The Kennesaw Review – 2008

With the explosion of online literary journals over the past several years, I have found myself becoming particularly attached to those which are pleasing to the eye, well organized, and contain interesting and well-written prose and poetry. On all of these counts, the Kennesaw Review, which has been in business since 2000, acquits itself well.

With the explosion of online literary journals over the past several years, I have found myself becoming particularly attached to those which are pleasing to the eye, well organized, and contain interesting and well-written prose and poetry. On all of these counts, the Kennesaw Review, which has been in business since 2000, acquits itself well.

The October 19, 2008, issue contains seven short stories, seven poems, one essay, and five book reviews. “Criminal Lovers” by Michael Cadnum was my favorite piece of fiction, an engaging tale about a young archaeologist on a dig in Spain who inadvertently gets involved in the illegal smuggling of ancient treasures. Also notable is “Fiends” by Martin Slag, divided into three parts, with a cemetery being the common setting. This one contains a lot of morbid humor, and some tongue-in-cheek wisdom that is impressive for a twenty-eight year old writer.

One of the poems, Elizabeth Barbato’s “Permissive Will,” received the 2008 Don Russ Poetry Prize, although I developed a particular fondness for Temple Cone’s “The Moon Metamorphosizes, The Sun Goes Up And Down,” a touching tribute to a child’s lost innocence, and to Joanne Lowery’s humorous and light-hearted “Cadillac,” about an old man and his old car. The one essay in this quarter’s presentation is by David Bottom, Georgia’s poet laureate, who examines the process of creativity, and who asserts his belief that the best writers and poets are those who are constantly searching for meaning in life. Finally, of the five book reviews, I must say Deanna Northrup’s short review of Diane Setterfield’s gothic mystery, The Thirteenth Tale, was done in such a compelling manner, and with such enthusiasm, that it required violent effort on my part to dissuade me from going right out and purchasing the book.

My only complaint about this online journal is that the editing seems a bit loose at times, with punctuation errors appearing here and there throughout the works. Otherwise, it is a good journal with some interesting and engaging reads. Definitely one to check out.
[www.kennesawreview.org]