Janus Literary is comprised of two online publications: 1) our literary magazine, to be published monthly with flash fiction and poetry and 2) our anthology to be published biannually with writing from our Story Prize competition. We are interested in quality fiction, imposing no restrictions on genre with the exception of children’s literature and erotica.

The inaugural anthology for Janus Literary will be themed. Future anthologies may or may not be themed and may be comprised of flash fiction or short stories.

The name Janus Literary was inspired by the Roman god, Janus. He was known as the god of doorways (januae) and archways (jani), beginnings and endings, entrances, departures, and journeys. And because every door and passageway looks in two directions, Janus was seen as two-faced — the god who looked both ways, to the past and the future, to the inside and the outside. He presided over transitions, such as from war to peace, the changing of the seasons, the old to the new, and life transitions such as births, marriages, and deaths.

The name felt fitting because, of course, stories have beginnings and endings. Stories can represent doorways to our pasts and futures. They tell us about the internal and external lives of their characters. Well-written stories feature a change and some kind of journey to effect that change.