The Fall Line Review Seeking Content Editor and Layout/Assistant Editor

Written By: Shanna Dixon - Apr• 15•13

The Fall Line Review is seeking two qualified editorial staff: a Content Editor and a Layout/Assistant Editor.

The duties of each editor include working with the magazine’s faculty advisors to accomplish the following: coordinating a staff to create the upcoming annual issue; publicizing the submission deadline; soliciting submissions; reviewing, selecting and editing submissions per college guidelines; announcing the arrival of the magazine; and organizing poetry reading(s) to showcase work from the magazine.

  • The Content Editor should have strong English and grammar skills, strong creative writing ability in fiction or poetry, a dedication to literature, a willingness to work with faculty advisors, a commitment to deadlines, leadership skills, and (preferably) prior experience working with a student publication at the high school or college level.
  • The Layout Editor should be proficient with Adobe Illustrator or InDesign and be responsible for layout of the magazine, helping create or select the cover design, reviewing and correcting proofs, producing and publishing all publicity for the magazine, building and maintaining The Fall Line Review web site content.

Other postions that are not paid include:

  • Additional editors, which may be selected by the Content Editor as s/he desires. This may range from Art Editors to specific content editors such as a Fiction Editor or Poetry Editor. These additional editors will assist the editorial staff with The Fall Line Review production and publicity.

Requirements for all editors include a 2.5 GPA and enrollment in at least 4-6 credit hours for fall and spring semester. Those applying for Content Editor should submit a cover letter indicating the editorship that the student is applying for as well as briefly outlining some of the student’s best qualifications, a resumé, and a writing sample of either two poems and/or no more than 5 pages of a prose piece. Any additional photographic or artistic work is a plus. Those applying for the Layout Editor should submit a resumé and portfolio of artistic and graphic work.

Please send applications to thefalllinereview@gmail.com by August 30th at 9:00 p.m.

The Fall Line Review 2013 Is Here!

Written By: Shanna Dixon - Apr• 03•13

Seaborn Jones Poetry Contest

Written By: Shanna Dixon - Feb• 12•13

This year marks the First Annual Seaborn Jones Prize in Poetry. The contest is sponsored by the Middle Georgia State College School of Liberal Arts, the Department of Media, Culture and the Arts, and Red Bone Chapbooks.

The contest is named for Seaborn Jones. Jones is a local surrealist poet from Macon, Georgia. He’s been published in the Chattahoochee Review, New York Quarterly, Pearl, River Styx, and Louisiana Review. He also has several books of published poetry including: Lost Keys, Getaway Car in Reverse, Going Farther into the Woods than the Woods Go. Seaborn was born in Macon in 1942. He’s the recipient of the Adrienne Bond Award for Poetry, Georgia Author of the Year (1988), and the Violet Reed Haas Poetry Prize.

Contest Details:

Deadline:  Friday, March 15, 2013

Eligibility:  Must be a junior or senior in English, Interdisciplinary Studies, or New Media and Communications at Middle Georgia State College in 2012 or 2013

Prize:  $100

Guidelines:

  • Submit up to three poems written in English, typed, single-spaced, and titled.
  • Do not put your name on the poem
  • No translations; no co-authored poems.
  • One poem per page.
  • Use your student email address to submit the poems (required).
  • Send one email to kevin.cantwell@maconstate.edu
  • In the email, enclose your full name (no aliases), your student i.d. number, your class ranking (junior or senior), and a phone number.
  • Include the title of each poem in the body of the email.
  • Send poems as separate email attachments in .doc, .docx, or .rtf files.
  • If your attachments cannot be opened, your submission will be discarded.
  • You may not hand-deliver submissions.
  • The deadline is Friday, March 15, 2013, by midnight.
  • Any style or subject matter is acceptable.
  • The judge will be a recognized poet identified when the winner is announced.
  • The decision of the judge is final.
  • There will be a First Prize and a Runner-up; there is no monetary prize for the Runner-up.
  • Students may not consult with Dr. Cantwell about their submissions beforehand.
  • Failure to follow the above instructions will disqualify any submission.
  • Authors retain copyright of poems. The College has the right to print or reprint the winning poem on the web or in print, though the author will be credited.
  • The winning poem may already be submitted to a literary magazine or to another competition and may be submitted for publication afterward without the permission of the College.

FLR Deadline Approaching and Some Writing Tips

Written By: Shanna Dixon - Nov• 09•12

The deadline to submit to The Fall Line Review is quickly approaching. While I know this time of the semester is hectic for us all, I hope you will set aside a few minutes to submit your creative writing and artwork by the December 1st deadline. Submitting is quick and easy. Just visit our submission page and upload your work electronically at the bottom of the page.

Additionally, some students have asked about what the editorial staff is looking for during the review process. I’d like to take a few moments to share what catches our eye and what makes a work more or less desirable as we’re reviewing it.

The Fall Line Review seeks works that showcase your unique voice and style. We want the publication to include the diversity of culture, opinions, and world-views that makes the student body of Macon State so unique. We will not censor creative content, but we do have the obligation to our readers to deny works that promote blatant discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, gender, or religion.

Creative writing that is accessible, relevant, evokes emotion, is specific in detail, and is memorable stands out as superior to our staff. Works that are less desirable are those saturated in clichés or excessive grammatical errors or those that are too lengthy. I’ll explain below what I mean by each of these important writing traits:

1. Accessibility

A work that is accessible is one that speaks in a way that is easily understood to current generations. Kurt Vonnegut wrote in “How to Write with Style” that it’s important to “sound like yourself.” Embrace your age and geography. Your social and cultural environment is interesting and relevant. Writing that imitates antiquated language may present an interesting challenge, but if you write for today’s audience, your work will stand out.

