Editor-in-chief Ann McCutchan Circulation 1,200 (print) | Frequency biannual | |
Former editors Jim Lee (founder)
Scott Cairns
Barbara Rodman
William J. Cobb
Corey Marks
John Tait
Miro Penkov Categories Creative writing
Poetry
Non-fiction
Fiction Publisher University of North Texas
Department of English | ||
The American Literary Review is a national biannual literary magazine of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Since its Fall 2013 issue, ALR has been an online digital publication. Print publications are cataloged under ISSN 1051-5062.
Contents
History
ALR was founded twenty-six years ago, in 1990, by the creative writing faculty of the Department of English of the University of North Texas and the now bygone Center for Texas Studies at the University of North Texas. The Center for Texas Studies, at that time, was led by James Ward Lee, PhD (born 1931), longtime professor of English at UNT, Department Chair, and a prolific writer, and A.C. Greene, an author and former newspaper editor, notably of the Dallas Times Herald. ALR published the first issue in the spring of 1990. Lee edited the first two issues in the spring and fall of 1990. In the first issue, he wrote an editorial expressing hope that the name and tagline, "American Literary Review: A National Journal of Poems and Stories, will prove to be neither pretentious nor presumptuous."
The founding objective was to showcase a range of genres and styles from emerging and veteran writers. To encourage freedom of expression, risk-taking, and experimentation, Lee said that ALR would not publish scholarly articles. That sentiment is not too dissimilar from that of the late Theodore Weiss, founding editor of the former and influential Quarterly Review of Literature, who also felt that scholarly articles and criticism might stifle writers. ALR's third issue (spring 1991, vol. 2, issue 1) was edited by poet and faculty member Scott Cairns. The first issue received more that 160 submissions.
The printed issues, prior to 2013, were typically 120 pages, digest size, perfect-bound with color card cover featuring a photo submission.
In 2004, NewPages characterized ALR as having roughly a 2:1 poetry to fiction ratio, with a casual touch of both traditional and experimental forms.
Prize winners
The ALR awards three annual prizes, for a poem, a short story, and an essay.
Literary contributors
Uncategorized
Short non-fiction
Short fiction
Poetry
Editors
ALR is largely student-run with UNT creative writing faculty editorial oversight.
Submissions
ALR seeks literary mainstream, creative nonfiction, and poetry. As of 2011, it was receiving 150 to 200 unsolicited manuscripts a month and accepts 12 to 16 per issue. Submissions are reviewed from October 1 to May 1 and published within two years of acceptance. In round one of the referee process, judges, which include graduate students, read all submissions and make preliminary selections. Faculty editors for each category review make final selections for official recognition and publishing. Separate judges for prizes in each category then make their selection. At all stages of the process, the identity of writers is not known by referees.