RIVER STYX 107

And we’re back.

DEAR READER,

As many of you know, River Styx shut down in late spring 2022 after a series of resignations on the editorial and executive sides of the organization. At that time, I was serving as co-president of the executive board with Deborah Taffa. Internal disagreement between the staff and board over strategic vision, as well as compounding financial burdens, proved insurmountable. I don’t think any of us walked away lighthearted. River Styx is beloved in the St. Louis community and has been for its nearly fifty years in publishing. And there we were, in 2022, culprits of its downfall.

Deborah approached me in early 2023 about reviving the magazine. At first, I demurred, but then she said to me, “If we don’t do it, no one will.” Suddenly I thought of all those literary magazines I’d known, read, and loved that had been swallowed by time: Black Clock, Glimmer Train, Tin House, and others. River Styx has published and interviewed some great writers over the years, from Gabriel Garcia Marquez to Toni Morrison, Jorge Luis Borges to Margaret Atwood, Allen Ginsberg to Grace Paley, and so many, many in-between. What would become of those contributions? Swallowed by time?

Deborah took over as editor and I as managing editor. We are fortunate (spoiled, really) to have found our section editors, Christa Fraser (fiction and multimedia), Carla Crujido (creative nonfiction), and Danielle Wheeler and Micah Bateman (poetry), editors who edit. A rarity these days. But more than that, they love what they do, discovering and developing writers, presenting them to the world. We spend an inordinate amount of time gloating amongst ourselves about the caliber of writing we’re publishing. We are so proud of what we put out into the world, and we’re lucky to have a devoted audience who has stuck by us through our toughest moments.

The issue you’re holding in your hands is a product of much inspiration and hard work. We’ve included writing from our online edition as well as new pieces, most of which came through our submissions portal. The cover was designed by karborn and evokes “resurrection maximalism.” If we’re going to do this, we’re going big. Here it is, our ambitious vaunt.

BRYAN CASTILLE
MANAGING EDITOR