McSweeney's began in 1998 as a literary journal that published only works rejected by other magazines. But after the first issue, the journal began to publish pieces primarily written with McSweeney’s in mind. Since then, McSweeney’s has attracted works from some of the finest writers in the country. Today, McSweeney’s has grown to be one of the country’s best-read and widely circulated literary journals, with an expanding, loyal subscriber base and strong independent bookstore following. McSweeney’s is committed to finding new voices — Gabe Hudson, Paul Collins, Neal Pollack, J. T. Leroy, John Hodgman, Amy Fusselman, Salvador Plascencia, Wells Tower, and Sean Wilsey are among those whose early work appeared in McSweeney’s — and promoting the work of gifted but underappreciated writers, such as Lydia Davis and Stephen Dixon.