Forum Magazine

What Forum Magazine does

Forum Magazine is a student-run literary and visual arts magazine founded in 1937 and produced under the institutional umbrella of City College of San Francisco (CCSF). It publishes twice per academic year — once in the Fall semester and once in the Spring semester — collecting, editing, and publishing original works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, memoir, essays, comics, photography, paintings, and other visual arts contributed by members of the CCSF community (students, educators, employees, alumni) and, more broadly, by Bay Area writers and artists. The Spring 2026 edition is currently in production, with a launch event scheduled at Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore in San Francisco's Mission District on May 14, 2026, and submissions for the Spring 2027 edition already being accepted.

The underlying technology stack is minimal and conventional: the publication's web presence is built on WordPress (forumccsf.org), and a flipbook-format digital edition was introduced in June 2021 to make past issues browsable online. There is no proprietary technology, no AI tooling, no API surface, and no mobile application. The editorial operation is staffed by rotating student editors organized into poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and visual arts desks, with two faculty advisors (Chante McCormick and Jennifer Worley) providing continuity.

The business model is effectively non-commercial. Forum Magazine generates no disclosed revenue; its only commercial activity is one-time print sales at launch events and through a single retail partner (Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore). Submissions are free, pricing is not publicly disclosed, and there are no subscriptions, advertising relationships, or funding rounds. The publication operates as an extracurricular student publication sustained by CCSF institutional backing, with the 18-person headcount reflecting student editorial roles rather than a paid commercial workforce.

Name

Forum Magazine

Legal name

Forum Literary Magazine - City College of San Francisco

Website

https://forumccsf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forum Magazine is a student-run literary and visual arts magazine founded in 1937 at City College of San Francisco, publishing original poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and visual art twice yearly for the CCSF and Bay Area communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Magazine

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

Keywords

• Student literary magazine
• Creative writing publication
• Community college arts
• Literary journal print
• Visual arts publication

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Print Magazine Sales: The magazine sells print copies at launch parties and local bookstores. Works are published in both print and digital formats.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Forum Magazine is a student-run literary and visual arts publication established in 1937 at City College of San Francisco. It collects, edits, and publishes original poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and visual arts twice per year (Fall and Spring semesters) in print and digital flipbook formats. The magazine accepts free submissions from the CCSF community and broader Bay Area.

Product overview

Forum Literary Magazine is a single, unified literary publication produced by students at City College of San Francisco. Established in 1937, it is published twice yearly in Fall and Spring semesters. The magazine collects, edits, and publishes quality works of literature and visual arts from the CCSF community, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, memoir, essays, comics, photographs, paintings, and etchings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forum Literary Magazine

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City College of San FranciscocoreOthersForum Magazine is officially a student-produced publication of City College of San Francisco. The college provides institutional support, including faculty advisors and connection to the Creative Writing Program.
• Medicine for Nightmares BookstoreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal San Francisco bookstore that hosts Forum Magazine's launch parties and serves as a retail point for purchasing print editions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Granta: A leading literary magazine publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and photography. Comparable to Forum as a literary publication producing curated creative and visual arts content on a recurring basis.
• AGNI: A literary magazine affiliated with Boston University publishing fiction, poetry, and essays. Comparable to Forum as an institutionally backed literary publication featuring poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and visual art.
• n+1: An independent literary magazine publishing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry on literature, politics, and culture. Directly comparable to Forum as a recurring literary publication featuring creative and critical writing.
• Tin House: A literary magazine and book publisher focused on contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Directly comparable to Forum as a literary magazine featuring original creative writing.
• Ploughshares: An American literary quarterly publishing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Directly comparable to Forum as a literary magazine publishing original creative work on a recurring schedule.
• Berkeley Fiction Review: A student-run literary magazine at UC Berkeley publishing fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Closely comparable to Forum as a Bay Area student-edited literary magazine producing original creative work on a recurring basis.
• American Short Fiction: A literary magazine dedicated to short fiction, with occasional poetry and essays. Comparable to Forum as a periodical literary publication focused on creative writing.
• The Kenyon Review: A long-running American literary journal publishing fiction, poetry, essays, and reviews. Directly comparable to Forum as an institutionally supported literary publication focused on creative writing.
• McSweeney's: An independent literary publisher known for its quarterly literary magazine featuring fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Directly comparable to Forum as a print and digital literary magazine publishing creative work from emerging and established writers.
• The Paris Review: One of the most recognized English-language literary magazines, publishing fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and interviews. Comparable to Forum as a recurring literary publication featuring creative writing and visual art from contributors.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forum-magazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forum Magazine