Swarthmore Literary Review Launches First Issue 

by Zoe Lewicki '11
06/12/2008

Co-founders Johanna Bond '10 and Rahul D'Silva '08

Last fall, Rahul D'Silva '08 and Justin diFeliciantonio '10 saw a literary niche within Swarthmore that needed filling. Looking for a forum that would connect Swarthmore students with professional and published writers, they started brainstorming the early beginnings of what is now The Swarthmore Literary Review.

"We hope to build more interest in the writing produced by Swarthmore students outside the College," says co-founder Johanna Bond '10, "and to create more interest here for poetry that is written off campus." Rahul and Johanna met this spring in weekly writing sessions through a poetry class taught by Professor of English Literature Natalie Anderson.

Initially, the students sent out offers of submission and rallied support within the college community. Eventually, they collected over 100 submissions. Candice Nguyen '11 joined their team later in the spring and the four of them successfully published their first issue in May. The editors plan on making this an annual publication.

In emulating magazines like The Kenyon Review, The Yale Review, and The Georgia Review, The Swarthmore Literary Review differs from the other literary magazines on campus. "We hope that The Swarthmore Literary Review will grow to be as successful as many student publications have been," Johanna says. "It is our goal to create this new venue for poetry that will live up to the Swarthmore name."