Issue 23 of New Ohio Review
by Kristin Distel
New Ohio Review, one of OHIO’s literary journals, recently debuted its 23rd issue at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference in Tampa.
New Ohio Review is edited by alumni Dr. David Wanczyk and Tom Tiberio, both of whom are graduates of Ohio University’s creative writing program.
Star-Studded List of Contributors
The issue features poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from an impressive list of new and well-established writers, including poetry by former poet laureate Billy Collins, Tony Hoagland, Jacqueline Osherow, and Adrienne Su, and fiction from Flannery O’Connor award-winner, Karin Lin-Greenberg.
Wanczyk explains that the journal’s staff carefully curates each issue so that the opening line of the first piece and the final line of the last piece make a particularly impactful statement.
Wanczyk draws special attention to the first line of Issue 23.
“We think our first line, in the poem ‘Midnight at the Anaconda Wire and Cable Company,’ by Sandy Gingras, speaks not only to what the journal has to offer but also seems wise about where we are as a country right now, and the spirit and energy that has emerged recently in response to some egregiousness. She writes, ‘The building is boarded up, but we know how to get in.’”
‘Gems of the 21st’
A segment called “Gems of the 21st” is also a highlight of the issue.
“We collected eight essays by poets who nominated poems that they think will still be talked about in 2101,” says Wanczyk, explaining the significance of this feature. “In those essays, they’re speculating, essentially, about what will last from our time, so they address poems about race and gender, about what liberty means in 2018, and about love during a time of surveillance and technological malaise. We’re extremely excited to bring this to our readers.”
Contest to Award $1,000 Prizes
Until April 15, New Ohio Review is running a contest for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, with a $1,000 prize awarded to the winner in each genre. All contest submissions are also considered for publication.
The renowned writers who are judging the contest are just as much a draw as the prize itself: Roxane Gay is judging nonfiction submissions, while Mary Gaitskill is judging fiction, and Kevin Prufer, poetry.
“The contest is one of the ways we gather great submissions, but it’s also our chance to elevate a writer’s career. If Mary Gaitskill chooses your story as the best of 500, it’s a good day!” Wanczyk remarks.
Recognition, Awards, and Good News
New Ohio Review has recently received an outpouring of exciting news. The journal has been awarded an Ohio Arts Council ArtStart Grant. Additionally, “work from our pages was included in Best American Poetry and noted in Best American Essays,” Wanczyk notes.
New Ohio Review has also seen a spike in its social media popularity, reaching over 10,000 followers on Twitter, and in its subscription levels, which, Wanczyk notes, have doubled in the last two years. Further, in June, the journal will release its first online fiction issue.
Subscription information for New Ohio Review is available on the journal’s website.
2 Comments