''Spoon River Poetry Review'' (''SRPR'', ) is an American
literary journal of poetry based in
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
during most of its existence. It publishes a combination of Illinois-connected, national, and international poetry.
It began in 1976 as the ''Spoon River Quarterly'', but dropped the "Quarterly" name in 1993.
According to its official website, the journal has gained an international reputation and also conducts the ''Spoon River Poetry Review'' Editor's Prize and the Spoon River Poetry Association Poets-in-the-Schools Program.
It has received several
Illinois Arts Council
The Illinois Arts Council is a government agency of the state of Illinois formed to encourage development of the arts throughout Illinois. Founded in 1965 by the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Arts Council provides financial and technica ...
awards.
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''SRPR'' identifies itself as "one of the nation's oldest continuously published literary journals".
In 1976, David Pichaske founded ''The Spoon River Quarterly'' at
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College.
History
Western Illin ...
, and its Spoon River Press was founded to publish the magazine and poetry
chapbooks.
In 1978, the operation moved to
Peoria, Illinois, and formed a not-for-profit corporation. There being another press with a similar name in Peoria at the time, the poetry published incorporated as Spoon River Poetry Press, using that name for poetry publications, the
imprint Ellis Press for prose. The organization became heavily supported by the
Illinois Arts Council
The Illinois Arts Council is a government agency of the state of Illinois formed to encourage development of the arts throughout Illinois. Founded in 1965 by the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Arts Council provides financial and technica ...
in the 1980s.
In the mid-1980s, Paichaske moved to Minnesota, founding another not-for-profit, Plains Press, and soon gave over the Illinois not-for-profit and ''The Spoon River Quarterly'' to
Illinois State University
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
professor Lucia Getsi.
Under Getsi, the journal switched from a regional flavor to a mix of regional, national and international works, accepting foreign-language works with English translations, and adding book reviews.
The journal became biannual in 1990,
and changed its name to Spoon River Poetry Review in 1993.
Getsi retired in 2006, passing the editorship to Bruce Guernsey, Distinguished Professor Emeritus from
Eastern Illinois University. In 2010, the operation returned to Illinois State University, this time with Kirstin Hotelling Zona, an Associate Professor of English, as editor; under her, ''SRPR'' added an interview with each issue's featured poet, as well a review essay.
The publication is named not after ''
Spoon River Anthology
''Spoon River Anthology'' (1915), by Edgar Lee Masters, is a collection of short free verse poems that collectively narrates the epitaphs of the residents of Spoon River, a fictional small town named after the Spoon River, which ran near Masters' ...
'', but after the
Spoon River
The Spoon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Illinois River in west-central Illinois in the United States. The river drains largely ...
itself.
See also
*
List of literary magazines
Notes
References
External links
''Spoon River Poetry Review'' web site''Spoon River Poetry Review'' Facebook page
{{Authority control
1976 establishments in Illinois
Magazines established in 1976
Literary translation magazines
Magazines published in Illinois
Poetry magazines published in the United States
Quarterly magazines published in the United States