''The Fourth River'' is an American

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

with a focus on nature and place-based writing.

History and profile

Established in 2005 by the MFA Program in Creative Writing at

Chatham University Chatham University is a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally founded as a women's college, it began enrolling men in undergraduate programs in 2015. It enrolls about 2,110 students, including 1,002 undergraduate students an ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, the journal is edited by graduate students and Chatham faculty. Publication is annual as a quality paperback and twice monthly in its online format. ''The Fourth River'' takes its name from a subterranean river beneath

, a city famously sited at the confluence of three rivers: Monongahela, Allegheny, and

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. The fourth river, unseen yet indispensable to the city's riverine ecosystem, is actually an aquifer geologists call the " Wisconsin Glacial Flow". Founding editor and poet Jeffrey Thomson wrote in first issue that the genesis of ''The Fourth River'' is the idea that “between and beneath the visible framework of the human world and the built environment, there exist deeper currents of force and meaning supporting the very structure of that world". The journal also takes inspiration from Rachel Carson, the

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

, and nature writer who is one of Chatham's most notable alumnae.

Masthead

Executive Editor:

Sheryl St. Germain Sheryl St. Germain (born 1954 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American poet, essayist, and professor. She is of Cajun and Creole descent. Her father was Jules St. Francois St. Germain and her mother Myrl Marie Frank. Born and raised in south L ...

Editor-in-Chief: Sheila Squillante Managing Editor: Kelly Kepner Fiction Editor: Marc Nieson Nonfiction Editor: Sheila Squillante Poetry Editor: Heather McNaugher

Past contributors

Contributors to the journal include: * Michael Byers * Astrid Cabral *

Peter Cole Peter Cole is a MacArthur-winning poet and translator who lives in Jerusalem and New Haven. Cole was born in 1957 in Paterson, New Jersey. He attended Williams College and Hampshire College, and moved to Jerusalem in 1981. He has been called "o ...

* Robert Hass * Terrance Hayes * Ted Kooser *

Phillip Lopate Phillip Lopate (born 1943) is an American film critic, essayist, fiction writer, poet, and teacher. He is the younger brother of radio host Leonard Lopate. Early life Phillip Lopate was born in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated with a BA degr ...

* Dinty W. Moore *

Naomi Shihab Nye Naomi Shihab Nye ( ar, نعومي شهاب ناي; born March 12, 1952) is an American poet, editor, songwriter, and novelist. Born to a Palestinian father and an American mother, she began composing her first poetry at the age of six. In total ...

Claudia Rankine Claudia Rankine (; born September 4, 1963) is an American poet, essayist, playwright and the editor of several anthologies. She is the author of five volumes of poetry, two plays and various essays. Her book of poetry, '' Citizen: An American L ...

Janisse Ray Janisse Ray (born February 2, 1962) is an American writer, naturalist, and environmental activist. Early life and education Ray was born in a small town, Baxley, Georgia, the county seat of Appling County, in the southeast region of the sta ...

* Mary Swander *

Judith Vollmer Judith Vollmer (born 1951 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American poet and editor. She teaches privately, and in The Drew University MFA Program in Poetry & Poetry in Translation; and is Emerita Professor of English, University of Pittsburgh/G ...

External links

''The Fourth River''
Biannual magazines published in the United States Literary magazines published in the United States Student magazines published in the United States Chatham University Magazines established in 2005 Magazines published in Pittsburgh {{US-lit-mag-stub