NewPages Blog :: Magazine Reviews

Those of you who open up your copy of Indiana Review expecting a regional, Midwestern flavor are going to be in for a surprise. Many of the pieces in this sophisticated collection of poetry, fiction, non-fiction and reviews have a sharp, dark (dare I say cosmopolitan?) edge and a wicked sense of humor. For instance, the short story “In Bogalusa” by Paul Maliszewski conjures a reclusive Dorothy Parker who entombs herself in a Days Inn in rural Louisiana. Poems like “Jesus at the Help Desk” by Dana Roeser and the 2003 Indiana Review Poetry Prize award-winner, Maria McLeod’s “Regarding the Character you named Maria, teacher’s notes” use irreverent references in an intelligent way. There were also quite a few short-short pieces that walk the line between prose and poetry, among them the piece by Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis with the great title, “Manifesto of the Over Mitt:” Continue reading “Indiana Review – Winter 2003”

Don’t let the unapologetic academic tone of the Hudson Review scare you off. The long essays, which take up the bulk of the journal and at first may seem daunting, are fascinating, particularly the essay on Darwinism in the Humanities by Harold Fromm and another on Madame Pompadour by Tess Lewis. Continue reading “The Hudson Review – Summer 2003”

As you would expect, the “Editor’s Prize Issue” of the Missouri Review features the editor’s prize winners of both the fiction and essay contests and the Larry Levis poetry prize winner in addition to a selection of other fiction, poetry, essays, and reviews. Continue reading “The Missouri Review – 2003”

With its introspective and lyrical qualities, the writing in Bellingham Review invokes the brief northern daylight and drizzly afternoons of the little bayside town, just south of the British Columbian border, which is its namesake. But don’t misunderstand: this unassumingly slender journal (which must be one of the country’s most beautifully designed) is neither slack nor unadventurous; its pages contain all the great weight and mass of true literature. While the 22 poems tend to induce a mellow and reflective state of mind, they are never staid, never complacent, and are nearly always—whether on a grand or quotidian scale—breathtaking. Continue reading “The Bellingham Review – Summer/Fall 2003”

Though this is the summer issue of Washington Square, its fiction and poetry is pervaded by cool autumnal temperatures. The six artful stories here, while engaging the reader in the indefinable dramas of urban singles or the troubled lives of the patrons in an Amsterdam pub, tend to maintain an impassivity that is eerily uniform. For the most part, these characters seem to have mastered an air of indifference toward their world. Continue reading “Washington Square – 2003”

Hanging Loose, a lovely and inventive poetry and fiction journal out of Brooklyn, may very well be the source to consult for contemporary poems of the most living kind. Continue reading “Hanging Loose – 2003”

This slim journal out of Berea College, Kentucky, lives up to its name, with an intriguing showcase of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, reviews, and photographs by regional writers and artists. Continue reading “Appalachian Heritage – Spring 2003”

Ten stories, a novella, an interview, three poems, and a series of “Afterthoughts” by the journal’s contributors comprise what Orchid’s editors describe, with accuracy, as “rare fiction by talented writers.” Featured writer Maura Stanton (a story and all of the poems) and interview subject Valerie Miner are probably the best known writers in the issue, but several others do certainly deserve our attention, most notably Cindy Dale, whose story “Do Not Do the Arithmetic” represents a brilliant effort. Continue reading “Orchid – 2003”

The range of experience represented in this annual publication is of particular interest — poets and fiction writers as sophisticated or widely published as Denise Duhamel, Peter Johnson, William Greenway, Antler, and Mark Brazaitis (among others) alongside newcomers Thomas Graves and Audrey Doire. With more than two dozen poems and a half dozen stories, there is much to contemplate and appreciate here. Continue reading “Bryant Literary Review – 2003”

Exquisite engravings from Metamorphosis of the Insects of Surinam by German naturalist and artist Maria Silbylla Merian (1647-1717) are reproduced on the cover and also inside this issue. Merian’s observations are said to have “revolutionized both botany and zoology,” and it is evident from the specimens presented here why this is so. Continue reading “Feminist Studies – 2003”

