Clinch began in San Francisco, 2021, when founding editor Grant Young envisioned a publication for literature on the martial arts. He wrote that the magazine would showcase “the lessons learned from Jiu Jitsu…or a poem on Cory Sandhagen’s flying knees.” The founder and editors have since expanded Clinch‘s interests to writings that move as a martial artist would: by waiting for the right time to redistribute its driving force.

In other words, Clinch seeks to showcase surprising works, and submissions do not have to mention the martial arts—though we prefer those that do. Instead, the magazine’s pages embody the martial arts and writing through their shared virtues, those of patience, meditation, and surprise.