The Cumberland River Review has a very simple and elegant layout with which I find very visually pleasing. However, upon further consideration it might be a bit too plain; all that negative space could be filled with a little color, or something more to give it a little more life.
On that note, I wasn’t very impressed with this literary magazine. It really just seems kind of sub-par with nothing special to make it stand out more that any other journal. Here’s what was listed on the CRR’s “About” page:
“The Cumberland River Review is a quarterly online publication of new poetry, fiction, essays, and art. The journal is produced by the department of English at Trevecca Nazarene University, in Nashville, Tennessee, and welcomes submissions from both national and international writers and artists.”
Kind of bland, right? Now compare that with The Fiddleback’s “About” info:
“Founded by Jeff Simpson during the great recession of 2010, The Fiddleback is an independent, online arts & literature magazine edited by a reclusive band of poets, writers, and audiophiles from across the country. We’re an amalgam of the various lit. mags, music blogs, and e-zines that came before us and also an entirely new species. Our guiding principle is cross-pollination. We believe in mixing and colliding artistic disciplines to attract a diverse readership. We’re committed to both finding new talent as well as promoting established writers and artists who create exceptional work in their fields. We believe in self-promotion and social connection. We believe in punk rock ethics and the DIY movement, in promoting work that asserts itself, pushes boundaries, defies expectations. We believe in giving our contributors the spotlight and limiting ourselves to small, digestible issues. Above all, we believe in never underestimating our readers.”
Doesn’t that sound exciting? Doesn’t that sound more interesting than the CRR’s mission statement?
Anyway, as usual I found my way to the poetry section of The Cumberland River Review. The poetry published in this current issue isn’t really my cup of tea. But I did find one that I like: Using Chopsticks by Patricia L. Hamilton. Check it out.
The Cumberland River Review: http://crr.trevecca.edu/
The Fiddleback: http://thefiddleback.com/
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