CROOKED TEETH LITERARY MAGAZINE
Andy Halsig (left) and Cori Amato Hartwig (right), two of the four co-founders of Crooked Teeth Literary Magazine, at the Crooked Teeth release party at the Art House Gallery and Cultural Center in Berkeley, California in July 2017.
ABOUT
In a rambunctious group-chat between four classmates enrolled in Transfer Magazine’s workshop at San Francisco State University, Crooked Teeth Literary Magazine was born. Founded in April 2017 by Andrew Teudis Halsig, Cori Amato Hartwig, Estrellita Yessenia Ruiz, and Jaden Kilmer, the magazine set out to connect isolated literary communities and give artists a safe platform for self-expression during increasingly tumultuous socio-political times. Shortly after the founding, Estrellita resigned from her editor position due to personal responsibilities, but soon after, Chandler Fitchett and Julia Masalska joined the team. Within months, the magazine rose to prominence in the up-and-coming literary publication world, getting submissions from around the world, from the Bay Area to New York, from London to Hong Kong. Crooked Teeth put out two incredible issues, Summer in the City and Winter in the City, before going on an (impolitely) unannounced hiatus in February 2018. The magazine continues to be on hold. (Print is expensive).
the magazine
Crooked Teeth Literary Magazine Issue #1 cover, featuring artwork by Asha Ganpat.
SUMMER IN THE CITY (ISSUE #1)
Our first issue, "Summer In The City," was released in July 2017 both in print and digitally. It featured interviews with Beat poet Clive Matson and visual artist Asha Ganpat. It spanned over eighty pages of prose, poetry, interviews, visual art, book reviews, and music.
Crooked Teeth Literary Magazine Issue #2 cover, featuring artwork by Prima Vera.
WINTER IN THE CITY (ISSUE #2)
Our second issue, "Winter In The City," was released digitally in January 2018. This issue had over 150 pages of prose, poetry, music, and visual art.
“REALITY FALLS FROM CHAPPED LIPS AND CROOKED TEETH.”
CROOKED TEETH'S MISSION STATEMENT
Crooked Teeth initially formed in April 2017 to connect a wide variety of isolated literary communities, offering writers and artists a platform for authentic self-expression during increasingly tumultuous times. Since then, our vision has expanded, moving beyond our biannual magazine publication, offering more opportunities for artists to have safe and accessible spaces for their work.
The editors recognize their privileges as editors (and therefore gatekeepers in publishing). At Crooked Teeth, we want to foster an artistic environment that encourages creativity, sharing without fear of judgement or harassment, and removes any senses of bureaucracy or academia, which can isolate people and invalidate valuable voices. We work to remove pretension, as every person and every community has a place in the arts.
We are devoted to supporting the arts, keeping magazines and literature in print (there is something special about holding a physical copy in your hands), and searching for threads of truth, vulnerability, and connection in every work we publish.
No matter how big Crooked Teeth grows to be, we intend to stay true to the spirit we founded it on–the spirit that keeps us grounded in our art. It’s an energy within us, a soul-deep desire to create in order to stay alive, an energy that propels us into transformation, empathy, and understanding. The spirit of an artist.