Since its debut issue in the summer of 2014, Moss has received praise for its sharp design, strong editorial hand, and its commitment to supporting new and emerging writers. As The Seattle Review of Books put it, “Moss is at the vanguard of modern Northwest literature.” 

Moss has been covered by Literary Hub, Longreads, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Rumpus, The Millions, The Offing, Entropy, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, The Stranger, City Arts, Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, and The Portland Mercury, among other publications. Some highlights from selected reviews and interviews are below.

For all press and interview inquiries, contact mosslit [at] gmail [dot] com.


“Moss is at the vanguard of modern Northwest literature. They publish pieces that are earnest, but not self-reflexively so; literary, but still accessible to a wide audience; and decidedly uninterested in the typical obsessions of New York-published literature—status, ennui, and emotional exhaustion. As opposed to the sorts of disaffected people you’ll read about in New York lit mags, the people in Moss’s stories feel things, want things, and know things. They belong in the world, and they want the world to acknowledge that they exist.

These are stories that could only come from this corner of the world.

. . . Cantwell should stand as a kind of secular patron saint of Northwest literature. He wasn’t writing for the elites back east, but for his people out here in Washington, where we have shades of green that New York City hasn’t even discovered yet. In that way, Moss is continuing Cantwell’s legacy by planting a flag here and finding out what our writers have to say.”





“Have you heard of Moss? They’ve graced us with beautifully presented Pacific Northwest literature since 2014. They have featured some of our favorite writers [. . .] and introduced us to some amazing new writers. If you haven’t heard of them yet, it’s time to dig in!”

“Moss aims to remind readers that, ‘in the Northwest, art, creativity, and history are all around us.’ Since launch last year, Moss has published standout work of authors from the region and has worked to preserve obscured work. . .”

“. . .the perfect thing for the bookish indoor kids of the Pacific Northwest. . . editors Alex Davis-Lawrence and Connor Guy are committed to bringing ‘fresh, ambitious, cutting-edge literature from the Northwest to new audiences online and across the country.’ About damn time. . . Another thing: Moss pays its contributors well. This is commendable and rare in the world of literary journals. . .”

“. . .a journal that focuses on fostering Northwestern writers and their communities.”
“. . .where place-based writing is often a buzzword, the journal provides an in-depth examination into what it means for writing to be ‘Northwestern. . .”


“Moss is a quality publication, with a strong editorial hand. . .” 

 

“Moss’s mission is twofold: to bring writers from the area to the national stage, and to provide a locus for and record of the region’s literary scene.”





In 2020, a story from Moss: Volume Two — Leyna Krow’s “Sinkhole” — was optioned for development by Universal Pictures and Monkeypaw Productions, with Jordan Peele producing and Issa Rae attached to lead. Initial development was led by Moss co-founder Alex Davis-Lawrence, attached as Executive Producer along with Leyna Krow. Moss was noted in coverage by Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, AV Club, Collider, MSN, Complex, Dazed, Shadow and Act, and many more, and ‘Sinkhole’ itself was included in a cover story on Issa Rae in The Hollywood Reporter.

“Sinkhole” is currently slated for a 2023 release.

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