About Us
Roanoke Review was co-founded in 1967 by Roanoke College student Edward A. Tedeschi and teacher Henry Taylor, who went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for The Flying Change in 1986. Poet James Boatwright and novelist George Garrett served as advisory editors, and the first issue included work by William Stafford, Lee Smith, Kelly Cherry, William Jay Smith, and Malcom Cowley, among others.
Tedeschi and Taylor were ultimately replaced by Robert Walter, who edited the journal for the next thirty years. The Review was taken over in 2001 by Paul Hanstedt, who served as editor for the next fifteen years with the occasional interim leadership of Melanie Almeder and Mary Crockett Hill, who took on the role of editor in 2016.
For over half a century, the Review has established itself as a home for new and established authors writing in both traditional and experimental forms.
Dear Reader,
On September 23rd, 2023, our beloved editor Mary Crockett Hill passed away surrounded by loved ones. We will forever remember her as a kind, bright, and incredible soul. She loved being a teacher and a mentor, and she was incredibly passionate about Roanoke Review being a safe space for writers to share their talents.
In her honor, we are leaving her spot and biography as Editor on this page indefinitely, but please do not try to email her. If you need to contact an editor directly, please email Laura Garrison (Acting Editor) or Sydney Wagner (Assistant/Managing Editor) at review@roanoke.edu.
We are dedicated to keeping Roanoke Review a literary magazine that she would be proud of. Thank you for reading and sharing in her legacy.
Sydney Wagner
Assistant Editor
2023-2024 STAFF
EDITOR (In Memorium)
Mary Crockett Hill is the author of A Theory of Everything (selected by Naomi Shihab Nye for the Autumn House Prize) and If You Return Home with Food (winner of the Bluestem Poetry Award), and coauthor of the history of A Town by the Name of Salem. Her work has been featured on such sites as Poetry Daily and Best of the Net, and in such anthologies as American Poetry: The Next Generation. She is a multiple nominee for the Pushcart Prize and the Virginia Book of the Year. In her other life as a children's book writer, she is author of How She Died, How I Lived, from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and coauthor of the young adult novel Dream Boy. She tweets nonsense @Marylovesbooks.
We miss her very dearly and send well wishes to her family.
Editor
Laura Garrison gets lost easily. Fortunately, she enjoys unexpected adventures. She appreciates all forms and genres of literature but has a particular affection for speculative flash and haiku. You can also find her at Jersey Devil Press.
Assistant Editor
Sydney Wagner loves being busy. When she isn’t working one of her three jobs or doing schoolwork (which is most of the time), she enjoys playing board games with friends, watching TV shows with her dad, or playing Dungeons and Dragons with her group. Despite being the managing editor of a literary magazine, her only published work is research in the Journal of Organizational Psychology (which she is very proud of)!
Book Reviewer
Cameron MacKenzie's work has appeared in Able Muse, The Rumpus, SubStance and The Michigan Quarterly Review, among other journals. His essays have been collected in The Waste Land at 90: A Retrospective and Edward P. Jones: New Essays. His novel The Beginning of His Excellent and Eventful Career is currently out with Madhat Press. He teaches English at Ferrum College.
READing staff
Matteo Biggs, Em Caloia, Taís Didio, Alexander Fritze, Brandon Hernandez, Madeline Higgins, Emma Holley, Zoe Jones, Veronica Kuzdzal, Kaitlyn Richardson, Adriana Rose, Irene Salvo.
(Not Pictured: Em Caloia)
AN EXPERIENCED EDITOR AND WRITER, mATEO bIGGS IS THE CURRENT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF FOR THE rOANOKE cOLLEGE nEWSPAPER, THE bRACKETY-ACK, AND JOINED THE ROANOKE REVIEW TEAM TO FURTHER HIS CAREER IN THE WORLD OF LITERATURE.
