Texas Tech University

Iron Horse Literary Review

For submissions, news, events, publications, and more, please visit us at https://www.ironhorsereview.com.

 

In 1999, Texas Tech University founded Iron Horse Literary Review in order to bring the literary arts to West Texas, which did not have a national print venue at the time. We wanted an inexpensive way to bring America's respected poets, storytellers, and essayists to serious readers living in the remote panhandle. Too, we hoped to juxtapose regional writers next to headliners, thereby increasing the attention artists in the West received. Our early contributors included Frederick Busch, Robert Olen Butler, Li-Young Lee, Barry Lopez, Bobby Ann Mason, Stanley Plumly, Pattiann Rogers, Leslie Ullman, and David Wagoner.

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Today, we continue our earliest mission but also spend a great deal of time ferreting out those up-and-coming writers who keep poetry, fiction, and nonfiction energized. Most importantly, we're making an earnest push to find and welcome voices of diversity—women, LGBTQIA+ writers, and writers of the global majority—who challenge the boundaries of what the literary arts can accomplish.

Iron Horse releases three print issues (every September, December, and March) and three e-editions (the NaPoMo feature in April, the IHLR Long Story winner in June, and our  PhotoFinish on New Year's Eve). Each year's print volume includes one themed issue, one open issue, and the IHLR chapbook winner. 

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Our recent contributors include Nickole Brown, Lina Maria Ferreira Cabeza-Vanegas, Ching-In Chen, Michael Chin, Tiana Clark, Chelsea Dingman, Carolina Ebeid, Bob Hicok, Tyehimba Jess, Joe Jimenez, Ted Kooser, Paige Lewis, Gina Ochsner, Katie Peterson, Charles Russell Price, Maggie Smith, Anne Valente, and Afaa Michael Weaver.

Creative writing graduate students at Tech have the opportunity to contribute to the magazine's production by serving as associate editors and/or managing editors, and the hands-on publication skills they learn often land them editorial jobs in the world beyond Tech. 

In August 2016, IHLR received permanent funding from TTU President Lawrence Schovanec!

Leslie Jill Patterson, Editor-in-Chief