Eighteen Bridges, the cultural magazine of “narrative journalism and first-person essays” that sprang onto Edmonton’s literary scene in October 2010, will make its Toronto debut tonight. A labour of love co-founded by Curtis Gillespie and Lynn Coady and featuring the likes of Lisa Moore, Marni Jackson, Timothy Taylor, and Marina Endicott, the general interest publication also includes literary criticism, fiction, and poetry that is “primarily, but not exclusively, about Canada or written by Canadians.”

On the magazine’s website, the co-founders suggest they’ve taken cues from some of the industry’s heavy hitters:

We value the timeless narrative flair of The New Yorker, the journalistic rigour of Harpers, the literary excellence of Granta, and we hope to weave these elements together with a distinctive Canadian sensibility. Eighteen Bridges will be a modern in-touch magazine concerned with people, politics, culture, and ideas, its articles substantial, in-depth, and grounded in the narrative tradition.

The public launch takes place at the Spoke Club, 600 King St. W., starting at 7 p.m. (RSVPs are welcome at [email protected].)