Welcome to our orchard.
Northern Spy is a literary journal out of Finger Lakes Community College seeking a bountiful harvest of diverse works.
The Northern Spy apple was first grown in East Bloomfield, near our campus in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of New York. Cultivated on the farm of Oliver Chapin in 1840, the Northern Spy’s roots are woven into our region, set down in the soil as deeply as FLCC’s.
But while we take pride in our local fruit, we recognize that apples are not endemic to New York, or even America. They came from overseas, in what is now Kazakhstan. Humans have traded apples for centuries, and pomologists (people who breed apples!) have cultivated thousands of varieties for us to enjoy. Therefore, we seek variety in our works, from international flavors to the familiar tastes of the Finger Lakes. We invite submissions from artists at all stages of their careers, and we reserve a special space in each issue for undergraduate writers from the Finger Lakes and Rochester regions.
As no two apples are the same, diversity is encouraged here. Our goal is to nurture inspiring writers, especially those whose voices are not always heard. We wish to represent the supportive community of FLCC through our work in this journal, and we encourage others to learn alongside us.
We at FLCC value inquiry, vitality, interconnectedness, and perseverance. These values are reflected in our editorial selections for Northern Spy:
Inquiry: We love work that inspires curiosity!
Vitality: We want rich and flavorful pieces that leave us wanting more.
Interconnectedness: Art and literature are a bridge between disparate cultures, and so we appreciate work that showcases unique perspectives and experiences.
Perseverance: Rejection is not a reflection of a creator’s capabilities, and we are always open to new submissions from those who have been previously rejected.
We want you to be as curious and passionate about your work as we are about our journal. Please refrain from using AI throughout your submissions, as we cultivate a space here at Northern Spy where only human artists grow.