Creating Cicerone

Some friends and I started a literary journal. Here’s why… 

“Creating a literary journal is both exciting and nerve-wracking.”


So begins the introductory editorial of Cicerone Journal, a literary journal founded by me and a few others in June 2018.

Founding a literary journal takes a lot of effort and commitment. Nevertheless, we felt it was worth it – so we all took a couple of deep breaths and dived right in.

All of us had long had an urge to contribute to literary and artistic communities, especially locally. This stems partly from a desire to be involved in what we believe are important social and cultural discourses. Yet it goes further than that: we also wish to create an inclusive platform for emerging writers and creators to be promoted alongside established ones, and to help new writers in particular in accessing literary spaces. Getting one’s foot in the door can often seem overwhelming if one is just starting out, or if one’s style or voice sits outside of literary conventions.

Having already helped describe our motives and goals more extensively and eloquently in Cicerone Journal’s editorial here, I shan’t paraphrase the team’s words any further in this post. If you wish to know more about why we created Cicerone Journal, however, please do visit our website, or shoot us an email. We’re always keen for submissions, too – so if you’ve always wanted to try your own hand at writing, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Good luck, and happy writing!