Tag Archives: Gandy Dancer

Exploring Writing as Activism through Amanda Gorman’s Poem: “The Hill We Climb”

Photo by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Flickr

Posted by Hailey Cullen, Poetry Reader for Issue 9.2

On a gloomy January day, before the start of my 2021 Spring Semester at SUNY Geneseo, I sat down to watch the inauguration of Joe Biden. There were many highlights (Michelle Obama’s fabulous monochromatic outfit was one), but I found myself especially moved by Amanda Gorman’s role in the ceremony. America’s first national Youth Poet Laureate, Gorman recited her poem, “The Hill We Climb.”

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Rejection Is Not Failure: The Necessity of Finding the Right Literary Magazine for You

Posted by Kathryn Capone, Fiction Reader for issue 9.2

The feeling of rejection is not a pleasant feeling. It leaves a person to wonder, “where did I go wrong?” When submitting a piece to a literary magazine, writers are hopeful that their work will be rewarded with publication; rejection only makes them feel like they didn’t do something right and that they have failed. However, it’s important for writers to learn that not every piece is right for just any literary magazine. Researching a literary magazine before submitting a piece is the best way for writers to determine if their work would fit in well with the magazine as a whole.

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The Art of the Experience: Considering Daniel Fleischman’s “Metropolis”

 

Posted by David Beyea, CNF Reader for 8.1

It seems odd to refer to a piece as being a clear love letter to the art of literary form. Isn’t that just a pompous way of saying that it is well-written? Perhaps not. In this issue of Gandy Dancer, Daniel Fleischman’s nonfiction short story “Metropolis” details the experiences of the author as he grew to accept life in New York City.

Certainly others have written of the city before, but there is a magnetism and finesse to Fleischman’s craft that elevates it from mere travelogue erotica. His pen is cast across the page with an unabashed exuberance; he frequently dips into descriptive prose and ruminates on not just the situations he finds himself in, but on the nature of civilization’s anthills. What does a city mean? It’s not really a question I ever considered, nor one that Fleischman explicitly answers. Unlike many authors describing a location, he does not attempt to solve the city, to have each element of it associated with some strong conclusion on the nature of life. Instead, he paints it. Continue reading

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You’ve Only Got 100 Words… Go!

Posted by Emma Corwin, Fiction Reader for 8.1

Do you like short stories? How short? Ten pages? Two? How about 100 words? That’s right. A complete little story the length of a paragraph, wrapped in a tiny box with a bow on top—all in just 100 words. Can it be done?

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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Posted by Elana Evenden, Art Editor & Poetry Reader for 8.1

Art and literature are often paired together, specifically in the realm of a liberal arts major.  Being well-versed in classic literature and art has always been something that many people hold to high regards and often use as a measure for someone’s intellect.  However, when it comes to contemporary literature and art many people who defend the classics seem not to care. As art editor of Gandy Dancer for our Fall ’19 issue, I have been reflecting on just how important art is in a literary journal. Having worked on the Gandy Dancer team last year, I believe that the art helps add life to our journal. Looking through the art submissions is my absolute favorite part of the Gandy Dancer production process. It is so exciting to see students’ creative eye and work from all different areas of life among different SUNY Schools. Continue reading

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The Learning Curve: Reflecting on Growth as an Editor

Posted by Nicole Callahan, GD Fiction Reader for 7.1

Ask any writer about their writing from high school and their general reactions are likely to be the same: embarrassment. As a general rule of thumb, working in any creative field is a never-ending, slow upward climb that can make the experience of looking back either gratifying or mortifying (and sometimes both). My different experiences working on literary magazines have taught me similar lessons about being an editor.

My high school was very small, but our literary magazine, The Mast, had been around for decades. The club was run by our English teacher, Mr. Seffick, a patient soul who suffered alongside us on our creative journey.

 One of the most obvious distinction between The Mast and Gandy Dancer is the disparity in resources. The Mast was lucky to hold a meeting of 10 members and submissions largely came from the staff. The class that produces Gandy Dancer is lucky to have 20+ students and can still feel under-staffed sometimes. The Mast did not use Adobe InDesign. Instead, we would physically lay out the magazine and then entrust the physical copy it to the two students who knew how to work Photoshop. Our online presence was nil simply because we didn’t have the time or understanding to create a good blog, though our technical squad did occasionally post videos calling for submissions. Continue reading

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Writing Outside Your Genre

Posted by Gabrielle Esposito, GD Fiction Editor for 7.1

I identify as a fiction writer because I’m too self-conscious to write nonfiction, and I can’t write poetry because I don’t know when to shut up. I’ve found in the writing community that writers have preferred genres, and once that preference is identified, all the other genres disappear. Most of a writer’s hesitation comes from the fact that the three genres are very different. Continue reading

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Four Lessons Joining the Gandy Dancer Team Will Teach You

Posted by Jennifer Taylor Johnson, GD Fiction Reader for 6.2

Whether your passion is writing and editing or you’re just looking for a class to fit your schedule in the fall, being a member of the Gandy Dancer team is not a decision you will regret. Joining the Gandy Dancer team is more than a grade on your transcript, it dedicating hard work and time into assembling the school’s literary journal and learning important life lessons along the way. Don’t believe me? Here are four lessons you will learn by being a reader for The Gandy Dancer. Continue reading

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Gandy Dancer Launch Party for 6.2

Posted by Alisa Mentor, GD Creative Non-Fiction Reader for 6.2 

It’s bittersweet to say that the time and effort invested in the production of Gandy Dancer 6.2 has finally come to an end. The hours of work, discussing, formatting, and rereading has paid off and left us with a physical representation of the sheer amount of passion the Gandy Dancer crew puts into each issue. On Thursday, May 3, we celebrated the newest addition to the Gandy Dancer family. Continue reading

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A Review of Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach, and a reflection on the relationship between art and story

Posted by Francesco Bruno, GD Fiction Co-Section Head for 6.2 

I invite you to refute the old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and contemplate the paperback edition of Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, published in 2011 by Alfred A Knopf. The cover shows a colorful menagerie of bodies in manifold contortions and postures. The translucent figures overlap and blend with each other, but no single figure grabs a central focus. The book’s title is laid over this image (again, the font is translucent) and the cluster of bodies is put into focus by a background of stark white space. The cover suggests not cacophony but polyphony, its narratives not shouting over one another but offering a variety of perspectives and lenses through which readers can continuously re-interpret the cover. Continue reading

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