Lit Review

The Southern Review is literary magazine published quarterly at Louisiana State University. I am assuming, given that it is published at LSU, the magazine must be based at least somewhere near, if not directly in, the university. The review’s website is: http://www.lsu.edu/tsr/. As I mentioned previously, the magazine is published quarterly with each issue marking one of the four seasons. Though I am unaware what exactly the contents of the other three seasons are, my copy of the autumn 2008 issue is composed primarily of poetry, with a large sampling of fiction, two essays, two literature reviews, and some visual art. As far as the printed material goes, the magazine is primarily a standard black and white on a nice, cream colored stock paper. The few photographs by Frank Relle, however, come in full color and on glossy photo paper. The book itself seems a standard size, if not just a bit smaller than the average sheet of paper. The cover is a photograph of a ramshackle wooden house set in an eerie, dirty light. I would have to say it was the unusual dynamics of the cover that drew me to this magazine. Amongst the other, more plain reviews lined side by side on the shelves of the library, this one seemed to carry with it a very creepy, yet strangely alluring vibe. As far as I can tell, there is no mission statement or manifesto set into the publication to guide the reader. The poetry in the magazine is generally of a mixed variety. There is no definite through-line connecting all of the poems, and they are scattered in the volume amidst the other works of fiction and critical essays. Most of the poems, however, do seem to gravitate towards the “down beat” mode, with some of the most striking poems blending a stinging vein of black comedy with observations on death and loss. Looking over the list of contributors, I must say that at least the majority of these writers seem to be old hands at publishing. Many have not only written books, but multiple ones, and each of these writers has already had their work, whether poetry or not, featured in other magazines. My favorite poem is actually the first one in the issue, Approaching Thunder by Amaud Jamaul Johnson. I am a sucker for storm metaphors and I found this poets use of the storm mixed with the silence of awkward, forced lovemaking to be particularly jarring. If I am to be completely honest, I don’t know if I can find a least favorite. There were a few I didn’t have particularly strong feelings for, but each is interesting and well thought out. I don’t feel it’s appropriate for me to lower them in your estimation without substantial loathing on my part.