Open Review Quarterly

Letter from the Editor

Welcome to the fourth installment of The Open Review Quarterly! Interview. For this issue, we asked writers to interview someone, crawl around in their mind a bit, and record the voice of another. We received responses from all over the country, and I am thrilled to present you with eight  new pieces.

The three issues leading up to Interview used the word “I” a lot. That’s not a bad thing, of course. Narrative essays impact readers in ways that fiction does not. Narratives tend to flow more naturally from the writer, which often presents a clearer, more accessible message. Ever so often though, you need to write about “he”, “she” and “they”. Readers need some crazys. They crave characters to sympathize with or antagonize. They seek a subject matter that the personal “I” cannot provide.

The submissions will bring new characters into your world: Peter, Can Eyed Carl, a Thai landlord, and Bobby McGee. Their stories are concurrently comic and tragic, depending on your viewpoint. Either way, I think you’ll laugh your way through this one.

Quarterly yours,
Michael Ahillen
Editor

New Issue: September 30th

Interview will be released Friday, September 30th. We’re excited, a bunch of new stuff to show you, and a few tricks up our sleeves.

Michael Ahillen is coming up from Portland for a publisher and editor’s summit in Seattle 9/22. Get in touch with @openreviewQ if you’d like to join us for happy hour somewhere on Capitol Hill.

Summer 2011 Prompt - Interview

The Summer 2011 issue is Interview.

Many label writing as an egocentric pursuit. This criticism, though flawed, has some truth. Writers too often practice their art in a self-contained bubble, free from other perspectives. For ORQ#4, we ask that you place your own thoughts on hold as best you can. Pause and let someone else think for a while. This is your opportunity to inhabit another’s mind.

Find someone, anyone who has caught your attention in the past months. We recommend someone you do not know well. Find out what they aspire to, what they remember, what they believe. Reflect on what they tell you and then walk around in their world. What makes them tick? What drives their values?

Stylistically, we are looking for your work to push your creative boundaries. Let the perspective you’ve documented generate a work of fiction, poetry, or literary journalism. Present a portrait of the person, their perspectives, their manner of talking. We will not accept pure transcriptions; we want your work to communicate more than dialogue.

Ask a question. Invest yourself in the answers.

Writing Due:

Aug 31st

Submit to openreviewquarterly@gmail.com