The cover of Yalobusha Review #18.
Courtesy of Yalobusha Review | The Daily Mississippian
Oxford literature is often thought of as only the William Faulkner and Rowan Oak-style success. However, since 1995, the Ole Miss graduate writing program has been publishing the Yalobusha Review, a literary journal that aims to recognize works that are a little less “The Sound and the Fury” and a little more “The Sound of Creativity and Innovative Writing.”
The biannual publication is about bringing Oxford literature into the modern age. Submissions are open to anyone, allowing for a melting pot of different styles and techniques for readers to sample. This also allows students a chance to experience what working for a literary journal is actually like and understand the work that goes into it.
Michael Martin Shea has been a part of the Yalobusha Review since 2011 and senior editor since 2013. Shea describes the publication as a “contextual writing opportunity” that allows members of the graduate writing program to “gain perspective” on their writing. The Yalobusha Review has been run entirely by students of the graduate writing program at Ole Miss since its founding. Working on the Yalobusha Review allows graduate students to run their own journal, giving them firsthand experience that they will be able to turn into career opportunities.
When looking for pieces to publish, Shea said the staff looks for “works that display more energy rather than meaning.”
We want to publish something that will get stuck in your head, even if you don’t really understand the real meaning of the piece,” he said
From their website with a quirky photograph of a woman wearing a costume bunny head listening to old records, to stories about zombie football teams, the Yalobusha Review is new and different and definitely stands out.
Submissions can be fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction or artwork, which gives the journal a wide range of entries to choose from for each publication. This ensures the works are fresh, interesting and always different. Yalobusha is described as seeking to “showcase work that alters or subverts mainstream forms of expression.”
There are also two awards available each year for writers: the Yellowwood Prize for Poetry and the Barry Hannah Prize for Fiction. Submissions are welcome to anyone. There are no style or form guidelines, and the competitions offer writers the chance to have their work acknowledged by successful authors in their fields. Not only can students receive hands-on experience, they are also able to express their individuality through writing.
Mainstream is definitely one thing this online journal is not.
Submissions for the Yalobusha Review will reopen Oct. 30 and can be made on the Yalobusha Review’s website at yr.olemiss.edu.