2. Relevancy

Work that is relevant draws from our current cultural, social, and political environment. Works that tap into what it means to live and exist during the here and now make an impression on our staff.

3. Evokes Emotion

This can seem complicated, but it’s simple. A work that evokes emotion without being overly sentimental stands out. Sentiment is good in that it engrosses the reader. Being able to guide the reader to feel the emotions of a character gives depth and believability to the characters and your piece, which is a great thing. But going overboard with sentimentality takes the reader out of your story or poem because of excessive or inappropriate emotion. Specificity can aid to steer your work away from sentimentality. It’s important not to rely on emotion alone to drive your piece.

4. Specificity

The details make the piece. In writing, there is nothing more that draws in the reader than specific examples of what is being written about. Give your characters specific likes and dislikes to make them pop from the page. Give details about the setting when applicable. Providing brand names can sometime tell a lot about a character. A cigarette or a Newport, his car or his Mercedes wagon, the bar or the High Dive—these small details can make your writing more exciting and engaging to your readers.

Here is an example:

She sat under a tree.

or

She rested under a dying pecan tree.

Details that are usually overlooked can provide the specificity needed to set the tone so that less explanation is needed later. Mary Hood, a Georgian southern fiction writer, makes use of specificity when describing abandoned strip malls and parking lots in her works. Being specific lends to a more memorable piece.

5. Memorable

Here’s the fun part. Take chances. Be inventive and tell a story you haven’t heard before. Make it fun, dangerous, complicated, passionate. Write from a strange perspective. Give your characters odd qualities and interests. Real life and real people are strange, embrace that and give your story the punch it needs to resonate with our staff. Writing that is memorable will stir in the mind long after being read.

The Fall Line Review staff looks forward to seeing the creative content all of you will soon send in.

Happy writing!

Shanna Dixon

Content Editor, The Fall Line Review 2012-13

Call for Submissions

Written By: Shanna Dixon - Oct• 19•12

Welcome, Macon State students! The Fall Line Review is excited to announce that we are currently accepting submissions for the 2013 edition of our student lead literary magazine. See our Submission Page for full guidelines and to submit your work electronically.

Here’s how it works:

  1.  Do what you do. Find your muse. Write something fantastic. Sketch or paint how you envision the world. Sculpt or photograph what inspires you. Create digital artwork that says something incredible.
  2. Send us a digital copy of your piece by using our form on our submission page. Remember to fill out all fields of the form, as that is how we’ll contact you when final selections have been made in the spring.
  3. You’re done! If you have any questions feel free to email us at thefalllinereview@gmail.com. We can assist you in photographing artwork by appointment. You’ll hear back from us in April 2013 after the review process is complete.

Macon State College is full of creativity! Check out our Showcase page to see our last two publications. Help us make the last literary magazine under Macon State College’s name a great one. Share your work with us. The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2012.

Finally, I want to take a moment to congratulate this year’s staff, which includes:

Content Editor                     Shanna Dixon

Design/Layout Editor          Lily Billingsley

Review Board Members      Rachel Marsh

                                            Danielle Quesenbury

                                            Elizabeth Worthy

Advisor                                Dr. Heather Braun

Get on Board!

Written By: Shanna Dixon - Oct• 04•12

 

The Fall Line Review 2013          Poster design by Lily Billingsley

Writing on Napkins at the Sunshine Club: Release Event

Written By: Shanna Dixon - Sep• 18•11
Anthology of Poets Writing in Macon

Click the cover to purchase online

On Wednesday, Sept. 21 the ESO and The Fall Line Review are hosting an event to honor the release of a compilation of poetry featuring poets from Macon, Georgia.  The event will be held on the Macon State College campus from 4:00-5:00 p.m. in room 133 of the SLC.

Two of Macon State College’s own, Dr. Kevin Cantwell and Dr. Kelly Whiddon, are associated with the book.  Dr. Kevin Cantwell is the editor of the anthology and Dr. Kelly Whiddon’s work is featured in the book.

The publication features the Maconite poets:  Stanley Kunitz, Miller Williams, Adrienne Bond, Stephen Bluestone, Seaborn Jones, Judson Mitcham, David Bottoms, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Marjorie Becker, Anthony Grooms, Kevin Cantwell, Bruce Beasley, Reginald Shepherd, Gordon Johnston, Amanda Pecor, Anya Silver, and Kelly Whiddon.

Books will be available for students to purchase.  Come out and join us in celebrating the release of an accomplished collection of poetry that embodies the creative talent of Macon, Georgia.

 

 

Get Your Submissions Ready

Written By: Shanna Dixon - Sep• 03•11

 

It’s going to be an exciting year.  The Fall Line Review will be open for submissions on September 9, 2011.  So get your creative writing, visual artwork, and music ready—it’s going to be a great publication!  We can’t wait to read, view, and listen to what Macon State’s students have to offer.

Subscribe to our blog and stay connected with events, such as, writer’s workshops, conferences, and readings that are scheduled for this year.  Get involved with the creative side of what’s offered at Macon State College and in the surrounding communities.  But most of all, get ready to send us your best creative works.

We’re working on a new website for The Fall Line Review that will be available soon.  Stay tuned to see the big reveal!

Check out last year’s edition to get a feel for what we’re looking for.