Publishing Commons^™

Draw To Breathe, Ranran Ma

Masters Theses

This thesis explores visual expression in drawing as an intuitive mode of thinking suited to everyday life—a form of expression that runs parallel to language and surpasses it.

The project begins with a daily Post-it note drawing practice. These drawings often emerge before conscious understanding, subsequently accompanied by brief text, allowing image and word to resonate through emotion and intuition. Through the use of small-scale, portable, low-pressure materials, and with immediacy and intuitive freedom as the foundation of making, a visual language system grounded in the self develops. Through this sustained practice, I developed an instruction-based card system titled Draw …

Illustrated Children's Book: "The Adventures Of Mr. C", Anne-Marie Wadsworth, Joanne Whitcombe

Honors Capstones

"The Adventures of Mr. C" is a children's book written by Anne-Marie Wadsworth and her grandmother, Joanne Whitcombe. It was illustrated by Anne-Marie Wadsworth, 2026 NIU graduate, as her honor's capstone project. The book was presented at NIU's 2026 Visual Communication Senior Show on April 30th. It is a christian-inspired true story about an abandoned bird (Mr .C) that becomes part of Joanne's family. Mr C. flies away from his home and is lost for many months, until Joanne experiences a timely, unexpected miracle that only God and his angels can take credit for.

The Power Of Poetry, Madison Haji

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

E-Lit's #1 Hit: Is Instagram Poetry E-Literature?, Kathi Inman Berens

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

Preface

A lot has happened in the world, and in e-literature, since my essay débuted as a conference presentation then a publication in electronic book review in 2018. Global protests against the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor during the pandemic summer of 2020 sparked reckoning with how banal, mainstream, and lethal is white supremacy. Six months later, in response to specific critiques about access and equity inside the Electronic Literature Organization, its Board of Directors published a statement about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) as a core value. As an editor of the Electronic Literature Collective Volume 4, …

A Conversation With Stephen Graham Jones: Horror, Weird Fiction And The Way Of Slashers, With Sopapillas For Dessert, Billy J. Stratton

English and Literary Arts: Faculty Scholarship

An interview/conversation between Stephen Graham Jones and Billy J. Stratton, which took place in Denver on October 24, 2022.

Building A Humanities-Focused Creative Industries Minor At Portland State University, Kathi Inman Berens

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

"Building a Humanities-Centered Creative Industries Minor at Portland State University" is a presentation made by Kathi Inman Berens representing collective work by Berens, Dr. Rachel Noorda and Dr. Susan Kirtley (all of Portland State; see slide 2). Identifies opportunities for a humanities-focused minor in creative industries instruction in the U.S., using Ooligan Press of the PSU Book Publishing Master's program as a curricular model of experiential learning.

Finding Their Chrysanthemum: Linguistic Representation In Children's Literature, Marielena Zajac

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Children in America today struggle with finding themselves in the books they read due to societal expectations. From an early age, children are dictated on the correct way to speak and write in “American,” which can leave children and their home languages feeling unseen and dismissed. To help further the conversation and promotion of linguistic diversity in American society, this capstone analyzes dialectal representation in children’s books, with a heavy focus on attitudinal linguistic principles rather than prescriptive mechanics. The secondary research explores current literature and resources that discuss literacy acquisition in adolescents, trends in dialects in America, and childhood …

The Many Moving Parts Behind Brandon Sanderson’S Record-Breaking Kickstarter Campaign, Kathi Inman Berens

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

The creation and fulfillment of Sanderson’s Kickstarter relies on a crack team managing massive amounts of data as well as all aspects of production. Sanderson had been running a multi-million-dollar, mid-sized publishing company well before his March 1, 2022 Kickstarter shot north of $28 million in two weeks, making it the biggest campaign—for now—in Kickstarter history.

The Writing For Healing And Transformation Project, Heather Elizabeth Osborn

Education Doctorate Dissertations

As a qualitative action research study, the purpose of The Writing for Healing and Transformation Project was to facilitate more inclusive writing strategies and to promote individual and collective healing on issues of social suffering and oppression (Kleinman, Das, & Lock, 1997; Pennebaker & Smyth, 2016) for diverse students at a community college located in the northeastern United States. The 18 participants in the study included students in my English II literature and composition course. The theoretical framework encompassed Pennebaker’s (2016) “writing for healing” paradigm, advocating the use of expressivist writing and “social suffering theory,” examining how power structures affect …

“I’Ve Learned From Every Contributor, And For That I’M Thankful”: A Chat With Craig Ledoux, Editor-In-Chief Of Madcap Review, Craig Ledoux, Kailin Swift

The Review Review

Along with a group of his grad school friends, Craig Ledoux co-founded Madcap Review in 2014. They are a “semiannual online journal of literature and art” that encourages “the impulsive, the reckless, and the lively, but we also have great respect for form and restraint.” As explored in this interview, Madcap has very few submission restrictions because they believe that great writing isn’t easily categorized. Their reading period is Sept 1. To Oct. 31.