New publisher and editor Peter Anderson has saved the day! Long-time publishers Jack and Marcia Barstow retired last year, offering the magazine at no cost to anyone who would carry on the tradition of “personal reflective writing.” Anderson has moved the operation to Crestone, Colorado where, if this first issue in the journal’s twenty-eighth year is any indication, Pilgrimage will continue to delight and inspire us. According to Anderson, Pilgrimage serves an “eclectic fellowship of readers, writers, poets, naturalists, activists, contemplatives, seekers, adventurers, and other kindred spirits…” On encountering the moving and thoughtful writing here, one certainly wants to be belong to this “widespread community.” About half the pieces in this issue are reprinted from other publications, but many are from independent presses or sources with which readers may not be familiar. Continue reading “Pilgrimage – 2003”

Okay, full disclosure: I will love any magazine that includes any work by Paul Maliszewski, fiction writer. I cannot help it. In the world of small literary magazines, most of us have authors for whom we’ll shell out anything to get the latest—a Dean Young or Bob Hicok or Olena Kalytiak Davis Poem, a Paul Maliszewski or Thomas de Zengotita or Aimee Bender story. So I’m biased toward this particular Gettysburg Review from the start because of Mr. Maliszewski and his story, which, like nearly all his other published work, is fun, funny, strange and beautiful. Continue reading “The Gettysburg Review – Summer 2003”

For all the hoopla and sage editorial paragraphs regarding work grounded in location and place on the submission pages of many, many journals, few magazines can come close to the South Dakota Review’s incredibly grounded, sure, located/locatable collection in this, their 40th anniversary issue. As E.I. Pruitt writes to begin his poem “Corn”: “You can’t live in this part of the world for long / without developing a personal relationship with corn.” Continue reading “South Dakota Review – Spring/Summer 2003”

This issue of Canary, a new poetry journal with high production values featuring a completely black cover with only “Canary” and “2” visible, displays the talents of poets diverse as Thomas Lux and Olena Kalytiak Davis. Poems, which range from highly experimental to traditional forms, occasionally include visual media such as illustrations, plain lines, or even, an autograph of a pop culture icon, as in “Poem with Erik Estrada Autograph.” As a representative sample, here are some evocative lines (lines breaks and stanza breaks condensed for the interests of space in this column) from Michael Dumanis’ “West Des Moines”: Continue reading “The Canary – 2003”

If minimalism had a role model in format, it would be Pawhatan Review, which only adds to the surprise and delight readers will discover in the depth and complexity of content. The magnet for me in this saddle-stitched format was the centerpiece: a b/w photograph by Mark Artkinson entitled “Vermont girls, summer at the beach,” which perfectly and preciously captures two distinct inner workings of young feminine psyche. Continue reading “The Powhatan Review – Summer 2003”

Easily one of the handsomest literary journals, River City delivers a provocative array of short fiction, poetry, and full color art. With a glossy cover picturing the back of a nude male bound from head to foot in heavy chains, this “Ill Will” issue immediately sets the reader up for an edgy ride. The short stories here are mostly concerned with the self-immolating, the transient, and the otherwise marginal characters peopling the terrain just outside of conventional bourgeois life. The two finest stories, “Suspension” by Morgan McDermott, and “Nebulous” by Molly Fitzsimmons, while wonderfully divergent in style, have in common a big-hearted concern for the masochistic tendencies of their fractured protagonists. Continue reading “River City – Winter 2003”

Lovers of the short story will cherish Night Train. Save a fascinating biographical essay on the late Richard Yates, this issue is entirely fiction. Kerry Jones’ “Rescue Effort” is a stunning opener. Using the second-person perspective, she eerily evokes her character’s haunted emotional state: “You watched him go, still loving him as his back drifted farther and farther away . . . and while something inside of you said you’d never be fine again, somehow that was all right.” And the stories only intensify after this masterful start, creating a veritable showcase of work rich in grace and humanity—and poetics too. Continue reading “Night Train – 2003”

