Writers: If you are looking for that push to get you to write more, Volta might be just the motivation you seek, especially if you are in search of something out of the ordinary. “We gravitate towards literature that reimagines ordinary experiences and is so beautifully reckless in its pursuit that it becomes irresistible,” claims Editor-in-chief Charlotte Ungar. “Like authenticity, people instinctually search for meaning, but I think it would be fair to say that, at Volta, we stray away from overly logical craft. What is exciting, in a myriad of competent voices? For us it’s the literature that embraces balancing cruelty and truth, a sort of brave bending of what is familiar, to know how much to reveal to reveal more of yourself, and that’s what I know to be style. If we have an aesthetic, it’s highly idiosyncratic.”

Fittingly, then, the word ‘volta’ comes from the Italian meaning “turn,” such as a dramatic shift in tone, argument, or focus or a change in perspective, a resolution, or a thematic pivot, adding complexity (Academy of American Poets). Volta most certainly offers this change and added complexity to the literary community, publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translations, and visual art twice annually, open access online.