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.
In its half-century of existence, Roanoke Review has established itself as an accessible read, intent on publishing down-to-earth writers with a sense of place, a sense of language, and—perhaps most importantly—a sense of humor. The Review is also known for its fine cover art, which features some of the best artists of southwestern Virginia. Having shifted to an entirely digital format in 2015, the Review continues this tradition with a new on-line gallery.
2018-2019 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
Carolyn Marciniec is an RC senior and local of Salem, Virginia studying literature and education. In her free time, Carolyn can be found in dessert shops with her friends, taking walks, and teaching English to non-native speakers. This past summer, Carolyn spent a month carrying out research on North Korean defector students in South Korea as well as two months teaching English and going to rock concerts in Japan! In the picture here, Carolyn is in Boseong, Korea's largest green tea town.
Co-Managing Editor
Zachary Margrave, a native of Ridgeway, Virginia, is a senior studying music-composition and creative writing. He has played trumpet for a variety of chamber groups and is currently a member of Roanoke College Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band. In his free time, Zack enjoys reading, writing poems, and hiking. He has traveled to Greece and hopes one day to hike the Appalachian Trail.
Content EDitor
Sarah Raines is a local of Salem, Virginia and senior studying creative writing, literature, and psychology. Her articles appear in the August, September, and October 2018 issues of Bella Magazine. Sarah enjoys snorkeling, kayaking, and walks on the beach in December as well as hiking Sharp Top Mountain at the Peaks of Otter. One of Sarah's favorite memories is watching the sun set and stargazing from the top of Mauna Kea when she was eighteen.
Social Media Intern—Fall 2018
Jacob Bailey Mann is a Virginia Commonwealth native holding the titles of creative writing and literary studies majors at Roanoke College. Outside of the self-proclaimed passion of being a "scribbler," Bailey also wears the hats of: trash collector, landscaper/lawnmower enthusiast, mail courier, amateur amplifier repairman and hack musician. He can be found bumbling about at DIY shows hosted by nondescript indie rock lovers across the New River Valley. There, you will find him sporting the yellow t-shirt that is a trademark of his own troop of indie rock nerds.
Social Media Intern—Spring 2019
Shelby Baney is a Roanoke College senior studying creative writing, art history, and the classics. She grew up in Wernersville, Pennsylvania, a place that she will claim is close to Philadelphia but is not close at all. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing fiction, and shouting facts or puns that have nothing to do with the current situation. She hopes to one day be able to recite The Iliad from memory.
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 - Spring 2019
Shelby Baney, Catherine Cone, Kayla Coursey, Ian Gillen, Abigail Linkous, Bailey Mann, Kerensa McElrath, Jenna Novosel, Brittney Rowe, Liv Sampogna, Bernice Saka, Olivia Samimy, Khira Smith, Thomas Thomas, Cara Totten, Katie Wismer.
READing staff - fall 2018
Shelby Baney, Caisi Calandra, Catherine Cone, Kayla Coursey, Kimberly Dalton, Abigail Linkous, Kerensa McElrath, Aeryn McMurtry, Marcello Novella-Mendoza, Jenna Novosel, Brittney Rowe, Bernice Saka, Khira Smith, Katie Wismer, Megan Worley.
InterviewERs
Kerensa McElrath & Brittney Rowe