Taís Didio is a full time passionate reader and writer. She is a literary studies major with a minor in creative writing. Funnily enough, she was sure she wanted to go into English in college, even though that is not even her first language! Taís speaks Portuguese, due to being from Brazil and loves to write poetry in both languages. Words have been her passion for a long time and she is always super excited to read anything that comes across her eyes. Some of her favorite activities include: petting cats, napping with cats, reading… with her cats, and cooking (for her cats).
Alexander Fritze is a thoroughly unremarkable writing enthusiast. He is currently studying under a creative writing major, with an interest in languages. He admittedly finds writing in third person to feel very strange, and he is not sure how to do it very well.
Brandon Hernandez is an avid writer of things imaginative. He takes his imagination and translates it into written form. He loveS reading fanfiction online and respond to feedback. He looks forward to meeting all kinds of new faces in Roanoke College. He comes from a Salvadorian family and is caught between two cultures. He uses his autistic brain to think the most creative things around. He can be a little shy sometimes but once you get to know him, he will make your day.
Madeline Higgins is a lover of stories (literature, music, film, podcasts, conversation— you name it), listening, and all things language. She works with Roanoke College’s International Office and is constantly pestering her global friends to talk about the mechanics of their native language. When not staring into space wondering about the inevitable death of the universe or trying to remember what day it is, she can be found under a tree looking very intensely at some moss and making up silly stories for her friends. Madeline is in love with nature, exploring new and old places, and the human experience. She’s currently studying to be an English educator and hopes to impassion students with the beauty and chaos of literature and storytelling.
Emma Holley is a Literary Studies and Creative Writing major. She works in the Game room at school, and when she’s not there or in class you can usually find her hanging out with friends in the Common areas of her dorm. She is an animal lover and has a cat back home named Odessa.
ZOE JONES IS AN AVID READER AND MUSIC LISTENER WHO LOVES TO PUT HER THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ON PAPER MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. IF ONE WANTS WAS TO SEE HER IN PASSING, THEY COULD ALWAYS COUNT ON HER HAVING HER EARPHONES IN. HOWEVER, DO NOT BE FOOLED BECAUSE ZOE LOVES TO WRITE POEMS UPON POEMS IN HER FREE TIME. WHEN SHE IS NOT BUSY WRITING, SHE CAN BE FOUND READING IF SHE HAS THE FREE TIME TO DO SO. SHE MAJORS IN COMMUNICATION, MINORS IN CREATIVE WRITING, AND HAS A CONCENTRATION IN PUBLISHING AND EDITING. WITH ALL THIS SHE PLANS TO GO INTO ADVERTISING AND EVEN PLANS TO PUBLISH HER own BOOK OF POETRY sometime within the future.
Adriana Rose is a lover of life and seeks adventure wherever she goes. She works multiple jobs and loves to involve herself in all things social as a way to help her get a greater sense of purpose. When she isn't running around getting work done, she is often found taking pictures of the world around her or reading a good fantasy book.
Veronica kuzdzal is a sophomore and a Literary Studies and Communication Double Major with a concentration in Publishing and Editing. she loves to read and used to be an aspiring writer. Now she wants to be an editor or something along the lines of one. People tell her that she is too quiet but then once they get to know her, she is told that she is a very loud and open person. If she’s not hanging out with her friends then she is usually watching an old TV show or movie.
Irene Salvo is a sophomore who enjoys reading, listening to music (and the occasional podcast), and spending time with friends and family. Irene is a Literary Studies major and aspires to work in the publishing industry, but only after completing undergraduate and graduate school. In response to the ever-so-common question, “What is your favourite book?” Irene would likely say A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman.
Kaitlyn Richardson has a thing for stories. Editing and reviewing is her jam. She is all about making those plot twists pop and characters shine. She also loves art, owning many unfinished sketchbooks and constantly experimenting with Canva. She has an undying love for Fanta, claiming that the "orange goodness" fuels her creative genius.
