This issue's zine review features a very nice multi-genre magazine named Writers Hood.



Writers Hood features fantasy, romance, science fiction, humor, general fiction, horror, childrens, non-fiction, mystery and poetry. The site is very easy to navigate. Instead of the typical menu bar on the left of the screen, there is a bar on the right. The layout is very clean and the menu bar at the top takes you to the different genres.

Load time is delayed a bit by animated graphics and the front page has a scrolling list for their bookshop. While the graphics are cute, I find they significantly slow down my 56k modem.

Each story is set up on what looks like an actual book page. There are no advertisements to interfer with viewing the site and no pop up ads. The individual story pages are set on a white background with black print. The font is easy to read. The only page that was difficult to read was the science fiction index page. It is set on a black background with a gold font. (The font needs to be brighter for better readability.)

Writer's guidelines and submission information are readily available. While the site is non-paying, it is professionally presented and maintained. One problem with the guidelines is they do not state their time length for print rights. Further reading led me to the FAQ page, which stated each issue is posted online for one month and is archived for four additional months.

The site is free to view and open to the public, though they do have an interesting concept in place. They have a "Tip Jar". You can use Paypal, the Amazon Honor System, or other alternatives to make a donation for upgrades to the magazine site. This is stated at the bottom of the front page and there are small tip jar icons throughout the magazine. It is very tastefully handled.

Their turn around time for submssions is four to six weeks and they are open to new and upcoming writers. The stories I read in this issue were all well-written and entertaining.

In the FAQ, they list Writing Hood's mission statement: "The staff and management of The Writer's Hood are all experienced volunteers who believe in the mission of helping both beginning and veteran writers to develop their art and find an audience."

Writers Hood ranked * * * * 1/2 stars. I added the half star cut because it's not a paying market.

Visit Writers Hood at http://www.writershood.com