Empty Mirror

a literary magazine

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Empty Mirror 25th Anniversary

Empty Mirror celebrated its 25th anniversary on May 31, 2025! While we are currently on hiatus, we invite you to enjoy a quarter century of writing and art in our archives.

Click to read any of the pieces featured below, read more from the category, or refresh the page for a fresh selection!

On Literature

Remembering poet Lawrence McGaugh

Denise Enck

Questioning Our Characters: Performative Identity in Nella Larsen’s Passing and Eugene O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape, by Ben Berman Ghan

Ben Berman Ghan

More Essays and Interviews

Poetry

trailing / credit: de

Three poems by Taylor Byas

Taylor Byas

Poetry by Line Toftsø

Line Toftsø

More Poetry

Beat Generation

Kerouac Gide featured image

Kerouac and An American Marriage

Paul Maher Jr.

Jack Kerouac - The Sea is My Brother

Addendum to “Lost Letter Found”

Paul Maher Jr.

Jerry Kamstra Weed, reviewed

On the Dangerous Edge of Things: Weed: Adventures of a Dope Smuggler by Jerry Kamstra, reviewed by Gregory Stephenson

Gregory Stephenson

Where to buy Beat Generation Books

For collectors: where and how to buy Beat Generation books (and others)

Denise Enck

More About the Beat Generation

Visual Art

(detail) Getting Measured, 1999. Acrylic, tracing paper and string on canvas. Collection of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the State Art Museum of Florida, Florida State University. ©Mernet Larsen

Mernet Larsen: Getting Measured, 1957-2017

Jean Marie Carey

borders (detail) by Chris Turnbull

borders

Chris Turnbull

More Art

Essays

White Jesus -- Todd Clouser

White Jesus – A reflection on summer camp and Charlottesville

Todd Clouser

d nolan jefferson

They Saved Me from Myself by D. Nolan Jefferson

D. Nolan Jefferson

More Essays

The EM newsletter

Receive fresh poetry, reviews, essays, art, and literary news every Wednesday!

Empty Mirror

Established in 2000 and edited by Denise Enck, Empty Mirror is an online literary magazine that publishes new work each Friday.

Each week EM features several poems each by one or two poets; reviews; critical essays; visual art; and personal essays.

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