Adam Berlin and Jeffrey Heiman teach in the English department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. For the last 12 years they have produced a biannual literary journal whose 24th issue will be published this month. The overarching theme of J Journal: New Writing on Justice is justice, expansively defined. Each piece examines contemporary justice issues through superb, entertaining and stirring creative writing in the form of fiction, poetry and personal narrative. Editors Adam and Jeffrey have seen the number of submissions grow significantly over the years as the journal reaches more readers and inspires more writers to contribute to the prestigious publication. J Journal has received national recognition, climbing up in the Pushcart Prize rankings year after year. Submissions come from all over the world — many from inside prison walls — and the authors’ backgrounds are as diverse as their subject matter and writing styles.
According to the editors, the journal’s consistent cover art (issues 1 and 23 pictured here) “speaks of the bold aesthetic within and of John Jay College’s commitment to advocacy for justice.” Consistency and commitment are cornerstones of this project. Adam and Jeffrey spend every Friday in their neighboring offices in a quiet corner of the English department working on the myriad tasks involved in producing such a high quality publication.
In this episode we talked about what goes into putting the journal together, the production and editorial logistics as well as the intellectual and creative thinking. We are grateful to another English Department faculty member, Alan Winson, who generously donated his otherwise free Friday morning to masterfully record the conversation. Alan has a fantastic podcast of his own, so after reading some back issues of J Journal, put in your earbuds and listen to Bar Crawl Radio for an eclectic roster of guests and lively banter over drinks and bar food.
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