At The Seventh Wave, intentionality and accessibility are at the heart of everything we do. Ever since we began in 2015, we’ve endeavored to be as inclusive as possible in our offerings, staying nimble to respond to the ever-changing literary landscape. As a BIPOC- and queer-led organization, we are committed to meeting folks wherever they might be in their creative journeys, and we’ve continued to evolve in order to find a sound and sustainable way to do so. To give you an idea of where we began and how we’ve grown, here is a little timeline of our organization’s history:
2014
Nov 2014
We began as an idea
Four friends from The New School met for coffees, and began dreaming about the possibility of a digital publication dedicated to real-life conversations.
2015
Feb 2015
The New Challenge grant
Shortly after thinking of the name, The Seventh Wave, we came across The New School’s New Challenge grant — a $10K grant for innovative projects from grad students — and applied with seconds to spare. Though we didn’t win the grant competition, we did amass 2,500 supporters and won the public vote. This gave us the inspiration to see our magazine into being.
Mar – Oct 2015
Incubation
We spent the first half of the year becoming a nonprofit, creating an initial strategic plan, crafting our first call for submissions for Issue 1: Perception Gaps, and continuing to build community by hosting roundtable gatherings, rooftop parties, and other spaces for artists, writers, and activists to engage and exchange with one another.
Nov 2015
Our first launch event
We published Issue 1: Perception Gaps with a traditional launch event at 61 Local (which has since closed), giving our contributors the stage to read from their work. Over 120 folks gathered on the second floor of this Brooklyn bar to welcome TSW into being. You can see an album of photos here, taken by Dania Bdeir.
2016
The year of three issues
We hit the ground running in 2016, publishing three issues — Issue 2: Labels, Issue 3: Who Gets to Belong, and Issue 4: You Are Politics — and hosting events for each one. One of our favorite events was for Issue 2: Labels, where we hosted a spoken word performance at the historic Nuyorican Poets Cafe, putting our contributors onstage alongside other local NYC-based writers and performers. We published half of Issue 4: You Are Politics before the November 2016 U.S. presidential elections and half after, knowing that this election could alter the course of history.
Jul 2016
First Rhinebeck residency
In early 2016, we were given the opportunity to host a staff retreat at The Crystal Cottage in Rhinebeck, NY, by our now-Board President Tatiana Serafin. We asked Tatiana if we could host a writing residency instead, inviting four contributors to join us for four days of quiet collaboration. This became our first in-person residency.
Winter 2016
Shifting toward a residency-based magazine model
With the introduction of our Rhinebeck residency, we began ideating on ways to bring our online magazine to life by offering in-person programming for writers and artists. From 2016-2019, we hosted our Rhinebeck residency each July, bringing four contributors from those issues together.
2017
Jul 2017
Introducing the Birches Lit Fest + annual fundraising campaigns
Our second year of the Rhinebeck residency, we added a reading and a fundraiser into the mix. We called this summertime celebration the “Birches Lit Fest” and it took place on the final day of the residency. There were readings by our residents and folks we invited up from NYC; a silent auction; good food and drink; and one year, live music.
2018
The year we went bicoastal
At the end of 2017, two of our cofounders moved to Seattle, WA, and TSW naturally became a bicoastal organization, which solidified when local author Steph Jagger offered her property to us to host residencies. In 2018, we partnered with local organizations like Open Books: A Poem Emporium, The Collective Seattle, Hugo House, The Seattle Public Library, and Elliott Bay Bookstore to host readings and get our footing in Seattle.
2019
Jan 2019
We receive our first grant
TSW received its first grant from ArtsWA — the Washington State Arts Commission — to launch its first-ever Bainbridge residency at The Bloedel Bunkhouse. This grant allowed us to expand the residency program to both coasts.
Feb 2019
Our first Bainbridge residency
By adding our Bainbridge residency, we now had two residencies per year — Bainbridge in the winter and Rhinebeck in the summer — which helped us land on a cadence of two issues per year, each tethered to one of our bi-coastal residencies.
2020
Feb 2020
TSW brings on 10 new team members
After settling into what felt like an actionable editorial and operational model, we spent one year mapping out next steps to scale TSW. In February 2020, we brought on 10 new team members, adding roles like Events Director, Art Director, Director of Advocacy, Interviews Editor, and more, but this new energy was short-lived, as the pandemic put the entire world on pause.
