About Us
Roanoke Review was co-founded in 1967 by Roanoke College student Edward A. Tedeschi and teacher Henry Taylor, who went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for The Flying Change in 1986. Poet James Boatwright and novelist George Garrett served as advisory editors, and the first issue included work by William Stafford, Lee Smith, Kelly Cherry, William Jay Smith, and Malcom Cowley, among others.
Tedeschi and Taylor were ultimately replaced by Robert Walter, who edited the journal for the next thirty years. The Review was taken over in 2001 by Paul Hanstedt, who served as editor for the next fifteen years with the occasional interim leadership of Melanie Almeder and Mary Crockett Hill, who took on the role of editor in 2016.
For over half a century, the Review has established itself as a home for new and established authors writing in both traditional and experimental forms.
2022-2023 STAFF
EDITOR
Mary Crockett Hill is the author of A Theory of Everything (selected by Naomi Shihab Nye for the Autumn House Prize) and If You Return Home with Food (winner of the Bluestem Poetry Award), and coauthor of the history of A Town by the Name of Salem. Her work has been featured on such sites as Poetry Daily and Best of the Net, and in such anthologies as American Poetry: The Next Generation. She is a multiple nominee for the Pushcart Prize and the Virginia Book of the Year. In her other life as a children's book writer, she is author of How She Died, How I Lived, from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and coauthor of the young adult novel Dream Boy. She tweets nonsense @Marylovesbooks.
Co-Managing Editor
Keith Kayati is a queer writer and cat dad from Delaware. When not writing, he enjoys baking, daydreaming, and going to concerts. He prides himself on his ability to befriend animals, as well as his vinyl record collection.
Co-Managing Editor
Grace Priddy is a lover of adventure and trying new things. She double majors in creative writing and health and exercise science. When she is not running around trying to get her work done, she can be found fixing up the decommissioned rocking horse that she found on the side of the road or making little dolls out of yarn. She has a passion for cooking and trying out new recipes. She hopes to one day publish a cookbook of her own. Back at home, in Martinsville, Virginia, she loves to hang out with her three best friends, also known Paws, Max, and Rocky, the coolest dogs she has ever met.
Social media coordinator
James Phelps is an avid reader, audiobook listener, writer, and outdoor enthusiast with an addiction to style guidebooks. When not studying, he enjoys rock climbing, cycling, and watching Minor League baseball.
Interviews editor
Rachel Yinger is an aspiring scientist and writer who has danced ballet professionally. You can find her in a research lab studying hormones and metabolic health or in an ambulance as an emergency medical technician.
events & marketing coordinator
Juliet Marvelli is a avid fan of all things horror. Her room is always decorated for Halloween, complete with skulls, skeletons, ravens, and clowns. She's read 25 Stephen King books and has even been to his house in Bangor, Maine. She also is a cinephile, hoping one day to have a career in the film business. Her favorite directors are Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, and Rob Zombie. She has three tattoos: a ghost named Greg, a tribute to Poe's The Raven, and her Hebrew name ( ביילא לירית ). She loves her cat, Duchess, and her turtle, Hermoine, who just happen to be best friends. They love to cuddle her... and each other!
reviews editor
Rebecca Smith is a hopeless lover of the arts and would dabble in everything if she had the time. She loves to hunker down in a couch chair with headphones on and a mug of peach lemon tea warming her hands. (Preferably with a book, sketchbook, or cat on her lap.) A choir nerd in high school, she still has a soft spot for Alto harmonies, and you might catch her humming softly while working or writing.
Book Reviewer
Cameron MacKenzie's work has appeared in Able Muse, The Rumpus, SubStance and The Michigan Quarterly Review, among other journals. His essays have been collected in The Waste Land at 90: A Retrospective and Edward P. Jones: New Essays. His novel The Beginning of His Excellent and Eventful Career is currently out with Madhat Press. He teaches English at Ferrum College.
READing staff
Keith Kayati, Grace Priddy, Juliet Marvelli, James Phelps, Rebecca Smith, Rachel Yinger, Ariadne Macquarie, Brenna Valle, Isabelle Hill, Demitri Joseph, Zoe Jones, Sydney Wagner, Rosie Barnes-Lilye, Keisha Christley.
Ariadne Macquarie (They/She) is a Creative Writing and Environmental Studies Double Major from Western North Carolina. When not consumed by writing, you can find her rock climbing, backpacking, or consuming ungodly amounts of espresso. She is published in the Reclamation Project, a fantasy fiction anthology by Bad Dog Books. You can find her on Instagram @ari.macquarie or on YouTube by searching Ariadne Macquarie.
Brenna Valle is a May ‘23 graduate at RC. She has interned under authors like Joyce Forde and is currently working on her own novel surrounding Irish lore. She loves reading and editing fiction works and taking care of the campus cat, Salem. She wants to work as an editor or writer agent in the future, potentially in the Virginia area. Her favorite thing to do is bake with her friends on the weekends.
Rosie Barnes-Lilye is a new editor this year. She is involved in many activities around campus and holds several jobs on campus. She has spent her four years at school making the most of her time with friends and always spreading cheer and fun. She hopes to continue writing a story she has started in her creative writing class and to continue to make memories with the Roanoke Review team.
Sydney Wagner is a junior who, according to everyone else around her, does Too Much™. When she grows up, she wants to live in a peaceful little house where she can write and cook with at least three cats. For now, though, she can typically be found playing board games with her friends, cooking in her dorm’s common area, and singing Disney music too loudly. She is also currently working on finding her rhythm in writing—and in life. Her work can be found in the Notes app on her phone, half-used notebooks, and many, many post-it notes.
keisha christley a literary studies major for the class of 2023 at roanoke college. her life outside of school is very different than most as as she is busy running around with her two ankle bitters, Colter (10) and Hadleigh (7). her favorite place to be is sitting by the ocean with a good book.
Zoe Jones is an avid reader and music listener who loves to put her thoughts and feelings on paper more than anything else. If one wants was to see her in passing, they could always count on her having her earphones in. However, do not be fooled because Zoe loves to write poems upon poems in her free time. When she is not busy writing, she can be found reading if she has the free time to do so. She majors in Communication, minors in Creative Writing, and has a concentration in Publishing and Editing. With all this she plans to go into journalism or advertising and even plans to publish her first book of poetry by the end of her senior year.
