untethered: The Canadian Journal Questioning the Bounds of Literature

By Molly Burrows

Edited by Naomi Adam

Beginning with its name, which foregoes capitalisation, the Canadian literary journal untethered questions established rules. Prioritising what is innovative over what is traditional, the journal collates abstract and diverse contributions into its biannual publication.

This month we at The Letters Page thought untethered would be an especially apt journal to spotlight, as it incorporates mixed media, overlapping literature and various forms of visual art, much like our latest aerogramme from Nay Saysourinho. In recognition of her contribution to our journal, Nay will be gifted a year-long subscription to untethered.

Since 2014, untethered has blurred lines, with a whole submissions section open for work they call ‘hybrid/experimental’. Their mission is to showcase work that plays around with form and subject matter.

Quirky and emotive concepts are key to untethered. Much of the work they publish is highly abstract and open to multiple interpretations. The stream-of-consciousness style of writing employed by untethered is shared by our most recent featured writer, Nay, who explores her love of stamps with an underbelly of complex and culturally-nuanced meaning to her playful words. Nay proves that regardless of topic, writing can develop profound themes, and that the seemingly mundane can sometimes have the deepest impact.

 untethered publishes in both digital and print forms, aiming to share their abstract ideas with as many people as possible. Gesturing to the journal’s name, its co-founder Stephanie McKechnie describes her desire to ‘keep print alive, relevant, and untethered’, an attitude we at The Letters Page share as we advocate for the physical, handwritten letter. This ethos captures the enduring power of print media, and the need for unconventional, radical forms of literary expression. Publishing out of Toronto, untethered is separated from The Letters Page by 3,000 miles and the Atlantic Ocean. Yet despite this distance, we at The Letters Page couldn’t feel closer to untethered‘s goals and ideals.

‘Keep print, alive, relevant, and untethered’

Stephanie McKechnie, untethered co-founder

The art featured in untethered echoes the emotive expression of the written pieces. Striking visuals produce visceral reactions, and evoke an uncanny, fragmented sense of self, inviting readers to engage with the work on a personal level.

If you would like to engage with untethered for yourself, pick up a copy through their website and explore their transgressive work. There, you can access the journal’s full back-catalogue, ahead of a new issue to be announced soon.

Remember that every writer we publish gets their very own subscription to one of our favourite literary journals. So send us your letters: we can’t wait to read them!

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We publish stories, essays, poems, memoir, reportage, criticism, recipes, travelogue, and any hybrid forms, so long as they come to us in the form of a letter. We are looking for writers of all nationalities and ages, both established and emerging.

Your letter must be sent in the post, to:

The Letters Page, School of English, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK