Dear Writers:

We're thrilled to introduce our first issue of Slice, a New York-
based literary magazine created to provide a forum for dynamic
conversation between emerging and established authors. Slice is the
brainchild of two book editors who have a firsthand view of how
difficult it is for new authors to break into the world of
publishing. Our mission is to pave a space for writers who may not
have a platform but show the kind of talent that could be the
substance of great works in the future.

In order to do this, we called upon some of today's most influential
literary figures to share their personal stories on writing in
support of our literary endeavor. The featured authors for our
inaugural issue are:

* Junot Díaz, whose upcoming novel The Brief and Wondrous Life of
Oscar Wao has been hailed one of the most anticipated books of the
year. His fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review,
African Voices, and Best American Short Stories. The New York Times
calls Díaz's first book Drown a "classic book about immigrant
experience in New York."

* Jonathan Galassi, president and publisher of Farrar, Straus &
Giroux, who shares his passion for the written word. He has been
responsible for nurturing the careers of such masters as Tom Wolfe,
Susan Sontag, Robert Pinsky and Scott Turow. He is also a chairman
of the Academy of American Poets.

* Manuel Muñoz, whose second short story collection The Faith Healer
of Olive Avenue was published to great acclaim in May 2007.
Publisher's Weekly describes Manuel as "giving fearless voice to
personal tragedies."

These masters are featured alongside some of the freshest new voices
we have encountered who may just become the next generation of
influential literary figures. For our first issue, we have brought
together poets, writers, and publishers all to play upon the theme
of new beginnings. We plucked these stories, poems, and articles and
placed them side-by-side to spark a dialogue. One you might hear in
a room full of voices that otherwise would never have found one
another.

Please visit our website www.slicemagazine.org to learn more about
Slice and to subscribe. If you have any questions about the
magazine, we would be delighted to hear from you. We can be reached
at editors@....

Best wishes,

Celia Johnson
Co-Founder
Slice magazine
920 8th Avenue, Suite 1
Brooklyn, NY 11215