American Heritage, February 27,
1998, the desk of Richard F. Snow, Editor- and also screenwriter of the PBS
"Coney Island" documentary
"Decades after its great days have passed, Coney Island still
retains a ghostly hold on the American imagination, and Issue No. 12 of
Sensations Magazine does much to illuminate the reason why. It is
not easy to evoke the combination of grandeur and tawdriness that gives
Coney its savor, but Messineo and his fellow editors have assembled a
splendid group of archival photographs that do just that. Here are the
three turn-of-the-century parks--Luna, Steeplechase, Dreamland--in the full
splendor of their inaugural electric blaze, so presented as to make clear
just how compelling their freshets of electricity were to the citizenry of
the new century; and here, too, the eventual death--by fire, by decline--of
those parks. But their power as diversion and as portent still
crackles over the island's dwindled amusement district, and this presence is
captured in the text that accompanies the pictures, some of it drawn from
old guidebooks and histories, some of it poems and stories commissioned by
Messineo and his editors. Taken all together, the issue retrieves
Coney at its hectic, exhilarating peak; it is an impressive exercise both of
history and of imagination.
Library Journal
"Sensations is a curious publication. It has won
several literary awards, is indexed in the Index of American Periodical
Verse, is listed annually in Poet's Market and Novel and Short Story
Writer's Market, and claims to have the highest per line rate (of payment)
of any American literary review ... editor Messineo publishes work from a
wide range of writers, both new and well-known ... the largest of academic
literature programs need to own this publication."
Gold Coast, June 29-July 6, 1989
"The Write Stuff," John A. Oswald
"Editor David Messineo likes to point out that his
publication is one of the only, if not the only, literary magazines with
distribution points on all seven continents, including Antarctica. But
what is perhaps the magazine's most impressive selling points are its
innovations - the latest issue includes a hologram on the cover - and its
willingness to review and critique the work writers submit."
Gold Coast, January 18-25 1991
"Literary Magazine Expanding on the Obscure," Keith Sharon
"According to David Messineo of Secaucus, the first American poems were
written by a Frenchman named Nicholas LeChalleux in 1565, almost 85 years
before (Anne) Bradstreet. Consequently, in 1990, American poetry
celebrated its 425th birthday, which makes it 350 years older than Frank
Sinatra. Which celebration did you hear about? ... Messineo's claims
concerning the roots of American poetry are likely to get his magazine some
attention in the literary community. Attention equals subscriptions.
You get the picture. ... Thanks to the work of a few diligent, open-minded
members of the literati, we are rediscovering who we were so we can better
understand who we are. ... goals include becoming financially successful to
the point where he can pay his writers."
The Newark Star-Ledger, August 1991
"Magazine in a search for America's poetic roots," Michael Redmond
"Sensations, a small literary magazine published
in Secaucus, is attracting some attention with 'Rediscovering America in
Poetry,' a five-part research project on the earliest poetry associated with
the New World. The two year project, which will be completed in 1992,
was launched by Sensations founder David Messineo in celebration of
the Columbian Quincentennial. 'This marks the first time that a
thorough compilation of poetry written by Europeans and Mexicans in America
from the 1500s through 1625 has been assembled and presented to the public
by one publication,' said Messineo, 28, a poet who has worked as a corporate
editor ... Messineo is proud of the magazine's innovative philosophy, which requires contributors to
subscribe, with no guarantee of publication. This approach provides
Sensations with a financial base while guaranteeing its editorial
integrity."
The Secaucus Reporter, Sept. 19, 1993
"Literature Survives in Secaucus," Al Sullivan
"Surviving as a literary institution anywhere in the United
States is difficult in these days of tight-wallet economics. For small
groups with a high intellectual concept, free of corporate, university, or
governmental patronage, survival is next to impossible. Yet a Secaucus-based
literary group has found a way to keep its head above water without lowering
its standard of literary excellence ... The record of the small publication is
remarkable ... issues finding their way onto all seven continents, including
Antarctica ... (and) in what Messineo calls the
Rediscovering America in Poetry series, the magazine found itself
with the first comprehensive collection of American poetry from 1565 to
1630 ... the research articles have allowed the magazine to reach a
readership other literary publications often do not. History people
like it, teachers sometimes use it for classroom material, and some very
impressive libraries have become subscribers, including the New York Public
Library, Cornell University Library, Princeton University Library, St.
Augustine Research Library, and others ... the catch, as some writers
outside the group refer to it, is the fact that in order to submit material
to the magazine, a writer must buy a copy. It's one of the ways the
magazine funds itself. ... The system, however, does something that most
small literary magazines cannot do: it survives. They managed to
cover the cost of production, postage, research, telephone calls, marketing
and planning for events. All of the editors volunteer their services."
