Wesley Hazelberg
Many events mark this time of year in the Midwest: the people are bundling up, snow plows are emerging ready for duty, and B&G is releasing its newest issue.
That’s right! Barstow & Grand, the Upper Midwest’s premier literary journal, is back with issue #8. It’s launching at a release party on Nov. 20, at 7 pm at The Brewing Projekt, long a friend to local literature. This will be their first time hosting this event, so please enjoy their beautiful venue and readings by authors and poets included in the issue. And be sure to pick up a copy fresh off the press on your way out the door!
Members of the B&G editorial team gather to discuss the upcoming issue.
Barstow & Grand (named after the intersection in downtown Eau Claire) is a print journal published every fall that features writers of many different kinds from the Upper Midwest.
Whether you write prose, poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, all writers are welcome so long as you have a connection to that great region of the United States.
“ A few hallmarks of B&G are shining strong in this issue—we have another dynamic mix of local authors and writers with broader connections to the upper Midwest. You’ll see a lot of the themes that seem to carry a special Midwest connection—nature, family, rural life.”
“For our eighth issue, it feels like we’ve found our niche and are really settling into it,” says Eric Rasmussen, editor of Barstow & Grand. “A few hallmarks of B&G are shining strong in this issue—we have another dynamic mix of local authors and writers with broader connections to the upper Midwest. You’ll see a lot of the themes that seem to carry a special Midwest connection—nature, family, rural life, etc.”
One element that sets issue #8 apart from its predecessors is a higher portion of student authors being featured. I should know—I’m one of them! As suggested by a professor, I submitted a selection of five poems I had written in April of 2024, and by July I had received notification that one of my poems was accepted. It was thrilling to have a work of mine recognized in such a big way. The B&G Team has informed me and other writers of every big step taken towards the issue’s publication, and through monitoring these steps along the way I have learned a lot about the process and what it means to be published in a real, printed book.
Issue #8 is being released on Nov. 20, and its release party will be held on the same day at The Brewing Projekt in Eau Claire at 7 pm. This will include live readings of stories and poems by the authors. You won’t want to miss out!
All previous issues of Barstow & Grand are available at the B&G website or at the Local Store in Eau Claire. Purchasing is a great way to show support for writers in your community!