Conway can look to the University of Central Arkansas as a literary powerhouse, now that two separate journals proudly call it home.
The university plans to revive the print version of "Exquisite Corpse: A Journal of Letters & Life," which is now published online through Louisiana State University. It joins "The Oxford American," another literary magazine published independently at UCA.
Mark Spitzer, a professor of writing, proposed the idea to general editor Andrei Codrescu this summer. Spitzer is a former associate editor and contributor to the publication.
"We like to collaborate on projects together and I thought the university might be interested," he said.
Spitzer and Codrescu worked on the magazine while at LSU and remain friends and colleagues, and both call Arkansas home.
Codrescu launched the journal in 1983 as an avant-garde publication specializing in poetry. The journal expanded to include works of fiction, nonfiction, interviews and artwork, and has operated solely online since 1998.
"The Internet is a wonderful forum, but we've discovered that people still like holding a book in their hands, even if they have to hide in a cave with a lantern to do it," he said. "The feeling of a book is as yet irreplaceable: Amazon's Kindle is like holding a lump of playdough compared to the tactile decadence of a finely lettered paper tome. We had a very faithful audience of readers/subscribers when we were print; our arrival by snail-mail was the highlight of their season."
However, he says the Web site and print issue will still collaborate. "We will use them for reciprocal support: our one million Internet browsers will read our writers online, then if they are interested, they can acquire a good portion of their work for their library," he said. "We will be both Bookmark and Book. We are also reversing the usual direction: many publishers are going to the Internet from physical print, we are going from the Internet to the book."
The magazine appeals to both well-known and novice writers, Spitzer said. Those published in the journal include Allen Ginsburg and Bill Berkson.
"Number One is the resurrection issue," he said, and listed Diane di Prima as one of the featured writers.
A Coup for UCA
A large part of the appeal for UCA is for the Department of Writing, Spitzer said.
"It will help the writing department sort of establish more of an identity in creative writing," he said. "We're developing degree programs in creative writing too so it's all part of our master plan."
He said the first issue will be released in January, and said the staff is already in the process of laying out the magazine. In the future, he hopes to add student involvement.
"We expect to have one intern each semester and there will be opportunities to do independent studies also. As we develop the creative writing program more opportunities will arise for students."
The combination of this journal with "The Oxford American" is very positive, said Warwick Sabin, the associate vice president of communications for the university.
"'The Oxford American' has two national magazine awards and an impeccable reputation," he said. "'Exquisite Corpse' also has a great reputation nationally but its circulation and subscription base is much smaller, and it's more of a niche publication. It's certainly an incredible coup for UCA to bring 'Exquisite Corpse' to its campus."
He looks forward to what this will do for the university.
"The key in considering both together is that it really puts UCA on the map nationally in a very unique way," he said. "It's rare for even one college campus to have one public well-known and critically acclaimed journal. To have two is really going to raise eyebrows nationally. People are going to wonder, 'How did this relatively small public university in a small Southern state land two majorly prominent literary publications?'"
Terry Wright, a professor of writing, serves the journal as assistant editor, and also expects a good response.
"I think UCA is becoming an arts powerhouse," he said, pointing to the various accomplishments from the university, including "The Scarlet Letter" opera which will premiere in November.
"We have a number of acclaimed writers working here, and have a visiting writers series that is the envy of the state," he said, pointing to authors such as Neil Gaiman, Richard Russo and Scott Russell Sanders. "UCA really is the centerpiece for the arts."
Rollin Potter, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, said the journal acquisition promises exciting things for the writing department. "It will allow contact with writers at other institutions and of course provide other writers on campus," he said. "It's win-win for everybody."
(Staff writer Jerrica Ryan can be reached by e-mail at jerrica.ryan@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1266. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit.)
