The plural possessive is intentional. This blog will give all of NCLR’s editors a place to tell you how they contribute to NCLR’s mission to preserve and promote North Carolina’s rich literary history.
We focused on the often taken for granted bits and bobs involved in magazine publication. These may not be the concrete details that make us fall in love with a piece of writing, but they are the details of publishing layout and design that allow readers to immerse themselves in that very dream.
As the October 31 deadline for this year’s competition draws near, I find myself reflecting on some of the past winners and finalists we’ve published in the journal—such as Leah Hampton, Annie Frazier, Robert Wallace, Thomas Wolf, Heather Bell Adams, and last year’s winner, Erin Miller Reid—and on Doris Betts herself.
“I assigned Fred Chappell’s I Am One of You Forever in a college-level Introduction to Literature course. We discussed the book over the course of three or four class periods. Students seemed to be most interested in discussing the weird uncles and the other supernatural elements…”
Editor Margaret Bauer clues us in on what she’s reading right now… and why.
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.”