River Styx Magazine
Encyclopedia
River Styx was launched in St Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. in 1975 after earlier poetry
readings
and musical sessions among enthusiasts had begun in the early 1970s. The magazine is produced three times a year and is available in bookshops and other outlets and by subscription. It has developed into a journal
of poetry, fiction
, essay
s, interview
s and art
.
The magazine prides itself on being one of the first journals to publish some of the most important writers of our time, from U.S. Poet Laureate
s (Charles Simic, Howard Nemerov
, Mona Van Duyn
, Rita Dove
, Robert Hass
and Ted Kooser
), to Pulitzer Prize
-Winners (Yusef Komunyakaa
, Maxine Kumin, and Stephen Dunn) to Nobel Laureates (Derek Walcott
and Czesław Miłosz). Other contributors of note include Rodney Jones, Molly Peacock, Albert Goldbarth, Ntozake Shange, Margaret Atwood, Li-Young Lee, Alan Shapiro, Richard W. Burgin, A. E. Stallings, Jacob M. Appel
, Mary Troy, Catherine Min, and George Singleton.
The magazine has always devoted several pages each issue to artists. Artists have included Lynda Frese, Emmet Gowan, John Slaughter, Patte Loper, Birney Imes, Virginia Beahan, Laura McPhee
, Deborah Luster, Dana Moore, Benedict Fernandez, and Frank Shaw
.
The magazine sponsors two contests each year for microfiction and poetry. Past judges for the International Poetry Contest have included Billy Collins, Phillip Levine, Maxine Kumin, and Molly Peacock.
, Missouri Arts Council
, Regional Arts Commission, Missouri Humanities Council
, and Arts and Education Council. Its poems and stories have appeared in Best American Poetry and New Stories from the South anthologies, Best New Poets, and The Pushcart Prizes: Best of the Small Presses.
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
readings
Poetry reading
A poetry reading is a performance of poetry, normally given on a small stage in a café or bookstore, although poetry readings given by notable poets frequently are booked into larger venues to accommodate crowds...
and musical sessions among enthusiasts had begun in the early 1970s. The magazine is produced three times a year and is available in bookshops and other outlets and by subscription. It has developed into a journal
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
of poetry, fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s, interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s and art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
.
The magazine prides itself on being one of the first journals to publish some of the most important writers of our time, from U.S. Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
s (Charles Simic, Howard Nemerov
Howard Nemerov
Howard Nemerov was an American poet. He was twice appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1963 to 1964, and again from 1988 to 1990. He received the National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and Bollingen Prize for The Collected Poems of Howard Nemerov...
, Mona Van Duyn
Mona Van Duyn
Mona Jane Van Duyn was an American poet. She was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1992.-Early years:Van Duyn was born in Waterloo, Iowa. She grew up in the small town of Eldora Mona Jane Van Duyn (9 May 1921 – 2 December 2004) was an American poet. She was...
, Rita Dove
Rita Dove
Rita Frances Dove is an American poet and author. From 1993-1995 she served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position now popularly known as "U.S. Poet Laureate"...
, Robert Hass
Robert Hass
Robert L. Hass is an American poet. He served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1995 to 1997. He was awarded the 2007 National Book Award and the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Time and Materials.-Life:...
and Ted Kooser
Ted Kooser
Ted Kooser is an American poet. He served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004 to 2006.-Early Life:...
), to Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-Winners (Yusef Komunyakaa
Yusef Komunyakaa
Yusef Komunyakaa is an American poet who currently teaches at New York University and is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Komunyakaa is a recipient of the 1994 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, for Neon Vernacular and the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. He also received the Ruth Lilly...
, Maxine Kumin, and Stephen Dunn) to Nobel Laureates (Derek Walcott
Derek Walcott
Derek Alton Walcott, OBE OCC is a Saint Lucian poet, playwright, writer and visual artist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 and the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2011 for White Egrets. His works include the Homeric epic Omeros...
and Czesław Miłosz). Other contributors of note include Rodney Jones, Molly Peacock, Albert Goldbarth, Ntozake Shange, Margaret Atwood, Li-Young Lee, Alan Shapiro, Richard W. Burgin, A. E. Stallings, Jacob M. Appel
Jacob M. Appel
Jacob M. Appel is an American author, bioethicist and social critic. He is best known for his short stories, his work as a playwright, and his writing in the fields of reproductive ethics, organ donation, neuroethics and euthanasia....
, Mary Troy, Catherine Min, and George Singleton.
The magazine has always devoted several pages each issue to artists. Artists have included Lynda Frese, Emmet Gowan, John Slaughter, Patte Loper, Birney Imes, Virginia Beahan, Laura McPhee
Laura McPhee
Laura McPhee is a Boston-based photographer.She is the daughter of award winning author John McPhee and photographer Pryde Brown, sister of novelists Jenny McPhee and Martha McPhee, architectural historian Sarah McPhee, and Joan Sullivan, founding principal of the Bronx Academy of Letters.McPhee...
, Deborah Luster, Dana Moore, Benedict Fernandez, and Frank Shaw
Frank Shaw
Frank Shaw may refer to:*Frank H. Shaw , Pennsylvania civil engineer*Frank L. Shaw , California politician and former mayor of Los Angeles*Frank Thomas Shaw , Congressman from Maryland...
.
The magazine sponsors two contests each year for microfiction and poetry. Past judges for the International Poetry Contest have included Billy Collins, Phillip Levine, Maxine Kumin, and Molly Peacock.
Awards
The magazine has won several Stanley Hanks Prizes, awards from the Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines as well as grants and support from the National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, Missouri Arts Council
Missouri Arts Council
Since the 1960s The Missouri Arts Council has created support and leadership to bring the arts to all the people of the state. The Missouri Arts Council, is a Missouri state government agency and a division of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, it provides grants to Missouri nonprofit...
, Regional Arts Commission, Missouri Humanities Council
Missouri Humanities Council
The Missouri Humanities Council is a non-profit, tax-exempt foundation promoting wide public engagement with history, literature, and other fields concerned with the human experience. The Council began operations in 1971 as the designated state affiliate of the National Endowment for the...
, and Arts and Education Council. Its poems and stories have appeared in Best American Poetry and New Stories from the South anthologies, Best New Poets, and The Pushcart Prizes: Best of the Small Presses.
Staff
- Editor: Richard Newman
- Managing Editor: Shanie Latham
- Founding Editor: Michael Castro
- Associate Editors: Joanne Lowery and Catherine Tufariello
- Contributing Editors: James Arthur, Cheryl Bateman, Kathleen Beardsell, Derek Bremer, my Debrecht, Juliane Dharna, Julie Dill, Adrian Matejka, Sheila Misselhorn, Benjamin Moeller-Gaa, Kara Moyer, Alison Palmer, Chris Portell, Shannon Robinson, Steven D. Schroeder, and Tanya Yatzeck