Venerable Nonfiction Magazine Proves It’S Still In The Game; Review Of Creative Nonfiction, Issue 72, Bria Peterson

The Review Review

Creative Nonfiction magazine is “true stories, well told.” Each issue works to prove that interesting narratives can make any subject meaningful through the adaptive essence of narrative nonfiction. In issue 72, titled “Games: The Power of Play,” they achieve this goal through long and short-form essays along with columns that examine the craft, style, and trends of writing true stories.

American Little Magazines Since 1950: Charting Many Histories, Thom Caraway

The Review Review

As lit mag enthusiasts know, Little Magazines cuts off in 1947. It details the magazines of the Modernist period quite well, as several other excellent comprehensive resources do. The three-volume Oxford Cultural History series on literary magazines details the work of various little magazines in the US, UK, Europe, and Ireland, but gets no further than 1950. Tri-Quarterly’s excellent “documentary” issue of 1978 surveys several editors of significant magazines in the intervening period, and they provide engaging statements of purpose, origin stories, and “biographical” sketches of their particular magazines. More recent volumes like Spreading the Word, Paper Dreams …

Your Perfect Cover Letter, The Review Review Team

The Review Review

Most literary magazines request a cover letter along with your writing submission. This is just way to introduce your work and introduce yourself. Its tone should be polite, professional and unassuming.

During Turbulent Times, A Reminder: The Ground Beneath Us Has Always Been Shifting, Jeffrey Dodd

The Review Review

This issue of The Review Review is being released at a remarkable time here in the United States, where we’re based.

• Global pandemic?
• Most divisive U.S. election season in living memory?
• Editor gets Covid?
• Uncertain economic future due, in large part, to those first two items?

“I Will Take Every Opportunity To Encourage Others”: A Chat With Heather Cuthbertson, Editor Of Gold Man Review, Heather Cuthbertson, Sydney Gonzalez

The Review Review

Gold Man Review is an annual literary journal serving and supporting a community of authors residing on the West Coast. It highlights diverse and passionate writers of short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The journal’s founder and Editor-In-Chief, Heather Cuthbertson, has overseen all issues and has ensured that they abide by Gold Man Review’s mission, “Creativity Becomes Community.” The journal’s 9th, and most recent, issue delightfully walks the line between playful and serious with a varied collection that has something for everyone. Issue 9 offers readers tales of love gained and lost, poignant reminders of how words affect others and …

West Coast Litmag Promotes Creative Community With Geographic Focus; Review Of Gold Man Review, Issue 9, Sydney Gonzalez

The Review Review

The 9th Issue of Gold Man Review explores human behavior through analysis, tragedy, and aspiration in a varied collection of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. This annual literary journal accepts submission from writers who reside in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. The 2019 edition honors Gold Man Review’s mission statement of “Creativity Becomes Community” by presenting unique works that are tonally in conversation.

Journal’S Contest Issue Presents Surprising Array Of Narrative Poetry; Review Of Naugatuck River Review, Issue 23, Jeffrey Dodd

The Review Review

Many fine literary magazines benefit from regular turnover in editorial staff, and sometimes editorial vision. Such is often the case with journals housed in university writing programs, where ever-new cohorts of students bring renewed energy and aesthetic interests. This often allows for new voices to make their way onto a journal’s pages. If there’s a downside to that model, other than the amount of onboarding work and potential lost institutional memory associated with regularly revolving leadership, it is that a journal’s identity can sometimes become confused. This is not the case with Naugatuck River Review, a journal of narrative …

A Journal That Serves “To Provide A Home For Creative Work Inspired By Journeys To Places Where There Are No Roads”: A Chat With Rick Kempa, Editor Of Deep Wild, Rick Kempa, Teresa Mccarthy

The Review Review

Deep Wild: Writing from the Backcountry, is a not-for-profit journal, published annually, whose mission is to provide a home for creative work inspired by journeys to places where there are no roads. The second issue, forthcoming this summer, will include work by 41 writers and 2 artists, representing five countries.

“One Of My Favorite Parts … Is When I Help To Pair Up Writers And Architects To Create Pieces Together”: A Chat With Joseph Altshuler, Editor Of Soiled, Joseph Altshuler, Caroline Gray

The Review Review

SOILED positions itself between a literary journal and a design magazine. Produced an artist-led team of four and published by a Chicago-based design practice, the journal publishes themed issues, the most recent of which focuses on children’s stories.

Clever Collaboration Highlights Israeli Experience; A Review Of The Ilanot Review, Fall 2019, The Collaborative Issue: Translations Of Granta Hebrew, Katharine Tibbitts

The Review Review

For two journals that have only been established in the last decade, Ilanot Review and Granta Hebrew pack a century’s worth of grief and wisdom into their awe-inspiring collaborative issue for Fall 2019. This collaboration, published under the title The Ilanot Review: The Collaborative Issue, represents a break from routine for both journals, as The Ilanot Review is known for its compelling thematic issues and Granta Hebrew for its Hebrew and Arabic extension of the illustrious London-based Granta—the Magazine of New Writing. The editors have compiled a brilliant whirlwind of poetry, prose, and memoir that pulls pieces from …

And Then Suddenly, Jeffrey Dodd

The Review Review

The story of how this relaunch of The Review Review took shape feels like a minor saga.

