Square Peg, Round Hole
by Sophie Lewis
"Having read SCREAM WITH ME first, I more than once mentally thanked Lisowski in UNCANNY VALLEY GIRLS for the respect she affords [horror films] merely by refraining from jamming the square peg of horror into liberal feminismβs round hole."
Sophie Lewis:
open.substack.com/pub/themassa...
03.03.2026 18:18 β
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10 Questions for Dong Li - The Massachusetts Review
Two middle-aged men before an ancient mapLook for where they are The bronze birds are now rottenCloser to Giacomettiβfrom βIn the Exhibition Hallβ by Ye Hui, Translated from Chinese by Dong Li (Volume...
"If I am insistent and lucky, I might stumble upon something surprising but that which seems to be already waiting in the language of arrival."
Dong Li on the uncovering found within translation, plus his admiration of en plein air painting, for our #10Questions: massreview.org/2026/02/24/1...
24.02.2026 16:16 β
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Congrats to past MR contributor Robin Myers and her translation of Gabriela CabezΓ³n CΓ‘mara WE ARE GREEN AND TREMBLING on making the longlist for the #InternationalBooker2026
24.02.2026 16:07 β
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Interview and Reading with Sheree L. Greer
by G. Ziegel
"I loved writing. It has always felt like something no one could take away from me."
Sheree L. Greer's interview, plus a short reading: open.substack.com/pub/themassa...
18.02.2026 16:01 β
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So excited and honored to be a part of this roundup! We look forward to seeing you all and the other finalists at AWP.
13.02.2026 15:59 β
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The Writer's Center Book Club: Register at writer.org/book-club
Poetry Online on 2nd Wednesdays, starting March 11th.
Fiction in person on 3rd Sundays, starting April 19th.
TWC book club is no run-of-the-mill book club. Visiting writers will read excerpts and join the discussion, and answer your questions about craft, process, the publishing industry
Want to read amazing books, build community, and meet small press writers? Join the book club!
I'm working with The Writer's Center on two new book clubs that focus on independent authors and presses!!
We'll read a new book each month. Then the author will join us, read an excerpt, and answer reader questions!
Read with us!
12.02.2026 15:42 β
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Gaza in the New Year: Countdown to Death, Not Celebration
by Amna Dmeida
"Israelβs color-zoning of Gaza is an aggressive policy of grabbing land and redrawing borders, making the return of Gazans to their homes almost impossible."
Amna Dmeida for our Public Affairs: substack.com/@themassachu...
13.02.2026 15:49 β
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Complementary Readings
by G. Ziegel
Watch Jakyra Green and Carl "Taqwaa" Moore from our INCARCERATION & FAMILY special issue read and discuss each other's poems:
open.substack.com/pub/themassa...
11.02.2026 15:21 β
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Sometimes My Lies Are True
by Benjamin Frandsen
"I had witnessed the miracle: my inspired thought had been conveyed and then experienced by my audience. I had created a moment."
Benjamin Frandsen's new creative nonfiction piece on the craft of his essay from 66.4: open.substack.com/pub/themassa...
04.02.2026 16:17 β
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Fireside Beers
by Marsha Bryant
"When itβs cold, find some warmth by the fire.
Pour a beer right before you retire
To your favorite chair.
Here are some you can share
As these frostier evenings transpire."
FIRESIDE BEERS in review by Marsha Bryant: substack.com/@themassachu...
03.02.2026 15:12 β
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Request Rejected
Our winter BOGO sale ends this Saturday! Specify which two issues you'd like in the "Back Issue" text box:
general-umass.nbsstore.net/massachusett...
29.01.2026 16:28 β
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YouTube video by The Massachusetts Review
Mae Ellen-Marie Wissert reads "one night outlaw" (from Volume 66, issue 4)
Watch Mae Ellen-Marie Wissert read her poem "one night outlaw" from our INCARCERATION & FAMILY issue:
youtu.be/DYXfrO-BSC4?...
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This isn't the first time that children were taken from their parents by Immigration Enforcement and sent to Dilley, TX; in fact, Katherine Silver wrote about her experiences visiting the detainment center there for MR back in 2018: massreview.org/2018/10/22/t...
