin
, Dawn Raffel
, Brandon Hobson, Greg Mulcahy
, Rob Walsh, Kim Chinquee, and others, giving it a reputation
as "easily one of the most innovative literary magazines in America." The journal also publishes original drawings by Raymond Pettibon
and Augusta Gross, and photographs by Bill Hayward.
In The New York Sun, Benjamin Lytal called NOON "One of American fiction's finest and most focused journals."
Library Journal
wrote that “NOON sets itself apart from the crowded field of literary journals with the quality of its submissions, its clean, easy-to-read design, and eye-catching cover. This independent, not-for-profit annual features essays, fiction, interviews, art, and translation that are as diverse as its contributors, who are both published and previously unpublished and come from international backgrounds. The editors of NOON adeptly select innovative, original, and highly readable work.”
Christopher Frizzelle, editor of The Stranger
, wrote "Noon, another literary journal that belongs on the list of literary journals that don't suck. The downside to Noon is that it only comes out once a year. The upshots are that Noon has a serif font, crisp photos, and excellent writing, or at least writing by writers I love."
Time Out New York said "Even if it shares some authors with mainstream publishers, Noon still shimmers with courage, strangeness and unknown voices" and that editor Diane Williams "has a penchant for devout stylists and squirm-inducing topics."
NOON publishes fiction and occasional essays. A full table of contents, including back issues, is available on the NOON website. The magazine has been described as a "beautifully-produced literary journal that features the strongest offbeat writing from a select group of literary stylists." In 2007, Deb Olin Unferth
Deb Olin Unferth
Deb Olin Unferth is an American short-story writer, novelist, and memoirist. She is the author of the collection of stories Minor Robberies, the novel Vacation, both published by McSweeney's, and the memoir, Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War, published by Henry Holt.Her...
told Bookslut that NOON founder and editor Diane Williams "inspires excellence and demands discipline. More than an editor, she is an editor-artist."
NOON stories have won numerous awards and prizes, including:
- Deb Olin UnferthDeb Olin UnferthDeb Olin Unferth is an American short-story writer, novelist, and memoirist. She is the author of the collection of stories Minor Robberies, the novel Vacation, both published by McSweeney's, and the memoir, Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War, published by Henry Holt.Her...
's "Pet" - 2010 Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured.... - Lydia DavisLydia DavisLydia Davis is a contemporary American writer noted for her short stories. Davis is also a French translator, and has produced several new translations of French literary classics, including Proust's Swann’s Way and Flaubert's Madame Bovary....
's "We Had Wondered What Animal Might Arrive" - 2009 Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured.... - Clancy MartinClancy MartinClancy W. Martin is a Canadian philosopher, essayist, translator and novelist. His debut novel How to Sell was a Times Literary Supplement "Best Book of 2009" , and a "Best Book of 2009" for The Guardian, Publisher's Weekly, The Kansas City Star.-Works:*Nietzsche's 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra': A...
’s “The Best Jeweler” - 2008 Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured.... - Christine SchuttChristine SchuttChristine Schutt is an American novelist. Schutt received her BA and MA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and her MFA from Columbia University...
’s “The Duchess of Albany" - 2007 O. Henry Prize - Kim Chinquee’s “Formation" - 2007 Pushcart Prize
- Deb Olin UnferthDeb Olin UnferthDeb Olin Unferth is an American short-story writer, novelist, and memoirist. She is the author of the collection of stories Minor Robberies, the novel Vacation, both published by McSweeney's, and the memoir, Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War, published by Henry Holt.Her...
’s “Juan the Cell Phone Salesman" - 2005 Pushcart Prize - Lydia DavisLydia DavisLydia Davis is a contemporary American writer noted for her short stories. Davis is also a French translator, and has produced several new translations of French literary classics, including Proust's Swann’s Way and Flaubert's Madame Bovary....
was a 2007 National Book AwardNational Book AwardThe National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
Fiction Finalist for her collection of stories Varieties of Disturbance. Seven of those stories appeared in previous editions of NOON.
NOON published first or early stories by Deb Olin Unferth
Deb Olin Unferth
Deb Olin Unferth is an American short-story writer, novelist, and memoirist. She is the author of the collection of stories Minor Robberies, the novel Vacation, both published by McSweeney's, and the memoir, Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War, published by Henry Holt.Her...
