Since 1960, swamp pink has published many of the finest voices in literature,[1][2] including John Updike, Raymond Carver, and Jorie Graham.

Poet Thomas McGrath founded Crazyhorse in Los Angeles in 1960, and he served as the managing editor for the early years of the journal's publication.

This was a time of great change for the new, single-named journal (Crazyhorse), and in addition to its original emphasis on poetry, the editors began to publish short fiction and critical essays.

Past fiction prize judges have included Joyce Carol Oates, Jaimy Gordon, Ann Patchett, Ha Jin, and Charles Baxter, and past poetry prize judges have included Carl Phillips, Billy Collins, Marvin Bell, and Mary Ruefle.

In 1987, Library Journal ranked swamp pink among the top twenty magazines that publish poetry in the United States.