Taco Bell Quarterly is the “literary magazine for the Taco Bell Arts and Letters. We’re a reaction against everything. The gatekeepers. The taste-makers. The hipsters. Health food. Artists Who Wear Cute Scarves. Bitch-ass Wendy’s. We seek to demystify what it means to be literary, artistic, important, and elite.” Or so claims the editorial team behind this self-proclaimed literary masterpiece. Johns Hopkins alum M.M. Carrigan (Arts and Sciences) is editor Grande Supreme of this tongue-in-cheek publication and irreverent love letter to all things Taco Bell. What began as a jab against pretentiousness of other literary magazines has turned into a place where all lovers (and haters) of this popular Mexican fast food chain could come and write whatever they wanted (fiction, poem, essay, song) about tacos, wraps, and all in between. As Taco Bells fans ourselves (well, some of us), we just had to tell this story or the pub's creation and (surely) everlasting literary legacy. Crunch on!
From the Judges
This was a playful take on an appealingly idiosyncratic topic. The writing is stylish, with witty turns of phrase and a wry tone that’s perfect for the subject at hand. The author gets bonus points for working in virtually every item on Taco Bell’s menu, and the article ends with a satisfying zing.
