Aporia Literary Journal - Interview

For this month’s blog post, we interviewed Harmony, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Aporia Literary Journal. Read to learn more about the Toronto-based publication that focuses on youth voices!

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• Can you give a brief description of who you are, and what inspired you to start Aporia Literary Journal? 

I’m Harmony, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Aporia Literary Journal. Creative writing has always been an incredibly important part of my life, as it allows me to grapple with my emotions and thoughts. Yet as I began to seek out publishing opportunities, I found that it was extremely limited, especially to young, emerging writers like myself. This inspired me to found Aporia, as we are a completely youth-led journal focused on highlighting youth voices. I want to give other young people the opportunity to share their works with others, to give them a platform where their words can inspire and resonate. 

• Do you have any specific goals for your journal?

My goals for Aporia are twofold. On one hand, the journal aims to publish works that bridge gaps between generations, cultures and people, to show how art is a mechanism of listening, reflecting, and understanding. Simultaneously, I hope to continue building a strong, literary community through and beyond the masthead, and continue collaborating with other literary groups like The Raspberry to further our collective commitment to the literary arts.

• What has been the most exciting/interesting/unexpected part of starting a literary journal? 

  
  

Starting this journal has been filled with unexpected obstacles and successes, but fundamentally, the most exciting part is building a space where youth voices can engage deeply with questions of identity, culture, and belonging. Another especially exciting aspect is to see the journal take shape in both print and digital form, along with meeting other incredible artists at our book launch in Toronto!

• Why did you choose to focus your journal on poetry, prose, and visual art? 

Aporia focuses on prose, poetry and visual art because these forms allow young people to explore ideas through creative, yet deeply personal mediums. The journal is centred on the idea that literary and visual arts can hold tension, invite reflection, and act as both art and advocacy. These mediums are especially suited to expressing the emotional and cultural complexity that Aporia strives to highlight.

• Where do you hope to take Aporia in the future? 

  
  

To me, Aporia is a collection of youth experience. In the short-term future, I aim to continue publishing issues, giving young people more opportunity to share their work. Ultimately, I hope to grow Aporia into a widespread platform for Canadian youth voices, one that continues creating space for meaningful artistic expression, dialogue, and advocacy through the arts. 

• Where can anyone who is interested in learning more about you find your information? (social media, website, contact info, etc.,) 

  
  

You can learn more about us and what we’re doing through our Instagram: @aporialiterary and our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/aporialiterary :)