The Ecphorizer

The Ecphorizer was a small literary journal associated with San Francisco Regional Mensa, a local chapter of American Mensa. Published from 1981 through 1995, it functioned as a printed forum for discussion, creative work, criticism, and exchange among Mensa members and other readers interested in intellectually oriented material. Its stated mission was to reproduce in print the lively discussion associated with good Mensa gatherings: contributors and readers were invited to express opinions, respond to one another, and engage with a broad range of ideas. The publication occupied the intersection of a membership newsletter, little magazine, and literary review. Its contents included poetry, fiction, articles, satire, criticism, reviews, letters, and nonfiction. Although its primary readership was expected to come from the Mensa community, the journal was not limited exclusively to members. In 1983, creator George Towner arranged for The Ecphorizer to be listed in The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses. The listing solicited submissions from outside the organization and described the desired material as work likely to interest highly intelligent readers. The journal was a compact publication: its standard issue was reported as 24 pages, and its annual subscription cost was $5.00. Its circulation reached approximately 600 in 1983, giving it a modest but meaningful audience for a locally produced periodical. Contributors included E. E. Rehmus and Gareth Penn, among others. The publication's identity was shaped less by commercial scale than by its role as a community-based intellectual and literary outlet. The Ecphorizer ceased publication in 1995 and is therefore a defunct publication brand. Its editorial contents have nevertheless remained available through an online archive known as The Ecphorizer website, preserving material that might otherwise have been difficult to access. No evidence in the available reference material indicates that the journal became a commercial publishing company, was acquired by another media group, or had a publicly listed corporate structure.

The Ecphorizer emerged in 1981 as a literary journal produced by members of San Francisco Regional Mensa, the San Francisco chapter of American Mensa. Its purpose was to create a durable printed forum for the intellectual exchange that characterized the organization's gatherings. Rather than presenting itself solely as an official administrative newsletter, the journal emphasized discussion, creative expression, criticism, and disagreement. Its mission described the publication as a place where readers could listen and speak, hear different views, and be heard themselves. The journal's editorial scope was broad. It carried poetry, fiction, nonfiction, articles, satire, criticism, reviews, and letters, allowing it to combine literary magazine conventions with the conversational and argumentative character of a membership forum. The publication was principally directed toward Mensa readers, but its editorial identity did not exclude outsiders. This wider orientation became more explicit in 1983, when creator George Towner listed The Ecphorizer in The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses. The directory entry invited submissions from both Mensa and non-Mensa writers, while indicating that work of particular interest to highly intelligent readers was preferred. The Ecphorizer operated at small-press scale. A reported issue length was 24 pages, and the annual subscription price was $5.00. Circulation reached about 600 in 1983. These figures place the journal within the community and little-magazine publishing ecosystem rather than the mass-market periodical sector. Its audience was sufficiently established to support regular circulation, but there is no indication that it developed into a large commercial publication or a corporate media enterprise. The contributor list included E. E. Rehmus and Gareth Penn. Their participation reflects the journal's interest in work that crossed conventional boundaries between literary writing, cultural commentary, and speculative or unconventional ideas. The Ecphorizer's value was consequently tied to its role as a venue: it gave a defined community a way to circulate writing and argument while also opening that conversation to selected external contributors. The original print run continued until 1995, after which The Ecphorizer became defunct as a periodical. Its historical record was not entirely lost, however. The contents were preserved and made available through an online Ecphorizer website, extending access beyond the journal's original subscribers and local Mensa setting. The available references do not document a later relaunch, a transfer to a commercial publisher, or a corporate successor. The Ecphorizer is best understood as a discontinued community literary journal whose principal legacy is its archive and its example of small-scale intellectual publishing.

• 1995

  Print publication ends

  [1]The Ecphorizeren.wikipedia.org

  The Ecphorizer ends its original publication run.

• 1983

  Directory listing and wider submission call

  [1]The Ecphorizeren.wikipedia.org

  Creator George Towner lists the journal in The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses, inviting submissions from both Mensa members and non-members.

• 1983

  Circulation reaches approximately 600

  [1]The Ecphorizeren.wikipedia.org

  The journal's reported circulation rises to about 600 copies.

• 1981

  Publication begins

  [1]The Ecphorizeren.wikipedia.org

  The Ecphorizer begins publication as a literary journal associated with San Francisco Regional Mensa.

• Archive made available online

  [1]The Ecphorizeren.wikipedia.org

  The journal's contents are preserved and made accessible through an online Ecphorizer archive.

A community-oriented literary and intellectual forum serving San Francisco Regional Mensa while also welcoming selected contributions and readership beyond Mensa.

• Literary periodical · 1981

  The Ecphorizer print journal

  The core offering was a compact literary and intellectual journal published for San Francisco Regional Mensa and an associated wider readership. Issues featured poetry, fiction, nonfiction, articles, satire, criticism, reviews, and letters. The reported format was 24 pages, and the annual subscription price was $5.00. The print publication ran from 1981 to 1995.

• Digital archive

  The Ecphorizer online archive

  After the print journal ended, its contents were preserved and made available through an online Ecphorizer website. The archive extends access to the journal's historical material beyond its original subscription audience, although the available reference does not establish a separate commercial publishing operation.

• 1983

  Open submissions to a wider contributor baseStrategy

  Background

  The journal was primarily read by Mensa members but sought recognition within the broader little-magazine and small-press community.

  Action taken

  Creator George Towner listed The Ecphorizer in The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses and solicited work from non-Mensa contributors as well as members.

  Aftermath

  The move positioned the journal as a small literary magazine with an audience and contributor base extending beyond its originating Mensa chapter.

  Source

1. 1The Ecphorizeren.wikipedia.org