Knockout Literary Magazine is a bi-annual literary magazine published in Minneapolis, Minnesota, since 2007. Financed by its two editors, Jeremy Halinen and Brett Ortler, it is known for the wide range of styles it publishes, its nearly 50/50 mix of LGBT and straight writers, and its dedication to social causes.
Contents
History
Knockout was founded in summer 2007 by Jeremy Halinen and Brett Ortler after both graduated from Eastern Washington University's Master of Fine Arts Program. They had previously served as poetry editors at Eastern Washington's Willow Springs.
The first issue was all poetry and 140 pages long, with a print run of 1,000 copies. A second issue, which includes interviews, poetry, and fiction, was released Spring 2009.
Work Published
Knockout's inaugural issue featured work by a National Book Award winner (Robert Bly), former U.S. Poet Laureate (Billy Collins), U.S. state Poets Laureate (Marvin Bell, Iowa; Robert Bly, Minnesota), as well as winners of many major awards, including the $100,000 Kingsley-Tufts Poetry Prize (Thomas Lux) and the Lamont Poetry Prize (Marvin Bell), among many others. In addition, many of the poets published in Knockout have been awarded the Pushcart Prize. The second and third issues will include work by other notable poets and award winners, including a Nobel Prize for Literature recipient.
Among the poets featured in Knockout's second issue were James Bertolino, Willis Barnstone, Louis Jenkins, Rika Lesser, William Baer, Reginald Shepherd, Nance Van Winckel, Christopher Howell, Tim Nolan, Elizabeth Bradfield, Robert Wrigley, Todd Boss and Denise Duhamel.
LGBT Advocacy
Knockout is well known for its support of LGBT causes, and specifically for the diversity of its writers. Knockout features a nearly 50/50 mix of queer and straight writers in each issue. Discussing this in an interview with The Minnesota Daily, Halinen said, "It's something that I don't see a lot of other magazines doing," having a diverse group of writers, working to "bring them all under one cover."
Knockout and the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation
Knockout donated 50% of the proceeds from its first issue to the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, a 501(c) nonprofit which aims to support educational opportunities for those in Southern Sudan.
Knockout and the Trevor Project
Knockout is donating a portion of its proceeds from its second issue to the Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to preventing youth suicide.