Because Literature Promotes Justice: A Roundup Of The Review Review’S Coverage Of Litmags And Editors Addressing Important Social Issues, Jeffrey Dodd

The Review Review

When, in early 2019, we began the process of transitioning The Review Review leadership, I was struck by how well Founding Editor Becky Tuch and her team had balanced their mission to provide writers, readers, editors, and students a phenomenal resource for understanding and appreciating the world of litmags, with their clear understanding that all artforms always have political implications. Fast forward eighteen months.

Family Reads Children’S Issue Of Architecture-Focused Literary Magazine, Strongly Approves; Review Of Soiled, Issue 8, Jeffrey Dodd

The Review Review

Soiled exists at the intersection of literature and architecture. Let me rephrase that. Soiled owns the intersection of literature and architecture. This artist-led, Chicago-based project, now offering its 8th issue, "narrates a playfully sincere and seriously humorous exploration of oft-overlooked dimensions of our built environment." Each issue is thematized around a different exploration and the works written and illustrated by architects and designers. Issue 8, "onceuponascrapers: architectural children's stories," is elegantly illustrated, delicately told, and intricately woven into one of the most exciting literary magazines I've encountered in some time.

New Journal Takes Readers Back To Nature; A Review Of Deep Wild, Volume 1, 2019, Teresa Mccarthy

The Review Review

Deep Wild: Writing from the Backcountry is a brand new literary journal that invites writers and artists with an enthusiasm for the outdoors to offer accounts of exploring the natural world through poetry, nonfiction narratives, and a few miscellaneous genre pieces. This first volume was published in 2019, and plans are to publish annually. This journal embraces a balance of appealing to a deeply formed community of backcountry explorers yet provides pieces that are able to resonate with city-dwellers (like myself) who will find beauty in escaping from the scenes of everyday life. For the contributors and potential readers of …

"Our Little Publication Brings The Kind Of Understanding And Acceptance That Is Much Needed When Those Feelings Of Isolation And Shame Kick In”" A Conversation With Célia Schouteden, Editor Of Peculiars Magazine, Célia Schouteden, Asha Douglas

The Review Review

Célia Schouteden is the founder and editor-in-chief of peculiars magazine (@peculiarsmag). Her contribution to the artistic world has also been expressed through her passion for film photography. She is originally from Belgium, and currently attends university there to study Psychology. Her efforts to promote mental health awareness have reached all corners of the world.

Global Connectivity And Multiculturalism In Publishing: A Roundtable Chat With The Editors Of Chattahoochee Review, Waxwing , And Manoa: A Pacific Journal Of International Writing, Alicia Cole, Michael Diebert, Frank Stewart, Sara Sams

The Review Review

A Roundtable Chat With the Editors of Chattahoochee Review, Waxwing, and Manoa: A Pacific Journal of International Writing.

Broad, Substantive, And Deeply Humanist: Lit Mag Digs Deep; Review Of Virginia Quarterly Review, Winter 2016, Rebecca Schwarz

The Review Review

Here’s one of the best general literary magazines you may not have heard of. The Virginia Quarterly Review (its cover now sports the more hip and hashtagable VQR) was founded by the University of Virginia in 1925. Still supported in part by the university, this quarterly magazine features a variety of topics both national and international and a uniformly high level of writing regardless of the subject. I would say more than half of the material falls under various nonfiction categories such as memoir, essay, interviews, reporting, and criticism. Clocking in at nearly 200 pages, there is something for every …

South Asian Literary Journal Shines In Debut; Review Of Shoreline Review, January 2018, Stephanie Katz

The Review Review

The Shoreline Review is a new literary journal that provides a digital space specifically for South Asian poets to be read and recognized for their unique contributions to the realm of poetry. TSR is edited by Sreshtha Sen and Shyamolie Singh, two poets who are from India. All the poetry in TSR is in English, some appearing to be written originally in English while others have been translated from their original language. Some poets are living in their home countries, while others are living abroad, mostly in the United States. TSR’s inaugural issue, which was published in January 2018, presents …

Elegant Writing, Intelligently Curated; Review Of Salamander, Fall/Winter 2015, Marjorie Hakala

The Review Review

Salamander is a twice-annual print magazine published by Suffolk University in Boston. Issue 41, published in fall/winter 2015, has a picture of a dahlia on the cover. A brief, polite note from the editor kicks things off by informing us that Andre Dubus III judged the magazine’s 2015 short story contest, and we get his comments on the winners and a brief enumeration of the other prose works in the issue as well as the names of some of the poets. That is all the introduction anybody gets before we are off to the races.

Inside Bitter Oleander: A Chat With Paul B. Roth, Editor Of Bitter Oleander, Paul B. Roth, Andrew Tobia

The Review Review

Paul B. Roth founded The Bitter Oleander and The Bitter Oleander Press as a young man fresh out of college, eager to make his mark on the literary world. He has nursed his journal and press for over 35 years.