Astra Magazine, Ecstasy: Issue One by Nadja Spiegelman

Astra Magazine, Ecstasy: Issue One Reviews

• 
  mali

  the literary world took a big L when it was announced that this magazine is now cancelled ://
• 
  ocelia

  i read a literary magazine! it was fun! cool to read little stories by big authors i haven't got around to yet (mieko kawakami and otessa moshfegh) before delving into their lengthier works. like sephora samples for literature. also nice poems by my queens ada limón and solmaz sharif and sick illustrations throughout. and lots of good stuff from authors i have never encountered before! standouts to me were in the essays section: sublet by kate zambreno/den by helena fagertun - super neat essays by an author/translator duo about one another and place and translation. languages are cool and fun and freaky! and also dreamers in broad daylight by leslie jamison about daydreams :)
• 
  Marc

  Billed as an "international magazine of literature" that publishes "the best work in English and in translation, from internationally renowned authors and new voices,"
  Astra Magazine certainly gets off to an impressive start with this first issue. Fiction, art and comics, poetry, and essays coalesce into a really varied and engaging collection. Many of these were authors quite high on my to-be-read list or already enjoyed by me. I think the essays actually stood out for me more than any other type of writing as a whole, but there were some great pieces in all formats and no bad ones in the bunch. Favorites included: "House Party" by Katharina Volckmer, "Sublet" by Kate Zambreno, "Things Seen Right & Left Without Glasses" by Terrance Hayes, "Dreamers in Broad Daylight" by Leslie Jamison, and "Queen, Slave, Woman" by Fernanda Melchor. The multiple wordless comic strips by
  Evan M. Cohen were enticingly unsettling.
  
  I definitely want to read issue two, which I believe was just released. If I didn't have so many unread books, I'd dive right into a subscription (most likely, I still will).
  
• 
  cass krug

  absolutely loved this, so sad to hear that the magazine is being shut down 😭
• 
  softykitsune

  The best magazine to ever exist
• 
  franaksi

  ♥ excellent ♥
• 
  Gabriel Matesanz

  Alas! Gone too soon, Astra Magazine. There was lots to enjoy here, and great heights to achieve later on. Your emphasis on international literature was right for our moment, but apparently the project could only have worked out long term starting in some other era.
• 
  Karin

  Terrific collection of translated & domestic short stories, essays, art appreciation, poetry. Going to subscribe to this magazine!
• 
  J

  Firstly, Astra Magazine as an object is one of searing beauty. There are marvelous illustrations in there from the likes of Maria Medem and Evan Cohen that are expressive and bold - this is an item to treasure. At its best, stories and essays from Mieko Kawakami, Fernanda Melchor and Leslie Jamison are truly mesmerising. Wisteria from Mieko Kawakami is particularly beautiful in its precision and circularity - this piece was actually the reason I initially bought the magazine. At its worst, there are some fairly forgettable pieces which seem to really fall into that trope of slightly aloof solipsism - naval gazing for its own sake. Very sad this magazine was cancelled before its time.
• 
  Syd

  goddamn not a single miss in here. so excited for the next issue :')
  
  my favorites:
  wisteria by meiko kawakami
  house party by katharina volckmer
  rites of spring by maría medem
  blowing on the wheel by ada limón
  in paris, my asian body by lin yu-hsuan
  role play by maria clara drummond
  a summer night's kiss by sayaka murata
  love by margaret ross
  another birth by forough farrokhzad
  the smile by dhalia de la cerda
• 
  Kurishin

  The idea behind the magazine is excellent and the editors did a good job of getting contemporary authors to contribute. The design and paper are also excellent. Shorter short stories are the norm here, so the content volume is high, which means not all of the content can be of the same consistent quality in my opinion. I am looking forward to the 2nd issue.
• 
  Angela

  Initially attracted to this new literary journal because of its Kate Zambreno piece, I’m glad I subscribed to the rest of its issues. Artful, astute, and moving work by Leslie Jamison and others as well. I’m a big fan!
• 
  Olivia Spring

  4.5
  So excited about this new lit mag which features a great blend of essays, fiction, poetry, & art. Love the design & the paper is so soft! Excellent range of voices & topics, too, with most pieces evoking a strong sense of place. Particularly enjoyed the essays by Dorthe Nors and Kate Zambreno
• 
  Sam

  Took a chance on this in a random bookstore -which is something I never do! Didn’t exactly pay off…. Only a small few stories or poetry I liked. But really appreciated the global-ness of the collection and the design of the publication as a whole was beautiful.
• 
  Lex Poot

  It is too bad this magazine got canceled after 2 editions. This volume concentrated on female authors and illustrators. I enjoyed finding stories by authors I revered like dorthe nors and find new ones like kate zambreno. Highly recommended. Though maybe hard to find as only 5000 were printed
• 
  Ola Klamut

  What a treat- the essays are magnificent, can’t wait for more
• 
  Javier

  No suelo reseñar revistas, pero se trata del debut de una publicación bianual que va a pegar bien fuerte. Este primer número de Astra lo protagonizan casi exclusivamente mujeres y todo el repertorio roza lo excelente; de hecho, tardaría menos en citar los textos que me han llegado menos. La frescura, lo vivo que se siente el lector al enfrentarse a páginas concebidas en su mismo presente, es la sensación más intensa que he experimentado al asomarme a las letras de Mieko Kawakami, Dorthe Nors, Maria Clara Drummond o Dahlia de la Cerda, esta última el gran descubrimiento para mí. En cuanto al formato de la revista, me parece una auténtica gozada tanto por tamaño, papel empleado, maquetación, ilustraciones... Rara vez doy cinco estrellas a este tipo de publicaciones, y no va a ser el caso, pero se me hace necesario remarcar el gran nivel encontrado en todos los sentidos.