, Clancy Martin
Clancy Martin
Clancy W. Martin is a Canadian philosopher, essayist, translator and novelist. His debut novel How to Sell was a Times Literary Supplement "Best Book of 2009" , and a "Best Book of 2009" for The Guardian, Publisher's Weekly, The Kansas City Star.-Works:*Nietzsche's 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra': A...
and Rebecca Curtis
Rebecca Curtis
Rebecca Curtis is an American writer. She is the author of Twenty Grand and Other Tales of Love & Money and has been published in The New Yorker, Harper's, McSweeney's, NOON, and other magazines....
, and regularly publishes Gary Lutz
Gary Lutz
Gary Lutz is an American writer of both poetry and fiction. His work has appeared in NOON, The Quarterly, Conjunctions, Unsaid, Fence, StoryQuarterly, The Believer, Cimarron Review, 3rd Bed, Slate Magazine, New York Tyrant, The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories, The Apocalypse Reader ,...
, Lydia Davis
Lydia Davis
Lydia Davis is a contemporary American writer noted for her short stories. Davis is also a French translator, and has produced several new translations of French literary classics, including Proust's Swann’s Way and Flaubert's Madame Bovary....
, Sam Lipsyte
Sam Lipsyte
Sam Lipsyte is an American novelist and short story writer.The son of the sports journalist Robert Lipsyte, Sam Lipsyte was born in New York City and raised in Closter, New Jersey...
, Tao Lin
Tao Lin
Tao Lin is an American writer. He was born of Taiwanese parents and grew up on the East Coast of the USA.He is the author of two novels, Eeeee Eee Eeee and Richard Yates ; a novella, Shoplifting from American Apparel ; a short story collection, Bed ; and two poetry collections, you are a little...
, Dawn Raffel
Dawn Raffel
Dawn Raffel is an American short story writer and novelist. Her work hasappeared in The Quarterly, NOON, edited by Diane Williams, O, The Oprah Magazine, Conjunctions, OpenCity, Fence, Guernica, The Antioch Review, The Mississippi Review, The...
, Brandon Hobson, Greg Mulcahy
Greg Mulcahy
Greg Mulcahy is an American novelist and short story writer. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1958. His collection,Out of Work, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1993. His novel, Constellation, was published by Avisson Press in 1996. His short fiction appeared frequently in Gordon Lish's The...
, Rob Walsh, Kim Chinquee, and others, giving it a reputation
as "easily one of the most innovative literary magazines in America." The journal also publishes original drawings by Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon is an American artist who currently lives and works in Venice Beach, California.-Early life:...
and Augusta Gross, and photographs by Bill Hayward.
Critical response
The Times Literary Supplement reviewed NOON in its Learned Journals section on October 30, 2009. Alison Kelly wrote, "[T]he best stories in NOON are, indeed, stunning, in the sense that they leave one conscious of powerful meanings not yet fully absorbed. . . . [T]he journal has proved its staying power and achieved a respected position. . . NOON has intellectual weight. Over the years it has investigated, and pushed the boundaries of, the means and processes of communication. . . . Williams's editorial vision ensures the intelligence and integrity of the journal as a whole."In The New York Sun, Benjamin Lytal called NOON "One of American fiction's finest and most focused journals."
Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
wrote that “NOON sets itself apart from the crowded field of literary journals with the quality of its submissions, its clean, easy-to-read design, and eye-catching cover. This independent, not-for-profit annual features essays, fiction, interviews, art, and translation that are as diverse as its contributors, who are both published and previously unpublished and come from international backgrounds. The editors of NOON adeptly select innovative, original, and highly readable work.”
Christopher Frizzelle, editor of The Stranger
The Stranger (newspaper)
The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
, wrote "Noon, another literary journal that belongs on the list of literary journals that don't suck. The downside to Noon is that it only comes out once a year. The upshots are that Noon has a serif font, crisp photos, and excellent writing, or at least writing by writers I love."
Time Out New York said "Even if it shares some authors with mainstream publishers, Noon still shimmers with courage, strangeness and unknown voices" and that editor Diane Williams "has a penchant for devout stylists and squirm-inducing topics."