By Daniella Zoller
One of our amazing creative writing professors, Phil Lemos, has recently been selected as the new editor for The Worcester Review (TWR). His involvement with The Worcester Review is a big step for both the students and the faculty here at Clark, and we are thrilled to have such a prestigious opportunity as a result of our creative writing professors’ hard work.
Published by the Worcester County Poetry Association (WCPA), a non-profit organization that was formed to promote the writing arts, this annual print literary journal was founded in 1972. The WCPA not only aims to celebrate the rich history and creative energy of Central Massachusetts through public readings, workshops, and other programs, but they also aim to collaborate with libraries, museums, schools, and various other community partners to promote poetry and literary events.
A major task of the editors is to select work for publication, drawn both locally and globally. The editorial board is designed to balance those who have established a history of creative work and those who have established a history of critical work to ensure that TWR publishes a journal that reflects a consensus of both views.
Lemos’s work as editor includes setting the submission guidelines, distributing stories to the reading staff, working with the printer, approving the design, and handling The Worcester Review’s budget. The number of readers on staff can vary depending on the issue, but the number is usually around 10. There are typically between 60-75 pieces published per issue, with around 750-1000 pieces submitted for consideration per year. Readers spend approximately 2 months sorting through the submissions, and then there is a secondary round where the readers come together and decide on the final pieces that will be published in the journal.
Members of the WCPA receive a copy of TWR with no direct cost, seeing as though they pay their annual dues to the Worcester County Poetry Association. Subscribers who are not members of the WCPA pay approximately $10 for an edition of the journal, and these funds go towards functional costs, such as printing.
Lemos’s position with The Worcester Review began this past spring when the previous editor, Carolyn Oliver, stepped down. One of our other amazing creative writing professors, Mandy Gutmann-Gonzalez, had already been working as a reader for The Worcester Review as a poetry and fiction editor, and heard of the open position. Carolyn ideally wanted the new editor to be someone employed at an institution, that way the position could be mutually beneficial to both the school and The Worcester Review. She also thought that this could add some additional stability to the journal. Gutmann-Gonzalez immediately thought of Clark University to create this homing that Oliver desired.
While Gutmann-Gonzalez and Lemos both have reading experience with past journals, they felt as though Lemos would be a perfect, enthusiastic fit for the role. He was teaching his Publishing & Literary Journals (CRW 215) class at the time, and they thought that this would be a great way to closely involve students in The Worcester Review. The aim of the class is to give students some real-world experience with literary journals, so they figured that this would create a streamlined connection.
When asked about upcoming plans for The Worcester Review, Lemos mentioned that he would love to include personal essays and more creative writing pieces into the literary journal. He is also looking forward to creating a stronger bond between his Publishing & Literary Journals class and The Worcester Review, allowing his students to read for TWR and have a say in which pieces should be included in the next edition. Lemos believes that this will open up the Worcester County Poetry Association to a more collegiate readership and potential membership from the Clark community. Another piece of this class is for students to work on their own pieces and polish them in hopes of being published. Lemos is hoping that working with TWR will give the students experience on both ends.
Clark alum, Kira Houston, had a piece published in last year’s edition of the journal. This student was an art history major and a creative writing/Spanish minor, taking classes with both Gutmann-Gonzalez and Lemos. Houston’s piece was one of Gutmann-Gonzalez’s favorite submissions from last year, and they said it was fantastic. They were happy that Carolyn Oliver ultimately ended up choosing the piece. Lemos was thrilled that a former student of his got published, and he believes that it will help students to see that creative writing classes are meaningful when it comes to the world of publishing, and that it is possible to be published as a Clark student.
Gutmann-Gonzalez is looking forward to seeing what direction Lemos brings the journal in, and they are excited that students are being provided with the opportunity to submit their work and get some hands-on experience in Lemos’s Problems of Practice course.
In the future, Gutmann-Gonzalez hopes that there can be some kind of paid internship that is available to Clark students – both opening up opportunities for students and giving Lemos a bit of help in managing the magazine.
Gutmann-Gonzalez gives Lemos major props for the volunteer work that he is doing. They mention that running a literary journal is quite time-consuming. He is loosely managing around 10-15 editors at a time while making sure that deadlines are being met. With this being a print journal, there are extra steps that must be taken, such as working with the printer and approving print designs. Gutmann-Gonzalez says that they are excited to work alongside Lemos and to see how bringing The Worcester Review to Clark will be of mutual benefit in the long run.
