Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College has published the third edition of its literary anthology, The Thunderbird Review. The 92-page book features writing and art submitted by students from Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Carleton College, and Lake Superior College, as well as work from individuals residing in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.
“We received 113 submissions this year to consider for inclusion, which was another increase as compared to the first two editions,” said Brenna Garrison, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College sophomore from Cloquet, who served as managing editor for the publication. “It takes a lot of time and work to read and thoroughly review each submitted piece. Our editorial staff met about five times to review and discuss each submission and select the finalists to be featured in the anthology.”
This year, Garrison worked with student editors Brody Johnson, Suzan Desmond, Mary Sheehan, and Matthew Thiry, as well as Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College English instructor Jan Chronister, who is also the faculty advisor for The Thunderbird Review.
“Each year, I am amazed to work with a group of talented students,” said Chronister. “With their guidance, selections are narrowed down through several rounds of review until a consensus is reached on the final selections. It is quite a process, and I believe that we have another outstanding publication.” People interested in purchasing copies of the anthology can find them at the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Bookstore for $5 each. The money goes towards producing the current publication as well as the next edition.
On Tuesday, April 28, the college hosted a book release party that brought together the anthology’s featured artists and writers for an event in the campus commons. The event was part of the college’s annual Fine Arts Week, which celebrates local creativity and talent found throughout the region.
“This was my first book release event and it was great to be a part of the successful publishing of this third edition,” said Garrison. “We took time to celebrate the work that went into this year’s anthology. The students involved in the project realized that publishing a book of submitted work is not an easy task. We also learned that our area has a huge amount of talented writers and artists who are willing to share their work. It is an honor to publish their submissions.”
The book release event featured many of the newly published authors in an open mic setting, and featured a reading by poet Peggy Trojan of Brule, Wisconsin.
Three Editor’s Choice awards were handed out to authors whose work was published in the anthology. For poetry, Rae Anne Nelson was recognized for “Stone Age.” For fiction, Taylor Lang was recognized for “Safe.” For Memoir/Nonfiction, Sierra Barney was recognized for “Daddy’s Little Girl.” Artwork selected for the front and back cover was created by FDLTCC student Tina Gilbert, and Lucas Reynolds worked on graphic design of the cover and inside pages.
The Thunderbird Review anthology is an opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in writing, editing, and publishing at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College.
“Working on The Thunderbird Review took time and effort, and I enjoyed seeing the end result,” explained Garrison. “I hope to be able to be on the editorial board again for the fourth edition, and someday I hope to publish books I have written.”
For more information or to purchase a copy of the Thunderbird Review, contact Jan Chronister at 218-879-0865. Copies are also available in the College Bookstore on campus and through www.amazon.com.