The battle cry has been heard. The revolution has been started. A new literary magazine, "We Still Like," is an all-out attack on the belief that writers need to pay their dues and wait around to be published.

This self-made and self-published magazine is the collective effort of a frustrated group of writers who believe in the power of language, as well as its importance and sincerity.

On Oct. 14, the first issue of the literary magazine, titled "Manifesto Destiny," held its launch party on a muggy Wednesday evening at The Space Gallery located in the Tenderloin. Many in attendance nursed drinks as they listened to the handful of speakers read their manifesto-themed poetry, fiction and prose.

"Writers today have largely stopped writing grand statements of purpose -- bold and outrageous and possibly crazy declarations that assert the power of poetry to change the world," said Chris Pedler, 29.

"It suggests a deep impoverishment of our own aspirations, that we don't think writing can be that meaningful, that we've given up hope of fulfilling our wildest visions, and maybe poetry can't do any of it, but I'm not willing to admit that yet," said the SF State creative writing graduate student.

The idea for the magazine, came about one night in May of this year when Pedler and his girlfriend, Sarah Ciston, were discussing the notion of creating a magazine while having a drink at the Elbo Room, a bar in The Mission. They decided to solicit the efforts of their friends, whose work they were interested in reading.

Five months later, without any advertising and on a shoestring budget, "We Still Like: Manifesto Destiny" was born, including the works of 15 writers who contributed the bulk of the material of "We Still Like."

"We come from an awesome community of doers and makers," said Zulema Summerfield, 30, a "We Still Like" contributor and friend of Pedler and Cinston.

"We just wanted to read our friends' work," Ciston, 26, said. "The fact that it has turned into a motivational mechanism for creating new work, not to mention a literary magazine introducing us and our readers to new writers' work, is a very happy bonus. We just wanted to start a conversation," she said.

Dustin Heron, another writer involved with "We Still Like," helps facilitate the weekly Velvet Revolution Open Mic and Reading Series, held every Monday in the Poetry Center in Humanities 512 at SF State. It provides students with a forum to share their work.

"The goals have remained the same throughout the last several years: to build community, to create a space to share work aloud, to create an opportunity for beginning writers as well as more advanced writers to practice the performative side of sharing their work," said the 27-year-old creative writing graduate student.

Pedler, who recently read some of his work at the Velvet Revolution, sees the similarities between "We Still Like" and the weekly event.

"Both Velvet Revolution and 'We Still Like' are ways of making our own culture and being the community we want to exist in," he said. "They are ways to remind ourselves and each other that art, writing, the process of creation is something that makes life meaningful and should be shared and celebrated as widely as possible, not locked in a museum or used to look down on the less-educated."

With no signs of stopping anytime soon, Ciston and Pedler are now setting their sights on creating "We Still Like: Gravity."

"It took a mere five months from conception to completion, with a lot of laziness in between. For future issues, we strive to be a flexibly tri-annual publication," said Ciston.

"It seems like people are excited about the next issue," Pedler said. "I like the idea of it being an ongoing inspiration to people, an excuse to create something they otherwise wouldn't and, obviously, an excuse to party."

Visit http://www.WeStillLike.blogspot.com to order a copy of "We Still Like: Manifesto Destiny."