The Sun Magazine

Every edition of The Sun features deeply personal and socially aware writing that stands out in today's publishing landscape. Unlike many media giants, we pride ourselves on being unique: we are an independent magazine that is free of advertisements and supported entirely by our readers.

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Paying Attention

3 weeks ago | thesunmagazine.org | Nancy Holochwost |Stephen J. Knauth |Leath Tonino |Richard Chess

In Stephen Knauth’s “My Favorite Bird,” a “drab” little visitor to the author’s backyard prompts a thoughtful and empathetic contemplation of who this feathered creature is. The poem is a reminder that the world around us deserves our attention, an idea that is shared by the other poems in our April issue.
The Highs and Lows of Getting High

1 month ago | thesunmagazine.org | Finn Cohen |Melissa Febos |Monica Trasandes

As I write this in late February, it is snowing in central North Carolina for the second time in two days; it’s the third round of snow we’ve had this winter, which is already significant, but this time it’s really sticking given how cold it is. These events are rare here and have gotten rarer in the last few years.
Like Flying a Kite

1 month ago | thesunmagazine.org | Finn Cohen

I struck up a bit of jovial correspondence in early 2020 with Mark Gozonsky, just before we published our second essay of his. Several members of our staff were planning to attend the Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference in San Antonio, Texas, that year, and Gozonsky invited us to play Wiffle ball. But the pandemic had other plans for us that spring.
Heart & Home | The Sun Magazine

2 months ago | thesunmagazine.org | Nancy Holochwost

Reese Menefee’s work first appeared in The Sun in March 2023. That poem, “Ode to My Brother’s Face Tattoos,” is a description of painful family bonds that manages to be beautiful, visceral, and surprising all at once. When I read her latest poem, “Hymn”—equally powerful, but very different in style and subject—I began to wonder what makes this writer tick. I had the chance to ask Reese about the origins of her poems when we talked over Zoom just before the December holidays.
To the Arresting Officer

Dec 30, 2024 | thesunmagazine.org | Stephen Lyons

The handcuffs were unnecessary. I was subdued and harmless. Also you were a little too pleased, like a gambler on a lucky streak. You’d pulled me over because I was going too slow on California’s I-5—or so you said. Then you’d run my driver’s license through the computer system, and—presto!—my name popped up with a ticket that had gone to warrant on a car I no longer owned. I’d neglected to repair a broken taillight. My papers were not in order. The republic would not be safe with me roaming free.
In Sync

Nov 13, 2024 | thesunmagazine.org | Rachel Elliott

Through his images, Brooklyn-based photographer Ismael Fernandez strives to reveal the everyday beauty that may often go unnoticed. His photo essay in The Sun’s November issue—“Blues in Black and White”—does just that. The images illuminate the soulful ambience and spirited connection at events combining dancing and live blues music in New York City. I was curious to learn more about Ismael’s passion for both photography and dance. Take care and read well,Rachel J.
Butter

Oct 31, 2024 | thesunmagazine.org | Mishele Maron

Names have been changed to protect privacy.—Ed.When I passed her doorway, I sometimes caught a glimpse of Beth sitting on her hospital bed, her body gathered into itself, all sharp knees, elbows, and cheekbones, her milk-pale skin aglow. She had shoulder-length brown hair, a smattering of caramel-colored freckles, and bright-green eyes. Beth was the leader of the girls on the inpatient eating-disorder unit, and the others huddled around her like skinny ladies-in-waiting.
Past Futures

Oct 31, 2024 | thesunmagazine.org | Dash Lewis

In his 1961 book, What Is History?, Edward Hallett Carr explains that history doesn’t write itself; it’s historians—human beings with biases and specific motives—who determine its basis. “It used to be said that facts speak for themselves. This is, of course, untrue,” he writes.
Anything You Say Can Be Used Against You

Sep 25, 2024 | thesunmagazine.org | Derek Askey |Sy Safransky |Lara Naughton |Gregory Bright

Featured SelectionsOne of my favorite pieces in our September issue is Erin McReynolds’s essay “And These Too Are Defensive Wounds,” which details the author’s interactions with the courts following her mother’s murder. McReynolds not only testifies in the original trial, but is requested to do so each time the murderer is up for parole—a difficult revisiting of a traumatic experience.
Three Vivid, Varied Perspectives

Sep 16, 2024 | thesunmagazine.org | David Mahaffey |Luke Patterson |Luisa Muradyan

Featured Selections Dear Reader, The poems in our September issue invite me to share three vivid, varied perspectives. Luke Patterson’s prose poem “Extrication Day” offers a glimpse into the life of an EMT who sometimes needs his own rescue. In Luisa Muradyan’s “I Make Jokes When I’m Devastated,” the author deftly blends reflections on Jesus with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reminding us that humor and sorrow are both human responses to the unimaginable.