Laurel Review providing students with publishing experience

Oct. 4, 2022 | By Kourtnie Stenwall, communication assistant

A handful of Northwest Missouri State University students are gathering again this fall in a first floor meeting room at Colden Hall, sharing their thoughts and ideas for The Laurel Review, now in its 55th year.

The Laurel Review is a nationally distributed, biannual literary arts magazine composed of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction submitted by creators ranging from beginning writers to award-winning veterans of their craft. Students contribute to the editing and publishing of The Laurel Review through internship opportunities with Northwest’s Greentower Press.

“It’s a unique way to gain some of the skills in the publication field,” Dr. John Gallaher, a professor of English and co-editor of The Laurel Review, said. “A lot of different internships and classes deal with these skills, but we do it in a specific way because we are dealing with the arts. It allows us a kind of free expression of our own vibe, what we portray.”

Dr. John Gallaher (at right), a professor of English and co-editor of The Laurel Review, converses with students in the literary arts magazine's Colden Hall office. (Photos by Abigayle Rush/Northwest Missouri State University)

Students hone their writing and editing as well as design and typesetting skills by working on The Laurel Review.

The Laurel Review and GreenTower Press offer students the experience of unearthing unique and interesting writings and sharing them with the world. Students also are exposed to the literary review process and experience editing and publishing firsthand. The magazine benefits from the feedback of students passionate about writing and publication.

Student interns choose their interest areas within the publishing field as they work with The Laurel Review and GreenTower Press. In addition to the literary arts magazine, GreenTower Press produces chapbooks and supports Northwest’s Visiting Writer’s Series.

Megan Wintheiser, a senior writing major from Troy, Missouri, hopes to pursue a career in the editing and publishing field. Her interests pushed her to apply for the GreenTower Press internship.

Working with The Laurel Review and GreenTower Press benefits students who are passionate about writing and publication.

“It’s a direct correlation of what I want to do,” Wintheiser said. “Since I’m doing a lot of writing stuff, being able to read hundreds of works from different authors, it gives me a real-world example of what people are actually publishing or wanting to publish. I feel like I get an inside look.”

Reading and writing are not the only avenues of work students explore within the internship. Lexi Vlahos, a senior professional writing major from Belton, Missouri, has learned to use design programs through typesetting for The Laurel Review and designing posters and stickers for GreenTower Press. The internship has not only increased her design knowledge but helped her communication skills.

“I think I’ve learned how to better communicate with others and work with other people,” Vlahos said. “It’s definitely a team effort. We all kind of do different things, but we all get each other’s opinions on stuff and work together to finalize things.”

For more information about The Laurel Review and the GreenTower Press internship, contact Gallaher at jjg@nwmissouri.edu or Luke Rolfes at lrolfes@nwmissouri.edu.