Jessica E's Blog

Hey gang. This blog entry will mostly concern the fine art of exploitation, of myself (first and foremost, always!) and of things tangentially related to myself. Ready, here we go!

As you should know by now, I interned at the Oxford American magazine this summer. The issue on which I worked (Southern Literature and Writing on Writing) currently awaits you at your local bookseller. Buy it. Please note: This is more of a demand than a suggestion. If you are in Knoxville, you can purchase it online or visit Barnes & Noble out West. Yes, I understand that chain bookstores may be the death of us all, but there (unfortunately) isn't another newsstand location in our area. I am urging the UT Bookstore to start carrying it (obviously it would sell, not to mention that the OA is taught in at least one literature course here), but so far I've received only radio silence. The better thing to do, really (and this goes for almost any magazine you enjoy, especially in this day and age), would simply be to subscribe. SUBSCRIBE.

This is the first time the OA has devoted an entire issue to Southern Literature, and all the neat-o features (INCLUDNG THE SOUTHERN LIT. POLL I SLAVED OVER) are explained here. Remember: There are only two surefire ways to be cool in this world: by smoking cigarettes and by reading the OA. Chances are, you won't be able to pull off the first one, on the grounds that only a select few can (also it may kill you). See: James Dean (pictured!), Marlon Brado (also pictured!), Mia Wallace, and Tyler Durden. So unless you are a 1950s movie star, or a fictional character, I'd stick with the latter.

SPEAKING OF SOUTHERN LITERATURE: The University of Tennessee has its very own literary arts magazine. It's called the Phoenix and is completely student-run. Here is a bit of honesty: it usually (at least as long as I've been here) blows in the actual "literary" department (the art, however, seems to do our talented, fine artists quite a bit of justice). Since I've never been a part of the editorial staff, I couldn't tell you exactly why this is, but based on rumors (always to be trusted!) and appearances, this is what I think: No one on staff gives a damn. The primary, and most nocuous, consequence is that there is very little promotion, which results in substandard and infrequent submissions—not to mention poor circulation numbers. We do have talented writers and poets here, but this magazine does them no favors. UNTIL NOW (I hope). My friend Willoughby Parker is now in charge of the entire shebang. And he cares…and has been drafting qualified staffers to help pull this publication up by its bootstraps, so to speak. So here is my plea to you, current UT students: 1) if you can turn a clever phrase, please submit and 2) for the rest of you, the Phoenix is always in need of volunteers to read submissions and to promote the magazine. It's fun and, if you'd rather be cynical about this, it will look good on a resume. In conclusion, I am very excited about the potential of the Phoenix's fall issue. I'm doing my part, because I care about UT's literary community—so be prepared for my frequent mentioning of this subject I urge all of you to care about something (it doesn't have to be literature! Haha! I'm just a snarky-pants!), too.

SPEAKING OF SOUTHERN LITERATURE AGAIN: Dorothy Allison is coming to read at UT on November 12!!!!!!!!! This is a big deal.

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