Arkana

Arkana is a bi-annual, digitally published literary magazine edited by the graduate students of the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) creative writing Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) program. The publication is “a compendium of the rare, intriguing and unheard.” The journal publishes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, scripts, translations, and illustrated narrative, with occasional themed issues.

Arkana was first published in 2016, at the behest of Terry Wright, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, as part of an initiative to create leadership roles for students within a university literary magazine. The first issue was published on November 28 of that year. The students in the program decided to name the magazine Arkana to highlight their intention of both uplifting voices from the Delta and bringing in diverse voices from across the globe. Another literary magazine that operated for a time at UCA, Toad Suck Review, had a section called Arkana.

The first managing editor for the magazine was Rachel Hoge. Her editorial team included Cassie Hayes, Drew Cook, Heather Breed Steadham, Jacquelyn West, Devon Norris, Liz Larson, Bridget Laskowski, Kirk Jordan, Mark Lager, and Mikayla Davis. Hoge was followed as managing editor by Cassie Hayes, then Jesus Rivera, Zhihua Wang, Kathy Bates, Zane Grober, Eulea Kiraly, and Brooke MacDonald. Dr. Jennifer Case, who teaches nonfiction writing at UCA, has been the supervising editor since the publication’s inception.

Arkana is a member of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) and has affiliations with Poets & Writers, AWP, and Chillsubs. Some of the most visited works published on the site are “An Opening Closed to the Public: A Black Lesbian Separatist at Play” by Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz, from Issue 2, and an interview with Camille Dungy from Issue 7. One of Arkana’s published pieces from Issue 17, “Jockey” by Meghan Miraglia, was chosen for the 2026 Best of The Net poetry collection, a project spearheaded by Sundress Publications.

Arkana has published a number of esteemed Arkansas writers including Kai Coggin, Ty Jaeger, Shelby Lynne, and Shelbey Winningham. Its editors have also interviewed several internationally known writers, including Maggie Smith, Carolyn Forché, and Tayari Jones. Arkana takes submissions in the spring and fall.

For additional information:
Arkana. https://arkanamag.org/ (accessed July 21, 2026).

Annika D. Warrick
North Little Rock Library System