editor’s note
Peter Campion, Editor-in-Chief
We’re proud to introduce this issue of Great River Review, the second produced at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Founded in 1977 by Emilio DeGrazia of Winona, Minnesota, Great River Review was edited by Robert Hedin and published biannually by the Anderson Center from 1996 to 2016. Works published in Great River Review have been reprinted in Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, Best American Travel Essays, and Best American Sports Stories. The journal itself was the recipient of the 2002 Minnesota State Book Award for its twenty-fifth anniversary issue. Like other literary journals today, Great River Review depends on a select but passionate readership, who appreciate fine writing in all its forms and understand the vital role that small journals have played in modern literature. In that spirit, Great River Review offers creative work from writers with international reputations as well as those just beginning to publish. I’m particularly gratified to see how much this issue represents the contributions of our graduate students at UMN. Creative writers and scholars, dedicated to literature as well as publishing, these student editors have already carved a place for themselves in the Twin Cities literary community. What’s more, they’ve matched the local commitment with global aspiration. Keeping our collective radar tuned to the rich diversity of contemporary literature, they give me cause for optimism about the future of American letters. I hope that, if you find the same passion in these pages, you’ll subscribe.