“Pastoral” by John Beardsley: A Review
Published in Vol. XXXVI, no. 1, John Beardsley’s poem “Pastoral” is reviewed by an editor of Mid-American Review. As we enter Beardsley’s “Pastoral,” we take from the simple and familiar title a sense of impending rural comfort. The compendium of our experience with the pastoral rushes forward and leaves us anticipating a romantic exploration of...
Accepted: “The Barnum Interview” by Michael Hurley
In the poem “The Barnum Interview,” Michael Hurley crafts an imaginative interview with P.T. Barnum, who becomes a completely unlikeable—but strangely seductive—speaker. As with all well-done persona poetry, Hurley’s Barnum casts an unusual view of the world, but one the reader wants to believe could be real. Barnum’s observations accumulate into character, perhaps most chillingly...
An interview with Christina Duhig, author of “Lesson” (by Coral Nardandrea)
I was a Gender Studies major in college, and I’m a person who, generally, just cares. It’s difficult for me, as an assistant editor on the MAR staff, to pass up a poem that speaks to something bigger and manages to remain artistic. Any of us can say an alarming amount of women are murdered...
Pets with MAR: Smoky
Today’s pet is Smoky, owned by MAR 35.1 contributor Rebecca Foust. According to Rebecca, Smoky “likes poetry, but only if it comes with a doggie treat.” If you’re a poetry lover like Smoky, grab an issue of 35.1 to read Rebecca’s poem, “Dynamic Response of Multi-Layered Soil Media in the Frequency Domain.” You can also...
MAR Asks, Emily Schulten Answers
Emily Schulten is a poet from Bowling Green, Kentucky. She is the author of the collection Rest in Black Haw, poetry available from New Plains Press. Her poems appear widely in nationally recognized journals such as Prairie Schooner, New Ohio Review, New Orleans Review, Fifth Wednesday, North American Review, Salamander, The Los Angeles Review, and others. She’s here to...
MAR Asks, Rebecca Foust Answers
Today on the blog we have Rebecca Foust, whose poem, “Dynamic Response of Multi-Layered Soil Media in the Frequency Domain,” appears in MAR 35.1 and was recently reprinted in Poetry Daily. Foust’s fifth book, Paradise Drive, wonthe 2015 Press 53 Award for Poetry and will be released in April. Here, she discusses living in Robert...
MAR Asks, Melissa Stephenson Answers
We have quite a few new contributor interviews for issue 35.1 in the hopper, but until then, let’s focus on this fun, witty interview with Melissa Stephenson. Her poem, “After Mating for Life,” appears in 34.2. Melissa Stephenson lives, plays, and writes in Missoula, Montana. Her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared or are forthcoming...
Accepted: “Porch Light, Moonlight, or the Neighbor’s Bedroom”
In our “Accepted” column, Mid-American Review editors discuss why they selected stories, poems, or essays for publication. In this post, Assistant Poetry Editor Jenelle Clausen discusses a poem that appears in issue 34.2. This will be the final “Accepted” entry for 34.2; stay tuned for columns from 35.1. Genre: Poetry Titles: “Porch Light, Moonlight, or...
MAR Asks, Estanislao Lopez Answers
Our first contributor interview for 2015 will also be our penultimate contributor interview from Vol. XXXIV, Number 2. Turn to page 150 of that issue, and you’ll find Estanislao Lopez’s haunting poem, “The Politics of Rivers.” From the opening lines (“Behind brown sheets of dust, my grandfather’s voice / ripened with stories he thought forgotten”)...
Winter Wheat Preview 2014: Writing Collaborative Poetry
“Two Heads Are Better Than One: Writing Collaborative Poetry” with Callista Buchen & Amy Ash Saturday, Nov. 15, 1:00-2:15pm (Session E10) In this workshop, participants will move beyond writing a poem as an isolated act by a single author. Instead, we will explore the possibilities of writing collaboratively, examining the legacy, future, and publication of...
Contest Deadlines Extended!
The weather’s changing, the clock hands have been struck back an hour, and the winter darkness is upon us. But there’s a bright spot on the horizon: MAR has extended the deadlines for the Sherwood Anderson Fiction Award and the James Wright Poetry Award until November 15. That’s right – you still have some precious...
“Unicorn Hunters” by Kara Krewer
It’s time, friends. When lines line “shimmering rainbow mane” and “shining technicolor pony” appear on the blog, you know what’s coming. Pure magic. Today, we post our final winning entry in the My Little Pony Writing Contest:”Unicorn Hunters” by Kara Krewer. Unicorn Hunters More messages this morning: We are looking for a third we are...