Since the dawn of the Internet, some have predicted that it would render print media obsolete, that magazines would struggle and newspapers would move to an all-online format.
But there are readers who refuse to give up on the printed word, those who want meatier stories than magazines allow, those who crave poetry, art and book reviews, and who don’t want to wade through a sea of ads.
The Georgia Review is for them.
A quarterly, nonprofit literary journal published by the University of Georgia, the Review is a collection of different sorts of stories and art, the kind that hooks serious literary lovers and aesthetes.
“Once we get people to subscribe, they usually stick with us,” said Stephen Corey, the Review’s editor and head of a 10-member team that puts out the publication every three months.
Every issue is a blend of fine writing and art. And like the specially made coffee flavor, Caffeine Sestina (brewed by Jittery Joe’s), they keep your mind awake.
“I’ve read a lot of poetry, short fiction and essays,” Corey said. “And if I see something that’s different or that I’ve never seen before, I think it’s pretty special and I hope other people will agree that it’s something they don’t see every day.”
The Review also gives a voice to writers and artists who oftentimes can’t easily be found elsewhere. Sometimes writers debut in its pages, as in the case of Atlanta native Cat Bohannon, whose submission, Shipwreck, was republished in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2006 edited by Dave Eggers.
Its pages also boast famous authors such as Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey and current U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan.
“One part (of the story selection process) is subjective. It’s me having the privilege simply to decide what I like best,” Corey said. “But there is a side that’s objective. And we try to present a fairly balanced menu or diet if you will, so we have different genres-poetry, short stories, essays, reviews and visual art. That’s fairly unusual among literary journals. It’s always been a mark of the Review, and it’s one of the things that’s helped us be successful.”
Since beginning in 1947, the Review has won consistently acclaim from regional and national associations.
But recently, with Corey at the helm, it has begun a new sort of coming-out party. In 2007, the Review celebrated its 60th anniversary, but it is not content to rest on its laurels. In the last year, it has garnered seven GAMMA Awards, the National Magazine Award in Essays and a Governor’s Award in the Humanities.
Fall 2008, the most recent issue (available for $10 in the Review office or online at www.theGeorgiaReview.com), is no exception. It offers a glimpse into presidential politics in the 1700s, letters from Pulitzer winners Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell, an essay chronicling how one author learned to cope with a debilitating disease, a collection of full color photography from Judy Pfaff, and more.
The Review, in partnership with UGA’s Odum School of Ecology, presented two programs hosted by the Jekyll Island Club last month.
“The Pulitzer Legacy in Georgia” comprised events featuring four Pulitzer Prize winners, all of whom have an association with the state of Georgia, UGA, and/or the Review: poets Stephen Dunn and Trethewey; journalist and historian Hank Klibanoff; and historian Edward J. Larson. The authors read from their work, participated in panel discussions and fielded questions.
“Ecology of the Georgia Coastline” included presentations on the past, present and future of the Jekyll Island region. Speakers included three members of the Odum School faculty-David Dallmeyer, Dorinda Dallmeyer and James Richardson-as well as Rebecca Bell, Odum School Innovation, Development, Education and Access Board charter member.
The Review has been housed in Gilbert Hall, but within the next few months it will move to the former visual arts building on Jackson Street.
A subscription runs $30 for one year or $50 for two years. In addition, back issues are available through the journal’s Web site or by calling (706) 542-3481.
