Hypertext has been publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, interviews, & visual art since 2010.

MISSION: Hypertext publishes original, brave, and provocative narratives of historically marginalized, emerging, and established writers online and in print; HMS teaches writing workshops that spark curiosity, empower creative expression, and promote self-advocacy. We invite you to read the narratives we publish so that, together, we can more gracefully navigate our complex world.

An independent press since 2010, Hypertext Magazine (online) and Hypertext Review (print) are the publishing initiatives of Chicago-based Hypertext Magazine & Studio (HMS). Our publications have always amplified the work of underrepresented, emerging, and established writers and visual artists. Hypertext is the place where innovative and genre-bending work coexist with more traditional forms. We publish startling short fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, interviews, and delightful surprises that merge genres and bend rules. A literary nonprofit, we are partially supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Humanities, Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and Illinois Arts Council.

Hypertext is highly committed to not only the literary community but our extended community in Chicago and beyond. Online, readers from around the world can access all content—including visual art and interviews—at no cost. In 2021 alone, our online magazine has garnered nearly 100,000 visitors.

Since becoming a nonprofit in 2017, Hypertext has published 14 print journals and paid thousands of writers and visual artists. Not many independent presses have been around for over a decade and we are committed to continuing to champion high-quality writing from professional writers—including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, writers who are differently abled, and other marginalized communities—and to promote that writing to our already robust readership. We regularly publish interviews with writers who have books forthcoming from independent publishers in the spirit of providing added publicity. 

Since 2017, six essays have been recognized as “Notable Essays and Literary Nonfiction” in HarperCollins The Best American Essays collections and one essay won an Illinois Arts Council Award.