Alaska Quarterly Review celebrates 25 years

The Alaska Quarterly Review (AQR), published by the University of Alaska Anchorage and edited by Professor Ronald Spatz, turns 25 this fall. Founded in 1982, AQR has received widespread acclaim both inside of Alaska and abroad and was deemed by The Washington Post Book World as "one of the nation's best literary magazines."

AQR's most recent accolades include a mention in the Sept. 30, 2007 edition of the Sunday New York Times Book Review where Stephen King described Alaska Quarterly Review as "fresh treasure" in an essay titled, "What Ails the Short Story." This is not the first time that King has recognized AQR. Previously, King chose a story from AQR as a winner in the O. Henry Prize Stories and, in this year's The Best American Short Stories, two selections from AQR are cited as distinguished stories of the year.
To view King's entire essay, visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/books/review/King2-t.html?ref=books

International acclaim focusing on the 25th anniversary followed. On Oct. 3, 2007 Professor Spatz and AQR were featured prominently on Radio National's Book Show (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Titled "Off the Beaten Track with the Alaska Quarterly Review," the interview covered AQR's 25th anniversary and other subjects. To listen to the interview, visit: http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/aqr/upload/bsw_20071003.mp3

Winner of the Alaska Governor's Award for the Arts in 1996, and honored by the Municipality of Anchorage with a Proclamation declaring April 26, 1999 "Alaska Quarterly Review Day," AQR has also been the recipient of a Special Recognition Award for "offering literary excellence to Alaska and the world" from the Alaska Center for the Book, five highly competitive awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, numerous project grants from the Alaska State Council on the Arts and from the Alaska Humanities Forum. In the United States Senate, Alaska Quarterly Review and its editor, Professor Spatz, were honored with two tributes recorded in the Congressional Record. At UAA, AQR was recognized with a Chancellor's Award for Excellence (in Research and Creative Activity).

Works originally from AQR have been featured in Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac; Poetry Daily; Prize Stories: O. Henry Awards; Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses; Beacon Best; Best American Mystery Stories; Best American Essays; Best American Non-required Reading; Best American Fantasy; Best Creative Non-fiction; and Best American Poetry.

"We have stayed true to our mission - to produce a national, front-line literary journal featuring new and emerging writers, poets, playwrights, essayists and photographers. We are honored that the Alaska Quarterly Review has helped put Alaska on the literary map," said Professor Ronald Spatz. "It has been an honor and a privilege to work on this project for 25 years." Professor Spatz also serves UAA as the dean of the University Honors College and director of the community outreach Web site, LitSite Alaska.

Several 25th anniversary events have already taken place to celebrate this important quarter-century milestone - two First Friday events in Anchorage and one in Homer. Additional events are scheduled to take place in Anchorage and Fairbanks and other events are being planned for Nome, Sitka, Homer, Palmer, and other Alaska communities.

For more information on the Alaska Quarterly Review, visit http://aqr.uaa.alaska.edu. Contact Ronald Spatz at (907) 786-4361 or aqr@uaa.alaska.edu with questions.