Tag Archives: Gandy Dancer

by | April 9, 2018 · 12:06 pm

A Review of Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach, and a reflection on the relationship between art and story

Posted by Francesco Bruno, GD Fiction Co-Section Head for 6.2 

I invite you to refute the old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and contemplate the paperback edition of Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, published in 2011 by Alfred A Knopf. The cover shows a colorful menagerie of bodies in manifold contortions and postures. The translucent figures overlap and blend with each other, but no single figure grabs a central focus. The book’s title is laid over this image (again, the font is translucent) and the cluster of bodies is put into focus by a background of stark white space. The cover suggests not cacophony but polyphony, its narratives not shouting over one another but offering a variety of perspectives and lenses through which readers can continuously re-interpret the cover. Continue reading →

Comments Off on A Review of Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach, and a reflection on the relationship between art and story

Filed under Blog

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | March 15, 2018 · 3:24 pm

Improv, Relationships, and Fiction

Posted by Clayton Smith, GD Creative Non-Fiction reader for 6.2

I perform improv comedy on campus, and I’ll be the first to admit that I tend to have trouble not viewing most of the media I consume through the lens of improv. Not that comparing every book you read or movie you watch to the process of grown adults playing make-believe is a foolproof method of gauging quality, but I will argue that some of the parameters of improv are just as helpful when applied to the written word. Continue reading →

Comments Off on Improv, Relationships, and Fiction

Filed under Blog

Tagged as , , , ,

by | March 3, 2018 · 12:52 pm

Dandy Gancer Project

Posted by Emily Sterns, GD Public Relations Manager for 6.2 

In the editing and production workshop in which Gandy Dancer is created, we’ve been working on making prototypes or mini literary journals, we’ve been calling Dandy Gancer. This group project got us thinking about the many decisions that go into creating a literary journal. Each group got a slush pile which contained fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art. They were then tasked with creating a journal complete with a cover, masthead, table of contents, and a letter to the readers or mission statement. Continue reading →

Comments Off on Dandy Gancer Project

Filed under Blog

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | February 23, 2018 · 12:43 pm

The Gandy Dancer Ball

Posted by Emily Sterns, GD Public Relations Manager for 6.2

This Valentine’s Day, Gandy Dancer and friends celebrated our love for the literary arts! This event, meant to call attention to our upcoming submission deadline, included readings from both students and faculty. Readings were done by English department faculty, former contributors and current staff members. Our production advisor, Allison Brown read some of her poetry. She has been an immense help to Gandy Dancer through the years as she has helped produce the journal and taught countless students how to use the InDesign program. Dr. Greenfield performed some songs on an acoustic guitar to wrap up the first ever Gandy Dancer Ball! There was also a swag table full of Gandy Dancer merch including beanie’s, T-shirts, past issues, and new additions including coffee mugs and stickers. An assortment of delicious treats was made by numerous students in the Editing and Production classes. Guests especially enjoyed the Valentine’s Day card making station.  Continue reading →

Comments Off on The Gandy Dancer Ball

Filed under Blog, Call for Submissions

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | December 17, 2017 · 1:45 pm

Reading as a Writer vs. Reading as an Editor: How are They Different?

Posted by Emma Corwin, Fiction Reader for issue 6.1

About a week into reading submissions for the upcoming issue of Gandy Dancer, I noticed how different, and sometimes challenging, it is to think with the mind of an editor. Having taken multiple writing workshops since starting college, I anticipated that reading for Gandy Dancer would be similar. Although there are certainly similarities between the two, there are also a few things about editing that I hadn’t considered. Continue reading →

Comments Off on Reading as a Writer vs. Reading as an Editor: How are They Different?

Filed under Blog

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

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 →

Comments Off on Literary Journals in the High School Curriculum

Filed under Blog

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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 →

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

Filed under Blog

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

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 →

Comments Off on Introducing Gandy Dancer 6.1 Section Heads

Filed under Blog

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

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 →

Comments Off on Former Contributors: What They’re Doing Now

Filed under Blog

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | August 14, 2017 · 7:00 pm

Goodreads: The Best App For Bookworms

Posted by Grace Ventura, CNF Reader for 5.2

Do you have a bookshelf (either physically or mentally) that is organized into the books you haven’t read yet and the books you have already read? If so, then you probably haven’t heard of the website/app Goodreads . Goodreads keeps track of all of this for you and then some.

Goodreads is free on iTunes and on the Google Play Store. You can sign up through Facebook although you have the option to sign up with an email instead. If you sign up through Facebook, you can connect with other Facebook friends that have the app. The best way to explain how Goodreads works is by going through the five tabs that are listed at the bottom of the app. Continue reading →

Comments Off on Goodreads: The Best App For Bookworms

Filed under Blog

Tagged as , , ,