Poetry International is an annual journal out of San Diego that manages to present a collection of poetry, essays, art and reviews that feels thoroughly edited yet diverse and exuberant. The essays are original and lively, especially Jeredith Merrin’s “And Damned If It’s Not a Hart Crane-Azure Sky!–Some Notes on American Modernism and Influence,” a discussion of how Modernist writers have influenced her writing, and Mark Weiss’ essay, “The Worlds of Cuban Poetry.” Mark Weiss is also the translator of the featured Cuban poems, including my favorites, “The Girl in the Forest” and “Mother Goose,” two surreal but intimate takes on popular children’s stories, by Eliseo Diego. A few lines from “Mother Goose”: “…Then / amid the golden flames / that cavernous mouth. / A hurricane whispers: / ‘Once upon a time…’ / And everything begins.” Continue reading “Poetry International – 2002”

The magazine 96 Inc. is better than expected. It’s a simple production with the focus squarely where it should be—on the writing. Inside, there are three decent realistic stories and a lot of poetry. Some of it is by young writers, some is by established poets, and all of it is high quality. The mission of the magazine alone makes it worthy of attention. The editorial board of 96 Inc. runs youth programs and is devoted to “the new voice.” Even though these goals are admirable, the writing stands on its own. This is not a pity read. Quality work includes Lyn Lifshin’s poems, and a very nice piece, “What I Didn’t Know” by Judy Katz-Levine. “Her name was one not to be spoken,” the poem begins, and it layers personal recollection with ambiguity. It was the one poem in the magazine that made me write “wow” in the margins. Don’t be put off by the simplicity of the design; this is a good journal. [www.96inc.com] Continue reading “96 Inc – 2004”

The debut issue of this attractive, glossy saddle-stitched review features poems by the likes of A.E. Stallings, Molly Peacock and Annie Finch. The National Poetry Review “favors formal verse” as demonstrated in these lyric lines by Ellen Kirvin Dudis from her poem “Betta Splendens”: “Love never offers. I see another, / not the other. Nights, I rise for air / -O lost lagoon, O submerged fire- / and on three inches of water / float these kisses. Your heart’s no larger than the jar.” Continue reading “The National Poetry Review – Fall/Winter 2003”

The august tradition of Southern writing that is The Southern Review comes by its reputation honestly. Continue reading “The Southern Review – Summer 2003”

The Seattle Review, which has been one of my favorite journals since before I moved to Seattle, has recently become the new bastion of the Pacific Northwest literary scene, and it certainly manifests a renewed glamour in its latest issue. The featured retrospective of Sharon Olds by Linden Ontjes, and essay by Olds herself, generously full of her poetry and personal photos, would, by themselves, make this issue a must-have. Continue reading “The Seattle Review – 2003”

This generously-spirited review produced at the County College of Morris in New Jersey focuses solely on New Jersey writers and artists, but contains a surprising diversity of work. Continue reading “Journal of New Jersey Poets – 2003”

Most of the poems in this issue of the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, with its cover picture of a dove with a peace sign and a giant “PEACE” announcing its theme, have to do, surprisingly enough, with peace. Continue reading “Haight Ashbury Literary Journal – Summer 2003”

Bathtub Gin is an irreverent little saddle-stitched journal that will appeal to those who love the literary world but could care less about the more academic aspects. This issue includes an interview with writer Mark Terrill, along with four of his poems, a series of photographs by Caryn Thurman, a couple of short prose pieces and an array of short poems, as well as some small illustrations by Harland Ristau.  Continue reading “Bathtub Gin – Spring/Summer 2003”

