Welcome to The Rice Review

Hello, this is "annwang," this year's "editor-in-chief." I am currently also the "webmaster" "ex tempore." I am taking a class called "Introduction to Web Design," and my semester project will be to "revamp" the current R2 website (http://r2mag.rice.edu). Currently, r2mag.rice.edu is de-funked, yet we keep putting the url on all of our publicity materials, as some sort of cruel joke, I suppose.

I had already planned to build a blog into the new website so that R2 staff could communicate their thoughts on readings, announce events, discuss what they're reading, etc. The blog will also be public in order to destroy the myth of elitism that seems to surround R2. I thought we might go ahead and start the blog while everyone waits for the new R2 site with their panties in a bundle.

Oh, in case you didn't know, R2 is Rice's undergraduate literary magazine. It is run by students who love to write, love to read good writing, love to share good writing, and love to talk about writing and reading. We publish good writing by other people who love to do all the things we just listed, and then we try to suck these writers into our staff. It's really a very vicious cycle. Some staffers have of course mustered enough resolve to eject themselves from this cycle, and have gone on to graduate school to do some even better writing.

Another thing I love about this magazine is that we publicize readings by renowned authors, both from Rice and beyond the hedges. The past two years, our lucky staffers have also gotten to interview some really big-shot people like Jennifer Egan and Thomas Sayers Ellis. We also get to interact with famous writer-folk through the Campbell Series (this year featuring Alex Ohlin!) and the Cherry Series (Steve Almond coming in February!...I think I will ask him to sign my bra), both of which we publicize and promote. Stay tuned for a complete schedule of readings.

If you're interested in joining our staff, it's not too late. E-mail annwang@rice.edu with inquiries. This is my fourth year on staff, and I have no regrets. Well. Those are strong words. Let's just say I have very few.

If you'd like to win 100 smackaroons, please submit a cover art entry to r2mag@rice.edu. E-mail annwang@rice.edu. Deadline: October 27th.

If you'd like to test the literary waters and have a good time with Rice's (and UH's and St. Thomas's) writerly folk, come to our Open Mic Night on November 14. This is not that sort of thing where everyone wears berets, smokes stuff, and snaps to invisible music. Unless you want it to be like that (we are full service, and we can so make that happen. maybe except for the smoking stuff). E-mail annwang@rice.edu with inquiries.

If you'd like to make even bigger BANK (we're talking big $$$ here), submit your fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction to the English Department by December 3rd. E-mail annwang@rice.edu with inquiries.

Well, that's all for post no.1. I will post again in approximately 5 minutes about the first Cherry Series reading.

Let's hope this is the start of something beautiful?

To the end,
annwang