Two Boston University graduates have launched a national magazine targeting young intellectuals by featuring undiscovered literary writers.

Jonathon Scott Feit, a University Professors Program graduate, and Evan Sanders, a College of Arts and Sciences graduate, launched the magazine Citizen Culture just one year after conceiving the venture.

“It shifted from being just a really cool project to a business,” said Feit, who graduated last spring.

Feit said much of the magazine’s progress is attributed to BU.

“Without BU, we’d be nothing,” he said.

Almost 50 percent of the magazine’s staff is affiliated with the university, Feit said.

The idea was born in the midst of Feit’s own struggle while searching for a job in a competitive and connection-based job market, he said.

“It dawned on me that maybe other people are having the same problem and maybe I could fix that,” Feit said. “I thought, if you can’t find a job, make one for yourself.”

Citizen Culture publishes everything from short stories and poems, to artwork and political exposés, with each issue connected by a theme, Sanders said.

“We choose a general [theme] because we don’t want to stifle anyone,” he said. “It’s all about the writers.”

Feit said he hopes the magazine will encourage young writers and give them a brighter future.

“Our mission as editors is to be a career launch pad,” he said. “Even if this magazine doesn’t become the next GQ or Vanity Fair or whatever, it takes people with amazing talent who can’t get hired, and gives them experience to build from.”

Feit said the magazine has already attained success in its first issue with sales that have left newsstands empty in New York City and Sacramento.

While Citizen Culture has enjoyed initial popularity, young magazines can face many challenges in their infancy, journalism professor Mitchell Zuckoff said.

“All early magazines face the hurdle of finding their audience,” he said. “For a magazine to succeed it needs a clear sense of audience to reach and also a group of gifted editors who can distinguish between work that is a flash in the pan and work that has true merit.”

Sanders said the magazine has similar content to The New Yorker or Harpers’ Monthly, but “what makes us original is our target audience.”

The magazine’s target demographic is 20- to 40-year-old men and women, he said

Feit said Citizen Culture publishes about 20 articles each issue, to focus on writing more than advertising.

“Not everything will appeal to everyone,” he said. “But with the breadth we offer, the likelihood that at least a couple articles will interest you enough to buy a magazine is greater.”

Sophomore Brooke Eaton, a journalism major in the College of Communication, said she feels the magazine could work as a concept, but it should be careful in choosing what to publish.

“With an array of different material and a venue for people without much exposure, there will definitely be a buzz,” Eaton said. “It’s a matter of finding the good material. There are a lot of gems out there – but also a lot of junk.”

Although Citizen Culture is dedicated to publishing the undiscovered artist, it has also gained much attention from celebrity figures, Feit said.

A profile on actor Martin Sheen was featured in the debut issue, with other well-known musicians and media stars scheduled to appear in future articles.

“We’ve had a dream that if this were to work we’d try to take the same idea and apply it to other medias,” Feit said. “I’d love to start a music label, but instead of trying to find the next Britney Spears, I’d like to help the local band down the street.”

Citizen Culture is sold by retailers such as Barnes ‘ Noble, Amazon.com and MagazineCity.com.