WMU News

Fall edition of Third Coast features great new fiction

Nov. 8, 2003

KALAMAZOO--Third Coast, one of the country's premier university-based literary journals, has always been known for top-flight poetry sections, but prose may be the greatest strength of the fall 2003 issue of the Western Michigan University magazine.

"A strong poetry section has always been a hallmark, and the new issue carries that tradition forward. But we are especially excited about the issue's fiction and nonfiction," says managing editor Glenn Deutsch about the new issue of the magazine.

The issue's fiction pieces include "A Waukegan Story" by Peter Orner, who has been featured on National Public Radio's Christmas Reading List for his novel "Esther Stories"; "Seams" by Moira Crone, the author of three books of fiction and a contributor to such magazines as The New Yorker; and "Assisted Living" by Lee Martin, a creative writing teacher at Ohio University.

Mary Morris, the author of the acclaimed novel "Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone," adds a non-fiction piece to the mix. Her "Sense of Direction: Lost and Found" is a recollection of a trip to Europe with her mother during her teenage years.

Third Coast's poetry section puts the spotlight on 13 authors, including Marisa de los Santos, Paul Hoover, and Richard Jackson. Two poems from "The Best American Poetry 2003," published by Scribner, are also included. In addition, the section includes an interview with Ralph Angel, whose work has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. A winner of the Pushcart Prize, Angel brings three poems to the interview along with his thoughts on the writing process.

The issue concludes with information on a variety of books recommended by Third Coast's editors, including reviews of "Regarding the Pain of Others" by Susan Sontag and John Haskell's "I Am Not Jackson Pollack."

Third Coast has been published since 1996 by WMU creative writing graduate students and has enjoyed a major circulation upswing in the past year.

"Our growth in circulation is because of readers who are committed to helping keep our nation's literature strong," says Deutsch. "Their support brings a keener interest in the magazine from the most innovative authors around."

Third Coast is now available for $6 at local bookstores and cafes, including Athena Book Shop, the Michigan News Agency and Barnes and Noble. Yearly subscriptions, which includes two issues, are available by mail for $11 annually. Readers can subscribe or give gift subscriptions by sending a check along with their name and address to: Michelle McLaughlin, Third Coast business manager, Department of English, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Mich., 49008-5092.

Media contact: Matt Gerard, 269 387-8400, matthew.gerard@wmich.edu


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