Photo From Canterbury School of Humanities
Posted by Sarah Sharples, Poetry Reader for Issue 9.2
One of the saddest truths I have had to come to terms with over my literary life is the tainted light in which we tend to view Victorian literature.
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Victorian Literature: The Genius Beneath the Bias
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Rejection Is Not Failure: The Necessity of Finding the Right Literary Magazine for You
Posted by Kathryn Capone, Fiction Reader for issue 9.2
The feeling of rejection is not a pleasant feeling. It leaves a person to wonder, “where did I go wrong?” When submitting a piece to a literary magazine, writers are hopeful that their work will be rewarded with publication; rejection only makes them feel like they didn’t do something right and that they have failed. However, it’s important for writers to learn that not every piece is right for just any literary magazine. Researching a literary magazine before submitting a piece is the best way for writers to determine if their work would fit in well with the magazine as a whole.
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The Geneseo Literary Magazine Project
Cover of The Experimentalist, 1955 by Alice Doorley
Posted by Lara Mangino, Creative Nonfiction Reader for Issue 9.2
I’ve been involved in literary magazines at SUNY Geneseo since my freshman year. In fact, I selected Geneseo because it housed two different literary magazines. However, despite being very involved in publications here, I knew so little about their history. Gandy Dancer may have its entire history documented here on our website, but what about MiNT Magazine? What about Opus or Our Time or The Experimentalist? Who is documenting their history? Continue reading
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The 1619 Project: Our Disavowed Ancestry
Credit: https://neaedjustice.org/the-1619-project-resource-page/
Posted by Marissa Filipello, CNF Editor for Issue 9.2
Do you like sugar in your coffee? In your tea? Have you ever thought about where that sugar originated? Today at Domino Sugar’s Chalmette Refinery, sugar is made at a rate of 120 bags a minute, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But originally this work was done by enslaved Africans working under horrendous conditions. Sugar cane was a heavy crop, that had to be pulled by hand, then immediately ground before spoiling in a day or two. It was sharp to touch and would leave small cuts in enslaved Africans hands when accompanied with perspiration. Sugar became known as ‘White gold,’ as it fueled the wealth of the European and British nations. Yet, it’s rarely acknowledged that the excessive sugar today came at the expense or exploitation of enslaved Africans. This is just one fact of many found in the 1619 Project.
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April 28, 2021 · 2:39 pmThings to Consider When Writing Diverse Characters:
Source: https://www.gandydancer.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/writing-1209121_1280.jpg
Posted by Sara Devoe, GD Managing Editor for 9.1
When writing fiction, we travel into a world with no limits. The writer is both the navigator and the passenger on a journey to which they may or may not know the destination. This destination most always, though, starts with a character. Most writers of fiction, including professor Rachel Hall with whom I took a workshop focusing specifically on writing characters with, will tell you that plot comes from characterization. A character must want something in order for there to be a story. But this raises the question–how does one go about writing a character? Sometimes, we can mine our lives for characters, but other times, the story calls for a character who is unlike us or who has experienced different things than we have. Continue reading
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February 22, 2021 · 3:26 pmThe Dos and Don’ts of Writing a Cover Letter for Gandy Dancer (and other Literary Magazines)
Image source: https://pixabay.com/photos/red-cakes-flowers-fondant-286197/
Posted by Rebecca Williamson, GD Managing Editor for 9.1
As a fellow writer, I understand that submitting your work can be scary. You’ve probably revised and edited many drafts. You’ve poured countless hours into making sure each word, each punctuation mark, is perfect. All writing, even if it’s fictional, is personal. Now that I’m on the other side of the submission button, I’m recognizing that there’s more to submitting your work than just pressing the button once you have your final draft. One thing that writers need to consider is their cover letter. Continue reading
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Knock Knock: Who’s there? Humor within Writing
Image source: https://thanetwriters.com/essay/technicalities/elements-of-shakespearean-comedy/
Posted by Marissa Filipello, GD CNF Editor for 9.1
Humor employs word play designed to elicit a certain response. With humor, writers have the power to guide a reader’s emotion throughout their story. Effective humor will humanize the writer and form a bond between the writer and the readers. The incorporation of humor within a piece can transform mundane writing into a meticulous, and well thought out piece. The best part is, humor can be used in any style of writing: fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, even cookbooks! Continue reading
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Winter Break Reading List
Taken by Sarah Channels
Posted by Sarah Channels, Poetry Reader and PR Manager for 9.1
My taste in literature often varies from season to season. When it starts getting cold out, I look for reads that will keep me cozy as the days get shorter, but also that keep me on the edge of my seat through the darker months. Here are a few of my favorites. Continue reading
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How the 2020 FUSE Digital Colloquium Helped Put Things into Perspective for Young Writers
Image source: https://arts.columbia.edu/profiles/rob-spillman
Posted by Sara Devoe, GD Managing Editor for 9.1
On October 29th, I attended the twelve-hour digital colloquium known as FUSE, or, The Forum for Undergraduate Student Editors. Created in 2002 by students and faculty from the Writer’s Institute at Susquehanna University, FUSE was created to “foster visionary magazine work and to support undergraduates who are eager to pursue careers in writing, publishing and editing.” In other words, FUSE was formed to foster a community among young writers and editors across the country. Continue reading
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Can’t Travel? Feeling Isolated? Cross International Borders with a Book!
Image source: https://www.pickpik.com/map-open-book-reading-glasses-various-book-books-76340
Posted by Kira Baran, GD Fiction Editor for 9.1
Has the COVID-19 pandemic got you feeling isolated? Yeah, us too. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. We might just have a remedy for that!
In my last Gandy Dancer blog post, I talked about the fact that less than three percent of literature accessible in America is international and/or translated literature. Non-Western literature isn’t traveling outside the borders in which it was first written, and readers in the Western world have limited access to literature that was written outside their own borders. When living in a literary vacuum, it’s easy for both parties to feel isolated. If this situation sounds familiar, that’s because it is. “Isolation” has recently become a trending word.
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