Farewell, Witcraft, and thanks for the laughs

Another fine literary magazine is closing shop. This time it’s Witcraft, an online publication that, for the past couple of years, offered up a daily dose of comic relief in the form of fiction and poetry.

Witcraft founder and editor Doug Jacquier (featured in a recent Friday Five) recently announced his plans in a message to subscribers and on his Substack. He wrote:

For personal reasons, I have decided to close Witcraft from the end of March. All pieces accepted for publication will still be published and remain archived until my WordPress account runs out. All pieces published in February and March will remain eligible for the monthly prizes.

Thank you all for your support over the last couple of years, especially to those that gave what they could to keep Witcraft afloat and keep its deficits manageable.

Between us, we have proven that there is a modest market for true humour and wit and I hope someone decides to launch something similar in the future.

I can hardly fault Doug for closing down this litmag. It’s been a one-man show since he launched it, and he was devoted to paying contributors in the form of monetary prizes every month, from his own pocket, supplemented by whatever fell into the virtual tip jar. It was a labor of love for him. Whatever his reasons for shutting down the site, I’m sure it was a very difficult decision.

Submissions still accepted through February

If you’re still interested in getting published on Witcraft, Doug is accepting submissions until the end of February before closing the publication for good at the end of March.

Best wishes to you, Doug, and thank you for publishing a couple of my pieces recently (“Publish or Perish – A Prayer,” published last December, and “The Bad Like,” published in January). I appreciate the visibility, and appreciate your dedication to providing a platform for writers who, like you, believe there is still a market for witty writing.

Image via Pexels.