Editors’ Blog

And yet, editing poetry reviews is not all that Anne does in her voluntary service to NCLR. She is also among the screeners for the James Applewhite Poetry Prize, which has been receiving about 400 poems a year since the pandemic.

“Whether I was collaborating with interns to edit an interview transcription, reaching out to local bookstores for images of North Carolina authors at events for book reviews, or attending events for NCLR at ECU, working for NCLR was one of the most exciting jobs I’ve had. Period.”

Diane has been selecting art for NCLR since the 2007 issue, her role as Art Editor increasing significantly when we added NCLR Online issues in 2012. I don’t know how she does it,…

“I have learned that the literature of North Carolina writers is rich and varied, providing us insight into not only individual experiences with illness and disability, but offering a larger perspective on the diverse experiences of people in the South.”

Two years later, this beautiful issue has come together, and it is both what I imagined and different than what I imagined. Some pieces I solicited never came to fruition, and I received others that left me in awe of their brilliance.

Jeffrey Franklin, Poetry Editor: “…every spring … I have the privilege and pleasure of reading the semi-finalist submissions to NCLR’s annual James Applewhite Poetry Prize, selecting the finalists that will go on to the final judge – and NCLR pages.”

“…sometimes I relish my screening role: I really don’t need to make a firm decision between two poems, for example. I can send both.”

2022 was busy—as most years are for the NCLR staff. The start of a new year seems like a good time to look back on the old year and realize all that we accomplished in 2022, then look forward to what’s ahead in 2023.

To a committed hard-copy-owning, dog-ear-marking, pencil-annotating bibliophile, there is nothing like a local independent bookstore.