Greetings from a sunny and fair Suisun Valley.
Our first few weeks as a new group of editors has been exciting as well as busy. Exciting because we are taking the first few steps to creating the 26th edition of SVR; busy because we are starting our process with an entirely clean slate. Beginning from scratch means a lot to brainstorm, build, and decide, and because of our time constraints we must do these things all in only a few meetings.
We have been successful so far in agreeing on a deadline for visual art submissions and written submissions, designing our flier and poster (which we will be plastering our county with soon), deciding on a voting process that all of us are comfortable with, and we are currently in the process of practicing this process in order to hammer out any kinks before we look at any of you wonderful people's work. This time is particularly important, so that we may not only give each piece that we are sent the proper time and consideration, but also so that we may find our respective niches in the class and build relationships and respect.
Having been an SVR editor twice before, I must say that perhaps the most positive and empowering aspect of the course is simply the camaraderie the editors acquire amongst themselves. We walk into this class having almost nothing in common besides our interest in the magazine, and when it's all over we have the ability to respect each other. We are unlikely friends because we went through the trials and frustrations and arguments that we did putting together this magazine, and we share a pride for it that cannot be easily explained. I am looking forward to the point in our journey at which we can all have our voices heard and have a great time around each other.
I'm already encouraged because there are so many of us that are pumped about some extracurricular jobs we're going to be taking on this year. There are those of us who would like to see an expansion in distribution, and some who can even give us the means to do it. That's right, that means our next issue may not be sold only at the release party and the college bookstore! We are also working to complete a bound archive of all of our past issues to be on display in the college library, as well as an online archive FREE to browse for any interested parties. And, speaking of online, each and every one of our pages on the web should be centralized on the Solano College website, for optimal advertisement for both the magazine and the class.
I am here to keep you updated on all of our goals, as well as our process as we begin to read and decide on those pieces I know you're sending us. Be sure to read our submission guidelines (below). Also, check us out on our Myspace, or, if you prefer the Facebook scene, you can add us here. Or you can join our Tribe. For those of you who enjoy updates one or two sentences at a time, you can follow us on Twitter.
Until next time (same SVR time, same SVR channel),
-Elfie
- Suisun Valley Review
The Suisun Valley Review was established as a way for the students of Solano Community College to learn the art and craft of editing a literary journal while putting together their own magazine once a year. Since the first issue was published in 1981, student editors have collaborated on over thirty issues of SVR, carefully selecting the contents from new and established writers from across the U.S. and abroad. The students are also directly involved with creating the overall design aesthetic and narrative of each issue. Each spring, all of their hard work and endless creative energy is repaid with a bound collection of prose and poetry, sold and kept as a testament to sleepless nights.
SVR's 2014 Submission Guidelines
Contacts and Links
