About Us: American Athenaeum takes its name from the first literary journal published in London in 1798 by August Wilhelm and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel called Athenaeum. We strive to offer a kaleidoscope of voices, not by publishing the best or most literary, but through providing a diverse web of voices that represents the common person. Whether writers know it out not, they are influenced by the world around them. Each shares a slightly different worldview and experience into their writing. And just as we can know, understand, and learn through the voices of the past, it is our hope that through this publication, each of our smaller worlds will grow a little bigger. American Athenaeum is a cultural magazine that features fiction, poetry, essays, opinion, author book reviews, and other literary contributions. Each journal explores the world of words like a patron explores a museum-by offering a view of the past, right up until the present. We consider this journal to be a museum of artistic endeavors, filled with cultural appreciation and stories that not only teach, but demonstrate the frailty of the human condition.