The Secaucus Reporter, March 6, 1994
"Sensational News," Al Sullivan
"Secaucus-based Sensations Magazine has hit the big
time this month, announcing that it will begin to pay its poets for the
first time. ... 'This is rare for literary magazines,' Messineo said.
'And it catapults us into the top ten paying poetry markets in America, in
line with what is being paid by Good Housekeeping and The New
Yorker.'
The Hudson Reporter, Year-End Review, December 24, 1995
"On the literary scene, Hudson County has seen significant
activity in 1995. Sensations Magazine in Secaucus won several
awards for design and its historical research."
The Secaucus Reporter, December 15, 1996
"Award Winning Issue", Al Sullivan
"When David Messineo set out to celebrate the 100th
anniversary of Coney Island's amusement parks, his Secaucus-based literary
magazine had already won several prestigious prizes. In 1993,
Sensations won the First Place American Literary Magazine Award for best
design, for its Sixth Anniverary Issue. In 1994, the magazine won
Honorable Mention for its Hope Against Hate issue. But this month,
officials from Poet Magazine announced that Sensations had won first
prize in the 1996 literary magazine awards for the tabloid category, with
its issue celebrating Coney Island. 'This was the first time we won in
a 'full magazine' category,' Messineo said."
The Secaucus Reporter, March 14, 1999
"Poetry anyone?", Al Sullivan
"David Messineo, editor of Sensations Magazine in
Secaucus, has always bragged about his publication's ability to survive
without corporate or government hand outs, something very rare in those days
when arts grants are taken for granted. While all around him, other
publications fight for corporate, university, or governmental patronage, his
magazine continues, despite rising and falling economies ... Over the years,
Sensations had become the repository for articles about historic subjects,
publishing poetry from early America that has appeared no place else, as
well as (conducting) research tracing the roots of early American literary
movements ... the magazine also offers critical feedback to writers who
submit, which would cost the writer significantly more elsewhere."
The Coast Star, Nov. 7, 2002
Jerry Kimbrough
"Sensations magazine publisher David Messineo makes
one promise to fledging writers. Although he might not make them
famous in one fell swoop, he promises that he will get the work of writers,
be they veterans or novices of the craft, out to other readers and writers
who appreciate the literary arts ...Sensations has published 27 issues
during its 15-year life without any federal or state funding, and according
to Mr. Messineo, has maintained a steady list of subscribers. 'I guess that
means I must be doing something right,' he said."
The Coaster, Sept. 11, 2003
"Poetry, Piano Recital Planned"
"Sensations Magazine is hosting three events this
weekend in the area, including a poetry reading under the stars in
Allenhurst and a piano recital at the Berkeley-Carteret Hotel in Asbury Park
... the Cabaret Series, sponsored by the magazine, has returned monthly
cabaret to Asbury Park for the first time in 20 years. Started in June
at Bistro Ole, the series is now rotating in different restaurants in Asbury
Park the second Sunday of each month, adding to the cultural diversity of
our fine little city. This month, 14-year-old piano prodigy Kristofer
Tokarski will be featured in a 45-minute solo concert."
triCity News, Sept. 23, 2004
"Opera, poetry and rock and roll"
"We love the creativity flowing from the folks at
Sensations Magazine. Their eclectic and unique live performance
shows have gotten high marks from audiences we trust ... from the folks that
brought you Nijinsky at Harry's Roadhouse, cabaret at Bistro Ole, Coney
Island theme shows from Asbury Park to South Belmar, and poetry readings in
each shore town from Sea Bright to Brielle comes a new one: opera at
Wonder Bar."
The Coast Star, Nov. 11, 2004,
Jerry Kimbrough
"Money raised at poetry reading at Green Planet to aid two families"
"An open-mike poetry reading set for this Sunday at Green
Planet Coffee Company aims to help two local families, one of which has ties
to Manasquan, event organizers said ... Mr. Messineo plans to set up a
donation box at the reading to benefit Toms River resident Andrea Grace, who
has family members in Manasquan. Money raised will go to offset costs
associated with dialysis, and to raise awareness of her need for a kidney
transplant, he said ... a silent auction to raise money for the Velie
Memorial Fund, started by Sensations Magazine poet Dianalee Velie
after her daughter-in-law and grandchildren were murdered in Florida, will
feature a variety of gift certificates for local restaurants and services
... 'You do not have to read to attend,' he said. 'You can simply sit
back, watch, and absorb what we do."