Mar 2020
Pandemic hits
When the pandemic hit, we knew there was no going back. We had to pause our newly-developed bicoastal residency program. Knowing that the pandemic could last years, we built a virtual residency, which we called our “Editorial Residency,” as a placeholder. This was a five-month, $500-grant opportunity for four writers and artists. From 2020 to 2022, we hosted four cohorts of this program, providing grants to 16 writers and artists during the pandemic.
2020
The year of never-ending change
As a digital magazine, change was something we were used to. So we adapted: we paused our in-person residencies and created a virtual one within the first month of the pandemic; we launched a 40-week reading series, “Seven at Seven,” that featured 40 writers reading from their favorite books; we launched the Mind Capsule Project, which followed 40 individuals (our quaranta, as we called them) throughout the first 10 weeks of the pandemic, and even published our first print anthology, “We Keep Beginning.”
Jul 2020
TSW receives Literary Art Emergency Fund
We were thrilled to be one of 282 national literary magazines and presses to receive emergency funding from CLMP, as our fundraising model had been upended by the pandemic.
Aug 2020
TSW publishes first anthology
We printed our first anthology, “We Keep Beginning: an anthology on process,” designed by Bianca Ng, our 2020-2022 artist-in-residence. Concurrently, we created TSW’s first online store, selling tote bags, artist series postcards, and more. The anthology showcased 28 past TSW contributors across 10 issues and five years of publishing.
2021
TSW named finalist for CLMP Firecracker Award
TSW was honored to be a finalist for the annual CLMP Firecracker Award for General Excellence: Magazine. We were among some of our favorite outlets that year, and were being recognized for the two issues we published in 2020 — Issue 12: Actionable Storytelling and Issue 13: Rebellious Joy.
Spring 2022
Our first cohort of One-Time Talks
We launched our One-Time Intimate Talks, since rebranded as our One-Time Talks, which bring readers within arms’ reach of their favorite writers. Our first cohort in spring 2022 included Melissa Febos, Donika Kelly, Ruth Ozeki, Kaveh Akbar, Destiny O. Birdsong, Jane Wong, Callum Angus, Elsa Sjunneson, and Kristen Millares Young.
2022
Jul 2022
Reimagining in-person residencies
With in-person events and programming slowly returning, we finally reintroduced our Rhinebeck residency in July 2022, but reimagined it as a two-week residency open exclusively to past TSW contributors, giving alum the time, space, and place to work on longer-length projects.
Aug – Dec 2022
TSW presses pause for first time
During the pandemic, we saw many of our favorite outlets shuttering. It was, and still is, a difficult time for nonprofits and literary magazines. We are no different: in 2022, we reached our own breaking point, and for the first time since 2015, we paused publication to regroup with our team and brainstorm on a more sustainable business model for our arts organization.
2023
Jan 2022
TSW begins rolling out new model
Beginning in 2023, we now have three clear components to our organization: our annual literary magazine, our residency programs, and our community platforms. Some of our programs pay people, some of our programs cost money to partake, and some of our platforms are subscription-based. We have created these programs and offerings with equity and accessibility top of mind, doing our best to value folks on all sides of the publishing process.
Mar 2023
TSW hosts key events at AWP
The AWP conference was held in Seattle in March 2023, and we jumped at the chance to play host in our new hometown. We were thrilled to partner with CAM and The Sorrento Hotel to bring two sold-out events to life.
May 2023
TSW partners with Seattle City of Lit
We hosted a second Bainbridge residency this year (we typically only host one in February), due to a special partnership with the Seattle City of Literature. As part of this inaugural partnership, we brought an international writer from Heidelberg, Germany, to Seattle for our residency.
Jun 2023
TSW launches new website
Three years in the making, TSW launches its new digital home, showcasing its magazine, digital programs, and platforms in fresh new ways. This new website has enabled us to create programs that will help elevate twice as many writers and artists per year (via our community an); give our community a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the org (via our Well-Crafted column); and offer more opportunities for folks to find community through TSW (via our Digital Residencies).
Fall 2023 + Beyond
TSW continues to grow
We are excited to sink into this new era and model of publishing, and can’t wait to see what our organization can do for the literary and arts communities. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on all things TSW. We look forward to seeing where we go, and grow, together.
