“Literary magazines tend to rise or fade away based on the resources and energy that a department or editor can put into them,” Dennis says. “Mad River Review was a publication at Wright State in the university’s early days, back in the 1960s. It faded away for awhile, and then was revived during the 1980s as a journal for literary criticism. Now it’s back again, this time as an outlet for creative writing — poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction.”
Wright State University has another journal, Nexus, which began in the 1970s, went on hiatus and re-emerged in recent years. This journal, now published online, is open to any Wright State University students, faculty, staff and alumni and is managed by a volunteer team of students. Learn more about this journal at http://nexusliteraryjournal.weebly.com/.
Mad River Review, however, is open to submissions from any creative writer, regardless of connection with Wright State University.
“I see Mad River Review as existing alongside Nexus and providing a professional outlet to writers in our region and beyond,” Dennis says. “Literary work is important as a way — whether as a writer or reader — to understand ourselves, our world and where we are in relation to the world.”
“Ohio has a wealth of college or university journals open to writers outside of their fold, and now Wright State University will as well,” he says.
Wright State University recently subscribed to “bepress,” which provides layout and design services for online academic and scholarly journals for many universities.
“But it works, as well, for literary journals. Several universities have taken advantage of their ‘bepress’ subscriptions to launch online literary journals, including Booth, published by Butler University,” Dennis says. “We thought why not take advantage of this opportunity and re-launch Mad River Review?”
Mad River Review will be published once a year.
Dennis, who is a published poet in his own right, offers several tips about what he’s looking for as an editor:
“I’m really wide open, especially as we ramp up, but I’m interested in works that explore issues of ethnicity or gender as well as in surreal fiction. My top tip to writers is to write work they really believe in. The best way to tap into that — creative writing that springs from somewhere deep in the writer’s heart and imagination — is to write continually, as often as possible, and to learn from the revision process. Writers who do that are likely to capture my attention,” Dennis says.
Mad River Review will start accepting submissions on April 1.
The Internet address for the review's website is http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/mrr/. Though the site is still in its beginning phase, writers can sign up for a free account in order to submit work.
Events
Signing/readings at Books & Co. at The Greene, Beavercreek:
• Sunday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m.: Daniel Handler, known to many as Lemony Snicket, will introduce his new adult novel, “We Are Pirates.”
• Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m.: Nickolas Butler will introduce the softcover edition of his debut novel, “Shotgun Lovesongs,” set in Little Wing, Wis., and following the lives of four friends.
• Saturday, Feb. 21, 2 p.m.: Mary Pat Kelly, author of “Galway Bay,” will introduce her newest historical novel, “Of Irish Blood.”
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