Pastiche Magazine: A Blend of Global Writing

In the past it could be pretty difficult for a budding writer like me to get an audience beyond family and friends. Luckily, times have changed and writing is no longer an elitist activity for the few lucky ones who are accepted by an established publishing house. The internet considerably increased the possibilities to make oneself a name. For those who bother to look around, the internet is a veritable treasure trove of literature from all around the world. The number of writer’s blogs showcasing original work keyed by amateur as well as professional authors is huge although their quality naturally is very varying.

However, blogs are only one piece of the world wide web. There are lots of other likewise interesting online resources related to literature and the arts. Some of them are quite popular and others are almost a secret. I reckon that the Pastiche Magazine rather belongs to the latter than to the first because it’s a fairly new creative ezine. When Clare deTamble from Harrogate in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom, started her website in 2011, it was supposed to be a professional copywriting service, but before soon it developed into an online literary magazine. Of course, being a writer herself, literature and the arts are dear to Clare deTamble or she wouldn't take the effort to run an ezine!

The word ‘pastiche’ derives from Italian ‘pasticcio’ and describes a patchwork of different works of art. Faithful to its name the Pastiche Magazine features original literary work in prose or poetry as well as other works of art including audio and all forms of visual art. It also contains news about creative writing and literature from around the world. The big objective of the entirely free online magazine is to promote creativity in all areas of art and the contents are as diverse as this statement allows to expect. It goes without saying that I could only browse the site, but I found some really interesting topics there along with a number of intriguing texts and poems of emerging writers.

All kinds of creative and interesting submissions to Pastiche Magazine are welcome from anywhere in the world as it seems. The information given on the submissions page is rather minimalistic, as a matter of fact. In any case I didn't find any geographical restrictions for submissions although I reckon that texts should better be in English. Well, before submitting something any writer with a minimum of self-esteem or capacity of self-reflexion will have a close look at the entire ezine anyway. To me the website looks quite fine and inviting or else I wouldn't have written about it. Besides, it's as ECO-friendly as anything on the internet can ever be.

For the rest, you'll have to see for yourself if you like it... or not.