Author Archives: Gandy Dancer Staff

by | December 2, 2017 · 2:39 pm

Fifth Annual Pub Fair at the Visual Studies Workshop

Posted by Rachel Britton, Poetry Editor for issue 6.1

Poetry printed into sidewalk bricks of the Memorial Gallery’s Poetry Walk led me to the Pub Fair, a day of books, art, beer, and coffee at the Visual Studies Workshop (VSW). Promoting its most recent issue, Gandy Dancer had a significant presence with representatives from the managing, nonfiction, and art editors, staff readers, and friends of the journal. The event offered creative vendors space to sell and build their network likeminded individuals. Among those in attendance were BOA Editions, Ltd., Writers and Books, Open Letter translations from the University of Rochester, and RIT’s art magazine Draft. I was overwhelmed by the amount of art, magazines, journals, and organizations present. And by extension, the size of Rochester’s art community! Continue reading →

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by | November 30, 2017 · 10:24 am

Five Books To Help Relieve Heartbreak

Posted by Julia Merante, Poetry Reader for issue 6.1

We’ve all been there. Whether you are suffering after a divorce, first love lost, or the defeat of your favorite team, heartbreak is tough. Here are five books to read that will help you cope in this trying and difficult time. Continue reading →

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by | November 27, 2017 · 2:52 pm

What’s Your Story About?

Posted by Timothy Blomquist, CNF Reader for issue 6.1

It’s the first question someone asks when you tell them you’re writing a story. Your answer may vary—maybe it’s a story about a happy time in your life, or a place from your childhood that you remember fondly. Or maybe it’s about something darker—a relative who passed, or a friend, or some other person or thing taken from you too soon. Maybe you’re writing about something in between happiness and despair, something seemingly random that’s been nagging at you for some time, for reasons you can’t really explain. Therein lies the real question: What are you really writing about? Continue reading →

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by | November 14, 2017 · 5:55 pm

National Novel Writing Month: November is NaNoWriMo

Posted by Nicole Gartley, Poetry Reader for issue 6.1

Fall is in the air, and November is upon us, bringing with it NANOWRIMO, also known as National Novel Writing Month. The name alone is daunting: one month, to write a whole novel? The basic premise as listed on the website is even more daunting: starting November first, participants aim to write a 50,000 word novel. The first time I heard of NANOWRIMO, all I could think was that is a lot of words, and not nearly enough time to write them in. Since then, I have managed to complete the challenge not once, but twice. While neither work is necessarily publishable, there is a certain pride to knowing that you can write that much, you can make the time, and, in my case in particular, you can muscle your way through your writer’s block. Continue reading →

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by | November 6, 2017 · 12:43 pm

7 Spooky Stories to Keep You in the Halloween Mood

Posted by Liz Verrastro, Fiction Section Head for issue 6.1

Halloween has just passed and it seems that with that, all the spooky energy has as well. Whether you dressed up as Wonder Woman, a clown, or someone from Game of Thrones for Halloween, nothing keeps the fun alive more than scary tales. If the success of the new film adaptation of Stephen King’s It is anything to go by, people love to be scared, so why not let the fun continue after Halloween has passed? Why else would there be a multi-million-dollar haunted house industry? Here are seven scary fiction pieces, perfect to keep the Halloween spirit alive even after the holiday has passed. Continue reading →

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by | October 31, 2017 · 12:17 pm

Literary Journals in the High School Curriculum

Posted by Katie Rivito, Poetry Reader for issue 6.1

Although I cannot recall its name, the first literary journal I was introduced to left a lasting impression on me. This was not because I found its contents intriguing or its purpose inspiring, but because I was forced to study it page by page with excruciatingly focused attention while my friends tailgated our high-school football game.

My dad had come home that day just moments before dinner time, calling out to my sister and me to quickly meet him at the dining room table. We walked into the room to find him sitting at the head of the table with two copies of a book in front of him.

“You won’t believe what I showed my students today,” he announced excitedly as he slid us each a book from across the table. Continue reading →

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by | October 25, 2017 · 10:07 am

A Kind of Book Review of Ocean Vuong’s Night Sky With Exit Wounds

Posted by Frank Bruno, Fiction Reader for issue 6.1

In May of 2016 Ocean Vuong’s first full length collection of poetry, Night Sky With Exit Wounds was released by Copper Canyon Press. The book has since received swaths of rave reviews and a number of prestigious awards including the Whiting Award, the Forward Prize, and the Thom Gunn Award. Despite the relative media buzz created by the book, it only came to me a year after its initial release when my friend read me the poem “Thanksgiving 2006.” I started reading my own copy this past June and finished it last week. Continue reading →

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by | October 22, 2017 · 9:08 pm

Introducing Gandy Dancer 6.1 Section Heads

Posted by Merrin Sardi, Fiction Reader for issue 6.1

We are already half way through the semester but it’s never too late to meet the new section heads! Below, each editor explains what prompted them to sign on as a section head this semester, and tells us what they are hoping to encounter in our submission pile. Perhaps their views will inspire you to submit a piece or two to the literary magazine. Our deadline has been extended until 10/22. Continue reading →

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by | October 19, 2017 · 12:25 pm

Former Contributors: What They’re Doing Now

Posted by Sara Munjack, Arts Editor and Poetry Reader for issue 6.1, Former contributor for issue 4.1.

A quick glance at where former Gandy Dancer contributors are now is all that is necessary to confirm that the literary journal acts as a spring board which propels emerging writers into the writing trajectory Poet Yael Massen, who just finished her MFA at Indiana University is currently working on a poetry manuscript, which she says is “emotionally exhausting.” Her poems can be found in Gandy Dancer’s inaugural issue. Since, she has been published in several literary journals including Columbia Journal, Tupelo Quarterly, Southern Indiana Review, The Journal, and has a couple of poems forthcoming in print issues of Colorado Review and Fifth Wednesday Journal. She has also begun working on contemporary Hebrew poem translations—two of which have been published in Waxwing. Continue reading →

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by | October 6, 2017 · 11:55 am

Introducing the Managing Editors for Gandy Dancer 6.1 and 6.2

Hello Gandy Dancers! We are introducing our new Managing Editors for the next two semesters, Meghan Fellows and Lily Codera! Here are some questions and answers that the ladies answered for you to get to know them better. Cheers! Continue reading →

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