A magazine for close attention

Our purpose

We publish fiction, poetry, essays, and work between forms. The name describes an editorial practice rather than a promise of sweetness: tenderness can be exacting, resistant, funny, and unsentimental. We look for writing that notices consequence.

Editorial approach

Work is considered by the Tenderness Lit Editorial Desk. We do not invent public personalities around editorial labor. Selection attends to language, structure, accessibility, and the dignity with which a piece regards its subjects. Publication decisions remain subjective and do not certify a work’s value beyond this magazine.

Independence and transparency

This site is presented as Tenderness Lit, a project derived from tendernesslit.com. It makes no claim of continuity with any prior operator of the domain. We publish no fabricated awards, circulation figures, testimonials, or institutional affiliations.

Reading slowly

The installable site, local shelf, adjustable type, and offline cache are practical conveniences. They are secondary to the words. No account is required, and no recommendation engine decides what appears next.