Tag Archives: literature

How Bold Are Literary Journals?

And how open-ended could they be?

By Walter Paskoff

As technology continues to develop at an unmanageable pace, the mediums through which we consume and produce literature have expanded along a similar path. Blogs, forums, vlogs, songs, and interviews are all now looked at with some credibility and weight. Chuck Klosterman, in his existential ramblings of “But What if We Were Wrong?” even thinks that what we now know as a “book” will become obsolete in the future and that the word itself will likely change meaning entirely. This is not uncommon in our language, as we still talk about the best “albums,” “records,” and “singles,” in the music industry despite most of those releases being exclusively digital. With that in mind, many literary journals are embracing this change. Gandy Dancer accepts original songs, the SUNY Geneseo student-run Recess and Iris add playlists to their submissions list, and Catapult (along with countless others) is a journal that is fully online.

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Victorian Literature: The Genius Beneath the Bias

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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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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Lost in Translation: Confronting America’s Apprehension Toward International Literature

Posted by Kira Baran, GD Creative Non-Fiction Reader for 7.1

This year, SUNY Geneseo hosted a meet-the-author lecture featuring Icelandic-born novelist Ófeigur Sigurðsson. Also in attendance was SUNY Geneseo’s own Dr. Lytton Smith, who worked as a translator for Sigurðsson’s most recent publication, Oraefi: The Wasteland. Over the course of the evening, the two discussed the writing process, the translation process, and the life experiences that influenced the book.

Yet, what stands out in my memory is not Sigurðsson’s humorous comment about casting sheep (yes, the animal) as fictional characters; nor is it his serious comment about climate change’s threat to transform Iceland into a volcanic “inferno.” No—even the latter statement was arguably less jarring than one simple statistic the author shared regarding America’s own threatening environment: that only three percent of the books marketed in the United States are translated texts. Continue reading

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Write What You Eat

Posted by Sophie Boka, GD Creative Non-Fiction Reader for 6.2 

While writing on Maryse Condé’s novel Victoire: les saveurs et les mots, it’s hard not to recall the tried-and-true cliché, “you are what you eat,” observing how the phrase extends from the literal bites we impale with our forks to our various forms of literary self-expression. The French title of Condé’s novel literally translates into the English “Victoire: the flavors and the words,” signaling how connected our taste is to language, each, arguably, serving to construct bits of the identity that defines who we are: the “you” who is what you eat. Whether through a poem, essay, or graphic novel, food appears peppered within every genre, yet, quite often, it goes unnoticed, without adequate attention given to its delicious literary functions. Eager to uncover food’s power within our own publication, with eyes, perhaps, bigger than my stomach, I decided to take a look at a few pieces published in past issues of Gandy to see just how intertwined the food that enters our mouths can be with the words that leave them. Continue reading

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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

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“We Write Poems to make the Invisible, Visible.” -Martin Espada, the Mission of the poet

Posted by Meghan Fellows, Managing Editor for issue 6.1
On the way to the 2017 FUSE (Forum for Undergraduate Student Editors) www.fuse-national.com conference this past weekend, myself, and the other passengers in my car were antsy. The conference was based in Pennsylvania, and we had a lot of road left. We were all excited; we would be representing Geneseo in a space where student writers and editors from all over the country were coming together for a weekend of workshops, and literary bonding. The theme for the conference was Resistance, and the keynote speaker was Martin Espada. From the backseat, the DJ of the hour was switching songs, and talking about the Espada. Continue reading

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Interview with Meghan Pipe about Writing, Editing, and Literary Journals

Posted By Brenda Bota, GD Poetry Reader for 5.1Meghan Pipe - literary journal

Meghan Pipe, a SUNY Geneseo alumna, is currently pursuing her MFA in Fiction at Colorado State University. As part of her program, she interns for the Colorado Review where she is an Associate Editor. She is currently in her second year of her 3- year MFA program. After she graduates, she wants to work with a non-profit organization that helps writers. She plans to continue her own writing and to eventually become a published novelist. She believes whatever she is learning at school now and through her internship will help her with her career goal as a writer.

Brenda Bota: Can you tell us about your program of study at Colorado State? Continue reading

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Creating Autumn

Posted by Lexi Sammler,  GD Creative Nonfiction Section Head for 5.1

Creating Autumn in Nature and WritingFrom a young age, I discovered the ability to lose myself in nature. I pride myself in stopping to smell the flowers, going on walks in the woods, and embracing the quiet sounds of nature.  Each step I have made through crunching leaves has allowed me to better myself as a writer. I have learned to appreciate and meditate in nature beyond the small creatures of the forest. I am thankful for all the green grass in my life, the cool breezes, and the reminder of my childhood that comes from stepping outside. Continue reading

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Introducing Gandy Dancer’s Section Heads for Issue 5.1

Posted by Marley DeRosia, GD Fiction Reader for 5.1

It’s that time of the year! The new Gandy Dancer staff is starting to pick up speed as our submission deadline draws to a close, along with the dying rays of summer heat (thank goodness!) As we all settle in with our warm mugs of coffee or cider, we’ll begin reading and assessing the quality and craft of the pieces submitted. For those of you considering submitting, we’ve extended our deadline to October 8th! To get us ready to read, I asked the section heads some hard-hitting questions. This year’s fiction editor is Sarah Steil, the poetry head is Robbie Held, and the creative nonfiction editor Alexis Sammler. Here’s what these clever individuals had to say about their goals for Gandy Dancer and their reading interests:

Marley DeRosia: Sarah, what do you hope to accomplish as the Fiction Section head for this edition’s issue?

Sarah Steil:  I hope to feature different voices/writers that offer stories so powerful I need to go take a walk after reading them. There are always some poems/stories that move me so greatly that I think how did they do that?, and then, how can I do that, too? I want every fiction story featured in Gandy Dancer to, metaphorically, punch the reader in the face.

MD: What made you want to be the fiction editor this semester? Have you had experience writing or publishing fiction in the past? Continue reading

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