“Alone Together: Confined in a Connected World,” a new issue of Pacific Review is accepting submissions until May 31, as it prepares for the soft launch date early this June.
Angela Peñaredondo, Ph.D., has been the Faculty Editor of the 37-year-old journal for the past two quarters and has worked as a Creative Writing and Digital Humanities Assistant Professor since the Fall of 2018. She shares details about her work in the Pacific Review and those who are interested in getting published in the journal.
Q: What types of works are accepted?
A: Definitely fiction and poetry. We’re also accepting creative nonfiction, visual art or any type of art (photography, paintings, street art, sculpture, etc.).
Q: What works are prohibited from submission?
A: The Pacific Review (PR) is open to reading all forms of creative work, especially work that highlights the stories and histories related to San Bernardino as well as the Inland Empire and surrounding desert communities. However, we have a strict policy of not publishing work that includes any form of hate language. We strive to uphold our practice of inclusivity and diversity and thus we want to be aware of language that might reduce, limit, violate, and perpetuate any systems of oppression or violence.
Q: Are students the only ones allowed to submit their work or are there others that are allowed to submit as well (faculty, staff, the public, etc.)?
A: Anyone can submit work to PR. We like to pride ourselves on publishing and supporting student work, especially those from CSUSB as well as regional colleges and universities.
Q: Has the pandemic caused a change in getting the Pacific Review together?
A: The pandemic has definitely impacted us and we constantly experience these changes daily classroom. One of the significant changes the pandemic has had on us is the way we function as a collaborative community. The pandemic has affected the way PR usually organizes in a more organic, dialogic centered ways. I feel a lot of the students were looking forward to a more hands on approach to learning more about literary publication and collaboration is a big part of this. Even though we do collaborate virtually, it’s been challenging. But I do want to highlight how resilient, creative and dedicated the current PR student staff has been in being flexible around these challenges. They’ve been amazing and very resourceful in spite of the loss of the in-person feel of a classroom.
Q: Will the upcoming Pacific Review be an exclusive digital piece or are there plans to release a physical copy?
A: Currently, we are working towards publishing more online/digital issues. PR still values physical publications, though we’re rethinking how PR can be more accessible to a wider, more diverse readership especially at this time. As editors, we’re thinking of ways to strengthen and expand PR’s online presence as well as other communities and issues we can be in conversation with.
Q: Does the Pacific Review normally have a theme for submitters to abide by?
A: In the past, there have been collective themes as well as issues that didn’t follow a specific theme or subject matter. In this case, the student editors felt that COVID-19 was something they couldn’t ignore as a community and therefore is the reason why we decided to create this specific theme for the digital version of issue 38.
Q: How do you decide which pieces get published?
A: PR is a student-run journal, so student editors review and select which pieces means the most to them. However, throughout the course student, editors build a language and lens for strong creative writing by reading published poetry and prose from various literary journals. My hope is that students will come to understand that literature is one of the major domains where creativity is demonstrated not only in artistic expression but as craft through its production, text and reception. To be a creative as well as a creative thinker, one must understand that writing
literature is a form of creation and reading literature is inspiration for creation.
Q: How long does it take submitters to be informed that their work has been either accepted or rejected?
A: We try to respond to submitters as soon as we are able during the school quarter. PR is not active in the summer, but when school is active within in a semester, we aim to respond to submitters within approximately four to six weeks.
Q: If a work is rejected for this specific issue, can the work be considered for a different issue or submitted for a future issue?
A: It really depends on the work itself. Each submission is different. It also depends if PR is working on a collective theme for that issue. However, if work is rejected but has promise for later publication that is specified in a letter to the submitter. I would also like to say that PR is open to accepting the re-submission of work (especially if the work has been reworked and revised).
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: t.co/Z7hH0zmi0N
closes May 31st!
We hope everyone is staying safe indoors and letting their creative juices flow during these troublesome times. Share with us your creations! pic.twitter.com/qfbuepeWSh— Pacific Review CSUSB (@PacReviewCSUSB) May 7, 2020
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