Whether they attended for the free food or a true interest in literature, students had an entertaining evening at the Co-op Thursday, at the Long River Review release party.
The party was held by the Long River Staff from 6 to 7 p.m. According to Crystal Maldonado a 6th-semester journalism and English major, who is a member of the staff and served on the creative nonfiction panel, any undergraduate or graduate of UConn is allowed to submit their work for consideration. The staff then works as a team to pick the selections for the book.
The staff is made up of students who applied to be a member of the Aesthetics and Practices of Small Magazines course, which is run by Ellen Litman. The students decide what positions they will take and work to produce and promote the Long River Review.
The Long River Review is a compilation of the best pieces of work submitted and is published once a year. The staff reads through hundreds of entries to choose the best 10 to 15 submissions of each category to publish. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are three types of writing featured in the book.
During the release party, snacks and beverages were served, and some of the writers who received awards for their pieces read their work to the crowd.
Michael Schrage, an 8th-semester English major, won the Aetna Undergraduate Creative Nonfiction Award for his provoking and evocative nonfiction piece about his mentally ill uncle.
"The release party was amazing. There was a lot of good improvising and a lot of great speeches as well," Schrage said.
Having the readers present their work gave the audience a preview of the works they can find within the Long River Review. The release party not only promoted the book, but also allowed the audience to appreciate the time and effort that went into the Review.
The MC of the night, Joe Welch, moved the evening along with humorous one-liners and witty descriptions of each person coming to the microphone to speak. He also improvised smoothly when a scheduled reader unexpectedly did not show up.
"I really enjoyed the party. I came here with a friend, but I though the readers were really great," said Katherine Church, a 6th-semester biological sciences major. "I definitely will buy the book tonight to read more."
The Long River Review is completely run by undergraduate students who work all year to put the book together. It is now available at the Co-op.
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