A little journal. Sometimes when we say “little” we mean inconsequential, insubstantial, or sometimes we may mean unnoticed or even unpretentious. But when it comes to eye-rhyme, I mean, literally, little. This diminutive volume measures about 4 ½ x 4 ½, which gives it an “experimental” aspect from the get go. I appreciate the opportunity to think about the meaning of “experimental literature,” which in the case of eye-rhyme includes: unusual, original, and/or hybrid forms, language that deliberately strives to break the conventions of normative logic, attention to non “mainstream” or “commercial” literary endeavors, a preponderance of images and language from “popular culture,” an eroticism that borders on the pornographic, and a tone, in much of the poetry, as well as the prose, that defies definition, but that somehow manages to be both bold and casual. Continue reading “eye-rhyme – 2003”

There is something delightful about opening a literary journal, especially one with this title, to find the score for a string quartet. Beautifully printed, lovely to look at, it is possible to appreciate the “Quartet For Strings #1” by Nicholas Morrison whether one reads music or not. The music is followed by a dozen or so poems, photographs, including stunning portraits by Wynne Harrison Hutchings, fiction, and several essays in criticism, a form that is somewhere between a journal-length review and an in-depth critical essay. Continue reading “Euphony – Summer 2003”

The blood red cover announces this volume’s theme “Blood/Le Sang,” as well as this Canadian journal’s bilingual presentation. The Canadians are leaders in feminist writing that crosses “the boundary between creative and theoretical texts,” and this issue’s introductory essay by editors Martine Delvaux and Catherine Mavrikakis is an excellent example. This exciting work links personal story and reflection, ideas about the meaning of “blood relations” and the language and uses of blood from writers and philosophers and religious texts, and explores the meaning(s) of “blood” in advertising and social interactions (“Blood. It’s in you to give” – from the Blood Services of Canada). Alternating between French and English, Delvaux and Mavrikakis’ piece sets the stage for the essays, poems, other prose texts, and artwork that follow. Continue reading “Tessera – Winter 2003”

In his Editor’s Notes, Gerry LeFemina, who here edits his last edition of Controlled Burn, admits his preference for poetry. Continue reading “Controlled Burn – Winter 2003”

“We welcome writing that makes us feel and think deeply about serious human concerns such as tolerance, diversity, freedom, nonviolence, multi-cultural awareness, healthy relationships, environmental justice, globalization, personal growth, and spirituality,” say the editors of this annual publication from Ohio, now in its fifth year. This issue features writing on peace and social justice and includes stories, poems, and short personal essays on a wide range of themes, among them:  war, the conflict in the Middle East, anarchist organizations, the life of the Pueblo community in the southwestern United States, racism, the life of migrant workers in the United States, the internment of Japanese American citizens, living with disabilities, domestic violence, and the events and aftermath of September 11, 2001. Contrary to what one might expect, encountering these themes together is not overwhelming. In fact, this accumulation of social justice themes actually seems to work in their favor, creating a large and more commanding vision. Continue reading “Out of Line – 2003”

This annual journal from Truman State University tips the scales at a hefty and generous 250 pages —18 stories, 32 poems, an essay, and 3 reviews. Don’t skip the reviews; admirably, GHLL reviews poetry and novels from lesser-known, independent presses. Continue reading “Green Hills Literary Lantern – 2003”

This is a journal that prides itself on taking risks and elevating the new. In this case, one of the new things it introduces us to is the poetry of Picasso, featured across seventeen pages, in translation, with lines like “III and in the organ fry up the dead leaves/ II that draw blood/ III that the lake’s light astonishes/ I and makes sing.” Continue reading “New American Writing – 2003”

Beloit Poetry Journal is one of the journals that poetry junkies in the know call a must-read because of the consistent quality of the poetry they publish, the freshness of the voices, and the terrific reviews. There can be no “ho-hum” response to this journal. In this slim but mighty issue, not only did I thrill to the emotional zing and wit of every single poem, I delighted in editor Marion Stocking’s review roundup of recent books by poets on poetry. Her pithy, intelligent descriptions helped me sort my own shopping list (check Roethke’s On Poetry and Craft, check Kim Stafford’s The Muses Among Us…) The melancholy themes of many of the poems here revolve around social, political and financial injustices, like Nicole Cooley’s “Madame X—about the connection between the famous portrait and a murdered girl X in the Bronx and a baby X in an ICU. The language in many of these poems leans towards the lyrical, as these lines illustrate, from Corinne Lee’s “Fulgent” about a poet who reads futures in palms in a concentration camp to save his life: Continue reading “Beloit Poetry Journal – Fall 2003”