23.01.2026 16:26 β
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The Magicians: A Review
by Ayesha Harruna Attah
"We need more archives of African lives, especially of places like the north of Ghana, and [Wunpini Fatimata] Mohammedβs book is the right start."
Ayesha Harruna Attah's review of MEDIA, CULTURE, AND DECOLONIZATION:
substack.com/@themassachu...
22.01.2026 14:45 β
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Massachusetts Review Inc. β Weightless Books
Curious what kinds of work we publish as Working Titles? Purchase a few from @weightlessbooks.bsky.social (They're only $1.99!!) weightlessbooks.com/category/pub...
21.01.2026 16:48 β
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Interview with Michael Fischer
by G. Ziegel
"I think a sporadic or low-stakes writing life can still be productive and deeply serious."
Michael Fischer shares his unpopular writing advice (and confesses his great schemes): open.substack.com/pub/themassa...
21.01.2026 15:03 β
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βTatreez, Taughtβ Ψ§ΩΨͺΨ·Ψ±ΩΨ² , Ω
ΩΨ―Ψ±ΩΩΨ³
by Samar Abdrabbou
"This art-form encourages a kind of vulnerability which is needed now more than ever, for those of us who cannot stop worrying yet refuse to look away."
Samar Abdrabbou on the Palestinian art of Tatreez: open.substack.com/pub/themassa...
16.01.2026 15:37 β
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YouTube video by The Massachusetts Review
J. D. Mathes reads "Momma Tried" (from Volume 66, issue 4)
J. D. Mathes from our Winter Special Issue reads his essay "Momma Tried":
youtu.be/kuPKYvoDCBQ?...
14.01.2026 15:47 β
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"The court of public opinion matters, because the public has power. In other words, the end of romance is where our own political work begins."
Jim Hicks' review of Colangelo-Bryan's THROUGH THE GATES OF HELL: open.substack.com/pub/themassa...
13.01.2026 15:43 β
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Production Job Opening
We're hiring a production designer!
We're hiring a production designer! Read the full job posting and apply here: open.substack.com/pub/themassa...
12.01.2026 19:39 β
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Thank you to everyone who made a donation in the waning days of 2025! We know things seems scary and uncertain, but we'll continue to bring you the voices from around the globe that give us all a little hope.
02.01.2026 16:55 β
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So excited to be in this issue, which is absolutely stacked with amazing work
01.01.2026 21:42 β
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"I found an angle that also allowed me to give voice to my love of cats, as well as a specific form that let me play withβand satirizeβacademic scholarship."
@srkraaijeveld.bsky.social on cats, Dostoevsky, and teaching ethics for our #10Questions: massreview.org/2025/12/29/1...
30.12.2025 17:02 β
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Request Rejected
We're having a winter BOGO sale on all Volume 65 and 66 issues!! Order one copy from the past two volumes and we'll send you another of your choice for free. Name the two issues you want in the "Back Issue" text box. Happy holidays from MR!
general-umass.nbsstore.net/massachusett...
18.12.2025 20:12 β
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YouTube video by The Massachusetts Review
MR Winter 2025 Special Issue: INCARCERATION & FAMILY. Zoom launch and reading.
Can't wait for your Winter Special Issue to arrive? Hear commentary from our guest editors and select pieces from contributors in our recorded launch event:
youtu.be/lWYLBXC0nFw?...
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Volume 66, Issue 4 - The Massachusetts Review
FRONT COVER:Alvin SmithUndesirable Water, c. 2015ACRYLIC ON UNSTRETCHED CANVAS ONE FATHER in a khaki jumpsuit branded with βCorrectional Facilityβ smiles as he supports his fourteen-year-oldβs interes...
Our Winter Special Issue, FAMILY & INCARCERATION, is out now!!
Guest edited by Caits Meissner and Nicole Shawan Junior; featuring poems by Zeke Caligiuri and Janice Lobo Sapigao, prose by Patty Prewitt, Rickey Cummings, and Teddrick Batiste, and more!
massreview.org/issue/volume...
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Check out our previous contributors' winter publications and events:
massreview.org/2025/12/11/w...
11.12.2025 16:59 β
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