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University �Review� Seeks SHSU Submissions
Feb. 1, 2012
SHSU Media Contact: Jennifer Gauntt
The Sam Houston State Review, SHSU’s literary journal, is accepting submissions for its annual issue.
The SHS Review publishes short fiction, essays, and poetry written by members of the SHSU community, including current students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Editors also are seeking artwork for the cover.
“There are storytellers and poets all around the university community, writing in classes and out of classes—not just English students—filling their notebooks and computer files,” said Scott Kaukonen, director of the English department’s Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing and faculty adviser to the SHS Review. “We would like to give those people a chance to share their work with more than just their Facebook friends.”
While new technologies are re-orienting the publishing industry and providing outlets for writers of all skills and abilities and genres, some things don’t change: the challenge of writing a powerful short story or a beautiful poem, of creating memorable characters and indelible images, according to Kaukonen.
“The Sam Houston State Review is part of that larger tradition of literary journals, also known as ‘little magazines,’ that have published short fiction, poetry, essays, criticism, and reviews for well over a hundred years or longer, depending upon how you wish to define it,” he said. “Many of the most prominent writers throughout the 20th century, and now into the 21st, first published in literary journals.”
Students in Kaukonen’s “Practicum in Publishing” course read, evaluate, discuss, and choose the submissions that will ultimately make it into this year’s issue.
“The class provides hands-on experience for the students in the production of a literary journal, from submission to selection, from marketing to design, from copyediting to publication,” Kaukonen said.
Writers may submit one piece of short fiction, one essay, and/or up to five poems.
Submissions should be sent as an e-mail attachment (docx, doc, pdf, rtf or jpg, for cover art submissions) to shsureview@yahoo.com. The submission deadline is Feb. 15.
Writers whose work is selected for publication will be invited to read from their work at the Review’s annual release party in early May.
“I hope that the presence of the Review encourages writers on campus to develop their art and craft and to become involved in the literary community that we have here, including our new Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing,” Kaukonen said.
“There's a certain pleasure that comes from selecting a writer's work and being able to send him or her that e-mail that says, ‘We'd like to accept this piece for publication,’” he said. "Often, it's the first real publication for a student's fiction or poetry or essays, and so it's the sort of thing that can affirm their efforts, which take place in private, often riddled with the anxiety that comes with such endeavors. It can push them to keep at it, not just here at Sam, but even when they leave. There are so many venues available these days for writers, and we appreciate being able to provide a venue where quality work can be published and introduced to readers.”
For more information, contact Kaukonen at 936.294.1407 or kaukonen@shsu.edu, or join the Review on Facebook, by searching Sam Houston State Review.
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