Great Lake Review will host a release party from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight (Dec. 2) at the downtown River's End Bookstore for the 91st fall edition of their publication.
The theme of this year’s book is "restoration," a timely topic. “We wanted to start the school year with the idea of gathering ourselves and moving forward especially after the pandemic,” said Great Lake Review Public Relations Coordinator Nirdishtha Sapkota. Sapkota also explained that the focus was on self-restoration and mental health after a challenging year.
The release party at the bookstore, 19 W Bridge St. in Oswego, will be an opportunity for attendees to hear the writers read their pieces and also receive merchandise. This year, however, will have a few differences than in years past including the party being live streamed via the Great Lake Review Facebook page and showcasing artwork. Organizers are encouraging the artists to talk about their work at the event as well.
For those unable to attend the party or watch the Facebook stream, the book is available to all students for free, since it is printed from the Student Association fee students pay each year.
“We have a lot of editions on the third floor of Marano in the creative writing wing and people can find copies of the book during the involvement fairs as well,” said Sapkota.
As a whole, the organization feels it is a great opportunity for the students featured.
“We believe that this is a great way to show support to the writers (and) artists on campus because the students want to go on to be writers or artists in the future," Sapkota said. "It’s a small way to support other students and to understand their creativity.”
Sapkota also detailed the submission process for any student who may want their work added in the future.
“Following our submission guidelines is a major way for students to make sure that they get their work published," Sapkota said. "We are very strict about the document types, anonymous submissions as well as timely submissions, and we highly encourage students to submit following the guidelines. Other than that, just making sure that they're sending us the final versions of their work that don’t require major editing in terms of grammar and syntax is very important too.”
Great Lake Review also values the relationship they have had with River’s End Bookstore as they have had their release parties there for many years and earlier this semester were able to host an open mic night at the location.
For more information, visit the Great Lake Review website or email glr@oswego.edu.
-- Written by Braylon Noble of the Class of 2021