This issue of Calyx showcases art, poetry, and prose pieces that describe women overcoming adversity and celebrating their individuality. Susan Brown’s acrylic “Monument to New York City,” which uses intricate bird-symbols to communicate her feelings about September 11, was intelligent and moving, truly a visual poem. Equally moving was Smoky Trudeau’s short fiction, “Good-Bye, Emily Dickinson” about a homeless woman who is convinced that she is Emily Dickinson’s daughter. I enjoyed the lyrical images of bats in “I Watch Nature While Breastfeeding” by Melissa Crowe: Continue reading “CALYX – Summer 2003”

Diner serves poetry Fresh and hot, just the way you like it! This issue of “Diner” satisfied my craving for concrete, prose, and other experimental forms, while serving up some of the more traditional fare. (All right, I’m done with the diner jokes now.) Although generally I prefer more traditional syntax in my poetry, I found Karen Neuberg’s prose poem, “Persephone,” evocative, especially these lines: Continue reading “Diner – Spring/Summer 2003”

I wasn’t sure what kind of experience to anticipate from a journal named HazMat, but I was pleasantly surprised by most of what I found between the perfect-bound covers. Not every piece is a hit, but the ones that don’t make it fail for lack of craft rather than heart. Continue reading “HazMat Review – Summer 2003”

This issue of Rattapallax focused on new Brazilian poetry, presented in the original Brazilian-Portuguese along with the English translation, as well as a scattering of experimental American writings. Quite a bit of the poetry in this issue was a little too clever or experimental for me, but I warmed up to some of it after more than one reading, particularly Rodrigo Garcia Lopes’ “Thoth.” Here’s an excerpt from the English translation of the final paragraph of that prose poem: Continue reading “Rattapallax 9 – 2003”

This journal out of New Hampshire features work from both familiar and unfamiliar names. While the aesthetic leans towards a free-verse, relaxed sort of poetry, nothing here tries too hard, and you will occasionally find seemingly effortless, beautiful feats, like these lines from “Susann” by Cecil L. Sayre: Continue reading “Concrete Wolf – 2003”

Sponsored by the Baltimore Writers’ Alliance, this journal features “the short stories and poetry of writers from the Baltimore area and beyond.” There are more writers representing “beyond” this issue, including Virgil Suarez of Florida who must certainly be among the top two or three most frequently published poets in literary journals in the country. His “Recitative of a Moment’s Fugue” is a fine example of why: “In Havana the old street vendors / sell their coconut death masks, / fiber-wigged, a kiss of crimson lips” – he is undoubtedly the best known writer to appear in this issue. Continue reading “The Baltimore Review – Summer/Fall 2003”

“The trouble with September is, it’s nothing / you can put your finger on…” – Deborah Warren’s poem “From August to Autumn,” which captures brilliantly the precise season in which we find ourselves, is a peak moment in an issue of peak moments. Continue reading “Michigan Quarterly Review – Summer 2003”

Given the world in which we live, explains editor Christina Thompson, it is not all that surprising to find an “undercurrent of violence” in this issue. The obvious examples are excerpts from a new play by poet Owen Doyle, Heraion, introduced by Robert Scanlan as a “reenactment of the Medea material,” and the “prologue” of Don MacDonald’s graphic novel, “Machiavelli” with its depiction of a hanging witnessed by Machiavelli as a child. (In many ways, MacDonald’s brief description of how he created the comic strip is as interesting as the strip itself and motivated me to take a serious look at it, where I might otherwise have skipped it.) Continue reading “Harvard Review – Spring 2003”

