Literary journal marks quarter century with two special issues

Marilyn Monroe may have bemoaned reaching the 25-year mark while portraying the character Sugar Kowalczyk in “Some Like It Hot,” but the editors of Mid-American Review, the University’s esteemed, nationally distributed literary journal, are celebrating their silver anniversary with two gala special issues.

Published by the English department, Mid-American Review was established in 1981 by students and faculty members in the Creative Writing Program. The magazine has grown in both size and stature over the course of its two and a half decades of publication, but its mission remains the same: to put great contemporary writing before as many readers as possible.

This year’s anniversary celebration includes two special issues. The first is devoted to the review’s “old-timers”—writers who have previously appeared in the pages of the magazine and who are featured as part of a homecoming of sorts. Some of these veterans include Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners, such as Carl Dennis, Richard Russo, James Tate, and Stephen Dunn. Others are writers who were first introduced to audiences through the pages of the magazine.

For a complete change of pace, the review’s editors decided to put out a second special issue, this one devoted to brand new writers. Dubbed the Unpublished Writers Issue, the forthcoming edition features writers whose work has never has never appeared before a national audience..

The publication’s anniversary celebration is aided by two $10,000 grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as a grant from the Ohio Arts Council.

BGSU faculty members Michael Czyzniejewski and Karen Craigo co-edit the review. The editorial staff also consists of more than 30 students and alumni from the master of fine arts and bachelor of fine arts programs in creative writing at the University.
“We’re carrying on a proud tradition,” said Czyzniejewski. “It’s a special pleasure to be able to showcase longtime friends of the Mid-American Review, and then to turn right around and introduce dozens of brand-new writers to literary audiences.”

Craigo agreed, noting, “We’re all aware that our work on the Mid-American Review carries forth the efforts begun by dedicated editors who gave countless hours to make the magazine a success.”

The “veterans’" edition of the Mid-American Review is available now, and the second issue will be available in March. The review can be found at the University Bookstore in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union and can be purchased online at www.bgsu.edu/midamericanreview.