January 2022

January/February Issue . . .

Our Jan/Feb issue is available now! Among its riches: excerpts of Lan Samantha Chang’s forthcoming novel The Family Chao; poetry by Cameron Awkward-Rich, Cate Marvin, Maggie Millner, and Joan Wickersham; and nonfiction by Melissa Chadburn. Plus, you’ll find the winner and runners-up of the 2021 Short Fiction Contest judged by ZZ Packer. Subscribe or order a print or digital copy today!

Why We Chose It

BY SERGEI LOBANOV-ROSTOVSKY, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

“A Naked Horse” by Drew Johnson, appears in the Jan/Feb 2022 issue of the Kenyon Review.

“What should we make of a story that swerves from an excruciating public reading of a Lovecraft story in a meeting of a college literary society to a campus snowball fight that turns without warning into a riot, from the comic futility of teaching poetry to a desire to testify before the heavenly tribunal about the transcendent grace of THE MONKEES?” Read the rest of Why We Chose It.

Short Fiction Contest Judged by Karen Russell

January is the month to submit to our annual Short Fiction Contest. This year’s judge is Pulitzer Prize finalist Karen Russell, the author of three acclaimed story collections, most recently Orange World; the novella Sleep Donation; and the novel Swamplandia! The winner will be published in KR and receive a scholarship to the Kenyon Review Writers Workshops. We’re open for contest entries until 11:59 p.m EST on January 31. Only previously unpublished short stories are eligible; submissions can’t be longer than 3000 words. We can’t wait to read your work! See the KR website for more information.

Summer Writers Workshops Back in Person

After a two-year hiatus, our popular residential workshops will be back in session this summer. Join us on the beautiful campus of Kenyon College for workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, led by a stellar faculty that includes Ramona Ausubel, David Baker, Dan Beachy-Quick, Marie-Helene Bertino, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Victoria Chang, Leila Chatti, Alexandra Kleeman, E.J. Levy, Terese Marie Mailhot, Dinty W. Moore, Carl Phillips, Jamie Quatro, Bennett Sims, Grace Talusan, and more. Unlike most summer workshops, the Kenyon Review Writers Workshops are generative, giving writers time and inspiration to take creative risks and produce new work. There are two sessions: June 12–18 and July 10–16. There’s still time to apply and financial aid is available. The deadline for scholarship applications is January 15. To learn more and to apply, click here.

Young Writers Summer Residential Workshops

Young Writers will also be back on the campus of Kenyon College this summer. High school students ages 16–18 are invited to apply for our summer writers workshops, June 26–July 9 and July 17–30. Talented young writers from around the world join our supportive, creative community every year. The deadline to apply is March 1. Learn more on the KR website.

Free Online Workshops for Teachers and Adjuncts

On January 22, we’re offering free workshops, led by the inspiring Ross Gay, T Kira Madden, and Tracy K. Smith, for school teachers and adjunct faculty. We know how exhausting and stressful the past two years of the pandemic have been for teachers, so these workshops are a gift. We announced the workshops in mid-December and all three classes filled up quickly. We’re thrilled by the enthusiastic response. Thank you, educators, for your hard work and grace under pressure.

Good News from the National Endowment for the Arts

This week, the National Endowment for the Arts announced that our Deputy Editor Elliott Holt is one of 35 writers who will receive a 2022 Creative Writing Fellowship of $25,000. This year’s fellowships are in prose. Fellows are selected through an anonymous process and are judged on the artistic excellence of their work samples. These fellowships are highly competitive, so we’re thrilled for Elliott. And the NEA also announced that the Kenyon Review has been approved for a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects award. This grant will support KR’s efforts to re-envision, redesign, and launch an updated website over the coming year.

Kenyon Review Out Loud

On our website, you can hear Kenyon Review contributors read from their work. Among the audio selections from the Jan/Feb issue are Vanessa Chan’s “Bloodlines,” Joanna Pearson’s “Grand Mal,” Beth Ann Fennelly’s micro-memoirs, and poetry by Ruth Awad, Cate Marvin, and Maggie Millner. Listen here.

JANUARY 2022 
CONTENTS
Jan/Feb 2022
Why We Chose It
Fiction Contest
Writers Workshop
Young Writers
Free Workshops

NEA Grants

KR Out Loud

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