An exciting and exceptional issue. The Iowa Review doesn’t label its contents by genre as many do, but that’s just as well — many of the pieces here defy categorization. Continue reading “The Iowa Review – Spring 2003”

Brand new, all fiction (plus one interview), advertisement free and gorgeous, the Land-Grant College Review is one of best literary magazines since McSweeney’s. The contributors, by and large, are the interesting mid-list authors we don’t find enough on the NYTimes bestseller list—Ron Carlson, Stephen Dixon, Aimee Bender, Robert Olmstead. The artwork by Joy Kolitsky is stunning, from the cover to the two-color title pages preceding each story. There’s an interview with Thisbe Nissen that alone is worth the issue price, even if you’ve no familiarity with her award winning collection of stories or novel or stolen recipe book. Continue reading “Land-Grant College Review – 2003”

ZYZZYVA, officially subtitled “The last word: West coast writers and artists,” is above nearly all else a fun magazine. They fill their back cover with letters, a good sampling of the weird to funny to cringe-inducing (for writers), and the front cover, on this latest issue, is a beautiful drawing of a lone chair in front of towering shelves of books. After the “Editor’s Note” on the fifth page, and after the 24 following pages of advertisements for art galleries and MFA programs and coffee shops all along the west coast, there’s an hilarious picture of the comedian Robin Williams (page 29), immediately after which (30 pages in), the art of the magazine begins proper. Continue reading “ZYZZYVA – Fall 2003”

At 56 total pages of creative work, PRISM sends a tremendous wallop of beautiful writing that, it’s made clear on both covers and often throughout, is (primarily) from Canada, although they do feature writers from the United States and declare themselves globally cosmopolitan. For those unfamiliar, there’s an organization called the Canadian Magazine Publishers Association that, through both a stamp on the back cover (“Genuine Canadian Magazine”) and an advertisement in the rear of the journal appearing just a step across the line between pride and swagger, establishes what could feel like a strange provincial sneer, if one were so inclined. Continue reading “PRISM International – Spring 2003”

The Fall 2003 issue of Grain is their Short Grain Contest Winners issue, so along with a good selection of poetry and three stories, the table of contents lists winners of competitions in Postcard Stories, Prose Poems, Dramatic Monologues and Long Grain of Truth – the last category a well-named competition of creative nonfiction. Continue reading “Grain – Fall 2003”

It’s hard to know where to begin — there’s so much here. A dense, but readable volume with something for everyone: more than three dozen poems, a dozen prose pieces, fiction and nonfiction, two thought-provoking interviews (Ruth Stone, Breyten Breytenbach) and artwork by five wildly different artists, handsomely reproduced. Big volume, big names: Billy Collins, Anne Babson, Kimiko Hahn, Ray Gonzalez, Padgett Powell, David Shields. And some newer stars, too: Mathew Zapruder, Suji Kwock Kim, Jeffrey Faas, Emily Frago. Fass is, in fact, one of three award winners in this issue (one each for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry), and his honest and disturbing essay about visiting a close friend in prison (“Five to Life”) is an exceptional read. Thomas Beller’s essay “The Toy Collector,” with its deceptively breezy style, is another. Lots of memorable poems here, too. Continue reading “Columbia – 2003”

32 Poems is a new literary journal built on the model provided by One Story magazine – every issue contains, simply, 32 poems – no reviews, no letter from the editor, no fiction. It has generated a lot of buzz in the literary community, and for once, the buzz was deserved; this modest little 5 ½ by 8 ½ saddle-stapled journal contained a dazzling array of poetry. Styles leaned mostly towards the lyric and the experimental, but there were some examples of narrative and formal verse as well. To illustrate the range, I have to quote a few lines from Kimberly Johnson’s “Sonnet” and Mary Ruefle’s“The Phantom Ball,” two of my favorites. From “Sonnet:” Continue reading “32 Poems – Summer 2003”