Arbutus is an online literary journal publishing in February and July each year. We publish an eclectic mix of quality poetry, prose, and hypertext in all genres. We are interested in memorable pieces on any subject full of rich detail and sounds. 

Definition of our name: Any of various broad-leaved evergreen trees or shrubs of the genus Arbutus, including the Pacific Madrona.

History of our name: While I was toying with the idea of starting an online lit journal I had the pleasure of hearing Ron Smith read his poem, "Nicole: July 28" from his wonderful book Seasonal. Seasonal is a book of sonnets centered around his five year old daughter. In the preface he writes:

What follows are not poems for my daughter, nor about her. If anything they are a correspondence, a dialogue. Poetry for me has become precisely that—a collaboration—a speaking and a listening to. To paraphrase Joseph Conrad, these poems are an appeal for the language of solidarity, solidarity of the human spirit. It is an appeal for the language of the collective human will, rather than the appeal made by so many in our world for a language based on conflict, fear, prejudice and, foremost, the glorification of our own most precious ambition.

As Arbutus publishes poems on the internet, and the internet seems like a tool that can be used either as an appeal for the "collective human will" or as a "glorification of our own most precious ambition." Arbutus strives for the former.

 

Internet Philosophy 

This is a new form of publishing. It is fast, and it is relatively easy. All of the people who work on Arbutus have a deep love of literature and books. We do not want to see this form take the place of books. We want to see it work as a way for more people in the world to be exposed to quality literature, and read more books.