As probing as it is academic, Jacob Largen's essay on the academic merit of canon literature vis-à-vis contemporary writing claws at the fabric of classical English education. The value of a book is an odd thing to try and determine. The worth of literature seems purely subjective and unnameable, but there is an obvious hierarchy …
The Hero of This Story
Michelle McKernan serves on Red Cedar Review's social media. In this inspirational piece, she makes sure to remind us that we're ultimately our own worst critics when it comes to writing the stories of our lives. We often read or watch our favorite protagonists with a sense of longing. We watch or read their character …
On “Mary, Queen of Scots”
Nayirah Muhammad presents a commentary on the 2018 film Mary, Queen of Scots, homing in on issues of race and representation in Western society. After watching Mary, Queen of Scots hit theaters this past December, I was pleasantly surprised how this film managed to stick to historical facts for the most part, as well as mix …
The Art of the Reference
Becca Theaker is a proud member of Red Cedar Review's social media team. In this piece, she shares some much-needed love for the nonfiction brand literature. Enjoy. The reference aisle of Barnes and Noble is always one of the emptiest. Maybe that’s why it’s so appealing to me. If you find a book you absolutely …
The Power of Words
Here, Rachel Huculak shares a vignette on the intimate nature of word choice, discussing how our life experiences influence our language and the subconscious ways in which our words connect us those around us. When books and movies are crafted today, large thought is put into the words that are used. The author or writer …
Press-Enter-to-Poem: a Survey of Instagram Poetry
In this 1,500-word broadside, Red Cedar Review's Michael Wemmer shares a sober critique of Instagram poetry—half denunciation, half self-reflection. A conventionally attractive Instapoet influencer sits at his desk before his vintage mechanical typewriter1. It’s a Corona Four, circa 1924. Antique, black, well-worn—mail order, but that doesn’t matter. He traces his fingers across its keys and, …
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More Than Just Fanciful: The Ampersand
Now that we've all settled into the new year, our diligent typesetters and managing editors find themselves busily preparing the final draft of Red Cedar Review Volume 54. Exciting stuff! While they work, we though we'd share a handful of blog posts penned by our staff and readers. In the first of these pieces, Mark …
A Fruitful Conversation
In this special post, guest blogger Mark Ostermeyer shares his final project from Michigan State University's class Creative Writing Community (ENG 200). Here he reflects on his experience reading the forty-fifth anniversary retrospective issue of Red Cedar Review, published in spring 2011 and curated by managing editor Kelly Caldwell. You can check it out here, on …
