This literary magazine is the only
student ran literary journal, to my mind, where the students have the
absolute final say over the creative works published in the journal.
What that means is this magazine is created entirely by the students,
and we all have to come to an agreement on every little detail of our
magazine. This democratic process can not be swayed for anything, not
even the for the smallest thing such as the size of
the font. Fortunately, as a class we don't come to shutdowns over
issues quite as frequently as congress does, but disagreements still
occur, which leads to our productive discussions. In order for
a decision to be made, the class has to come to agree at a
super-majority vote. If the idea can not get more than 75% of the
class behind it, than we can't move forward. This includes the pieces
that get submitted to us. If 75% of the class finds that the piece is
good enough to be published, then it has a home in our magazine. This
vote takes place after intense discussion over the work, and careful
thought put into it. This deployment of the democratic process is
where the quality is developed and insures that every voice is heard.
Seeing a piece of creative work that you have advocated for
publishing actually make it to the final product is extremely
satisfying and demonstrates that at least 75% of the class sees the
same qualities and had the same emotions evoked by the piece as you
did. Now if our congressmen fought for some of their pieces of
legislation as fiercely as students fight for some pieces of work.
- 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
