The Drum – 2013

If I can say one thing about The Drum it’s this: don’t read it. No, you read that correctly. It’s just a corny joke to say that you can’t read this literary magazine; you listen to it. Your resource for “Literature out Loud,” The Drum publishes fiction, essays, novel excerpts, and interviews in audio form, often in the author’s own voice. Even if you don’t think you’d enjoy audio literature, go to the website, at least to check it out.

If I can say one thing about The Drum it’s this: don’t read it. No, you read that correctly. It’s just a corny joke to say that you can’t read this literary magazine; you listen to it. Your resource for “Literature out Loud,” The Drum publishes fiction, essays, novel excerpts, and interviews in audio form, often in the author’s own voice. Even if you don’t think you’d enjoy audio literature, go to the website, at least to check it out.

The site is extremely user friendly, allowing you to listen online or download individual pieces for free that you can then upload to your phone or music device and share with up to five friends. And the “Story Badges” make each piece easily identifiable with its theme (comedy, crisis, family, relationships), its form (essay, novel excerpt, short fiction), and its length (under 40, 30, 20, or 10 minutes).

The current issue contains a piece by Joshua Malbin called “The Mating Behavior of Tits.” This story is about a bird named Peter and his first season of mating. At first, he struggles, especially as only half of his chicks survive, but he matures and finds his place in the world.

Aine Greany’s “Sanctuary,” written in second person, starts with a reflection of her mother’s death as a result of cancer. Greany is in New England while her homeland is Ireland. She illustrates differences between her life and the one her mother had, using the Protestant church she lives next to as a grounding point. And while she doesn’t find God in the church, she does find her own kind of sanctuary and comfort.

Also included in this issue are an essay from Rob MacLean and Judith McCormack’s “Creation Stories.” The reading of McCormack’s work is part of a collaboration The Drum does with print magazines. Her piece is published in the current issue (Number 43) of the Harvard Review.
[drumlitmag.com]