Rice Magazine Summer 2006

F
ive hundred dollars is high pay for a beginning writer. next semester, it quickly established a broad goal: to not be
For years, the George Guion Williams Prize awarded another stereotypical undergraduate review.
this amount to students for the best undergraduate “If you hear there’s a new literary magazine, you think, ‘Oh
ﬁ ction and poetry. But being paid for a piece of writing great, there’s a new clique of coeds in a basement printing
is only half the reward. The other half is seeing it published, and something out,’” Dimond says. “For our ﬁ rst issue, we really
that was a problem. The prizewinning pieces rarely appeared wanted to produce something exceptional and establish the
in print, and that situation didn’t inspire students to labor over magazine’s presence immediately.”
short stories and poetry alone in their rooms. There is, of course, an obvious way to have a great student
Creative writing professor Justin Cronin believed he had a literary magazine—great student writing. Yet without any repu-
better way to motivate young Rice writers. He proposed as- tation, the magazine needed some major public relations to
sociating the Williams Prize with a student-led magazine that attract submissions. To generate buzz, the staff papered the
would publish the prizewinners and also provide a forum for campus with the “What is R2?” signs and hung a huge bed-
other student writing on campus. “rW iters always wonder: How sheet posing the same question above Fondren Library. The
do I put my work out in the world? How do I ﬁ nd other writers editorial board also held an open-mike night on campus, and
to talk about it with?” Cronin says. “The magazine would give board members continually begged their friends to submit
young Rice writers just those opportunities.” pieces. A Thresher article helped to spread the word about
For a year, Cronin spoke to his classes about the idea, raised the magazine as well.
funds, and even came up with a name: The Rice Review, or R2 R2 promised to publish ﬁ ction, poetry, and nonﬁ ction, but
for short. In some respects, though, the magazine got its real until a few days before the submissions deadline, barely any
start in England. Andy Dimond ’05 was studying there in fall work had arrived. Then, in a rush, 73 stories came in. For “the
2004 when he received an email from Cronin asking him to be big read,” the staff reviewed submissions for more than four
editor in chief. Dimond immediately jumped at the chance and, hours in the English department lounge. At least three people
against all normal senior tendencies, found himself embark- evaluated each piece anonymously before the group came
ing on something new and exciting during his last semester. together for discussion on what to include. A few days later,
Throughout the fall, other students volunteered to work on Dimond and prose editor Lamar hW ite ’05 made the ﬁ nal cuts,
R2 as well. hW en the editorial board ﬁ rst came together the selecting 10 stories, two nonﬁ ction pieces, and ﬁ ve poems.
R2 faculty advisor Justin Cronin with 2005–06 editor in chief Searcy Milam and layout designer Ann Chou.
Summer ’06 35
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