This is The Minison Project
Home of
the minison zine,
TMP Magazine,
and MiniPress.
SUBMIT TO THE MINISON PROJECT x MOSS PUPPY MAGAZINE POP-UP PRIDE ISSUE
Give us a read:
the
minison zine
We here at TMP love the creativity and interactivity of video games and wanted to share that with you all! We’ve got some incredible form poetry, art, form fiction, and an interview with Alyse Knorr!
TMP
Magazine
It’s Valentine’s Day, but we only have eyes for the wonderful contributors of our MASSIVE February issue! Grab a buddy, human or otherwise, and enjoy our Issue 4!
the
minison zine
The weather’s been chilly, so we’ve been warming up with a nice big bowl of our Soup issue! Our contributors have created a hearty meal– you readers are in for a soup-er treat!
About Us
What is The Minison Project?
Tom Snarsky and Jo Ianni are credited with popularizing the form of a minimal sonnet, or “minison”, which is a very small poetic form with only one rule (and as with any poetic form, we use the word “rule” loosely): make a poem with only fourteen letters total. For example: « cobalt sea glass » (6 + 3 + 5 = 14). The sonnet is, of course, a classic and highly respected form in English poetry, and there is precedent for this kind of idea in Seymour Mayne’s word-sonnets, as well as in the work of Noelle Kocot.
When Tom and Jo collaborated on a micro-chapbook using this 14-letter format, they decided to share their work, and it invited other inventive poets to create beautiful art in this wonderfully small space (cf. Michael O’Brien’s collection of minisons). That’s when the two decided that it was time to start a passion project.
It started out as a simple call for minimal sonnets, which led to an informal zine release, and then another, and now, although not run by Tom and Jo, The Minison Project is alive and ready to go! We can already see the format blossoming into new, related forms, such as the minison coronet mentioned in our Issue #0, and the 14 letter/14 line poem that our EIC is so very fond of.
In our first year, we introduced monthly issues with the minison zine, and a twice-yearly issue for our Sonnet Collection Series (which we have since merged into one project under the minison zine name.) In 2021, we introduced our classic literary magazine, TMP Magazine, and finally, a full two years after our journey began, we introduced our printing press, MiniPress. We are excited to see how we continue to grow and we are so grateful that you’re along for the ride!
Melissa Ashley Hernandez
Founding Editor-in-Chief
Melissa (she/her) has her BA in Acting and Directing and is currently working towards her MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is the founder of The Minison Project and heads the company as Editor-in-Chief.
Her prose can be found in two short stories published in 2021, “The Rum Keg Girl” in the Cemetery Gates Media collection, Paranormal Contact: A Quiet Horror Confessional, and “Lady Killer” in Volume 4 of Kandisha Press’ Women of Horror Anthology, Don’t Break the Oath.
Her poetry can be found in the minison zine, The Daily Drunk Magazine, Fahmidan Journal, and Bandit Fiction, among others.
Ash Jones
Social Media Manager
Ash Jones (they/them) is a North-Jersey-based poet, writer, and creative. They are currently pursuing their MFA in Creative Writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University. When they’re not writing, they can probably be found working on a cosplay and listening to true crime podcasts.
Follow them on Instagram!
Bel Wolf
Poetry/Nonfiction Reader
Bel Wolf is an undergraduate psychology student whose work has appeared in The Quarry and Sledgehammer Lit. Despite being born in San Francisco, Bel never finished Howl.
Laura Bibby
Poetry/Nonfiction Reader
With a BA in Creative Writing from Griffith University, Laura (she/her) loves to write poetry and stories that weave her love of nature with the strange, fantastical, and ominous. Her debut poetry chapbook A KNIFE IN THE DARK (2022) is now available through Bottlecap Press.
When not scribbling in her notebook, Laura can be found playing video games, wandering the botanical gardens, or among the stacks of her local bookstore.
Follow her on Twitter!
Emma McCoy
Poetry/Nonfiction Reader
Emma McCoy (she/her) is a poet and essayist with a love for the old stories. She is the assistant editor of Whale Road Review and co-editor of Driftwood. She is the author of “In Case I Live Forever” (2022), and has poems published in Flat Ink, Paddler Press, and Jupiter Review. She is an honorable mention for Craft Literary’s CNF contest, and a nominee for the AWP Intro to Journals project.
Jayde Officer
Poetry/Nonfiction Reader
Jayde Officer (she/her) is a poet and fiction writer graduating with a BA in English literature. When she’s not reading or writing, Jayde is at home in Southern Ontario rewatching movie musicals and making purposefully bad paintings.
You can follow them on social media @loredropout!
Mara Franzen
Fiction Reader
Mara Franzen (they/them) is a writer, editor, actor, and nerd! You can find their work on Book Riot and Warmer, as well as a few other nerd-related sites. If they aren’t writing, they can be found playing Dungeons and Dragons on the internet.
Liam Al-Hindi
Fiction Reader
Liam Al-Hindi (he/him) is a graduate of UNO’s English and Creative Writing programs. For him, essays, poems, and stories are all handholds to grip tightly, to escape the violence of our present circumstances. His work can be found in 13th Floor Magazine, and Touchstone Literary Magazine.
Halina Stone
Fiction Reader
Halina Stone (they/them) is a fiction writer, poet, and fantasy lover hailing from New Jersey. They studied Creative Writing in undergrad at Fairleigh Dickinson University and are pursuing a second Master’s Degree. When not writing, they can be found taking care of their army of succulents or sampling wares at various local cafes.
Ashlyn E. Inman
Fiction Reader
Ashlyn (she/her) is a writer, editor, nerd, and brunch enthusiast. She’s currently working toward her MFA in Creative Writing at Fairleigh Dickinson, and her essay “Okay” was included in SOOP’s Women Write Now Anthology. If she’s not reading, she’s probably watching Star Wars (again).
The Minison Project 