Courtesy Photo
Members of the editorial team of The Arkansas International.Courtesy Photo
Members of the editorial team of The Arkansas International.
Is your passport expired? Are you having trouble scrounging up the cash for an overseas trip? No problem, because the world is coming to you this Tuesday, Nov. 29, when three editors from The Arkansas International, a biannual UA literary magazine, take the podium at Nightbird Books.
Reading from a selection of works featured in the publication’s inaugural issue, the International’s editors will introduce you to writers from abroad who have something to say. Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Brock, Translation Editor Anne Greeott, and Assistant Poetry Editor Zachary Harrod are the readers.
The International reading is the latest installment in the monthly series by the Ozark Poets and Writers Collective. The reading begins at 7 pm sharp and is free to the public. An open mic will take place before and after the International’s editors are featured. While the Collective does not have an event in December, the last-Tuesday meet up starts anew in January.
Launched by the University of Arkansas Program in Creative Writing & Translation, the International is a local literary magazine with global aspirations. It publishes biannually and considers previously unpublished fiction, poetry, essays, comics, and works in translation. Countries represented in the first issue include Germany, France, Argentina, Norway, and Russia.
“Our commitment to featuring international writers is unique,” said Elizabeth DeMeo, the International’s development director. “It’s important to hear voices from around the world.”
At present, the magazine has a staff of 14. They all pull in the same direction – finding new voices from faraway places.
“What’s exciting is that the more you read, the more you know there’s stuff out there you didn’t know existed,” said DeMeo, herself an MFA student from New Hampshire.
The International’s website features original content that includes reviews, curated reading lists from around the world, contributor interviews, and bookstore spotlights, which feature conversations with bookstores near and far. Readers who are interested in subscribing, donating, or submitting to the magazine can do so through the website.
