Welcome to the second edition of The Fishbowl Review, Virginia Wesleyan University’s literary journal! Last spring marked the inaugural edition of The Fishbowl Review, and this year we are excited to continue this publication. The Fishbowl Review is a student-run publication that allows VWU students enrolled in the English 297 class to get a foot in the door and submit their work for publication in a low stakes environment. This year, with a new team, The Fishbowl Review continues to strive towards creative excellence, while also leaving room for the whimsical. With four categories to submit to — fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art — there is something for everyone. 

While it may seem simple to run a literary journal, it is anything but. The Fishbowl Review requires many roles and responsibilities. Students working on the publication are responsible for two different jobs, a technical job and an editorial job. 

Technical jobs may be something that does not immediately come to mind when thinking about running a publication. Sure, editors and readers are important, but how will you generate interest in the publication without outreach and social media coordinators? Where will people go to submit their work if a publication does not have a functional website? Who will be interested in a publication that is bland and full of white space? Technical jobs are important for the beginning stages of a publication, getting it off the ground, and keeping the publication running smoothly and seamlessly. 

At The Fishbowl Review, students work in one of five technical jobs: managing editors, art coordinators, outreach team, social media, and web design. Each position is responsible for different tasks that are completed independently, but must be able to work together to create the final product that is The Fishbowl Review. 

The web design team is responsible for managing the website. Last year’s web team, being the first edition of The Fishbowl Review, were responsible for creating a website from the ground up. This year’s team and teams of the future will be responsible for updating and changing the website as they see fit. That means updating the masthead, managing the blog, uploading new graphics from the art coordinators, updating submission guidelines and links, and so much more. The website is where important information about The Fishbowl Review is found, as well as where the issues are found after publication. Without a functioning website, there would be very little traction to this publication. 

The social media team is responsible for managing the social media page. This may seem simple, but the team is responsible for disbursing appropriate information on the social media page in a timely manner so that followers can be aware of what is happening. This team makes posts weekly, maintaining a consistent aesthetic throughout, while also managing any direct messages. They are also responsible for creating fun and engaging content to keep followers interested in The Fishbowl Review. This team works closely with the outreach and art teams to ensure a consistent aesthetic and presence, ensuring that the publication does not fade into the background of campus happenings. 

Equally important to keeping The Fishbowl Review in the limelight is the outreach team. This team is responsible for spreading awareness about the journal across campus communities. This can take many forms. This team is responsible for organizing tabling events around campus, talking to professors to promote the journal in their classes, creating flyers to hang around campus, and even organizing class visits to promote the journal and generate interest. This team works closely with the social media team to promote events and make sure events are aligned with deadlines. Even the set up of tables during events is important. No one will walk up to a table with a single flyer posted on it. A good table requires engaging and interesting items that catch the eye of passers by and it is the responsibility of the outreach team to determine what best serves as interesting. 

When it comes to a consistent aesthetic and image that is associated with The Fishbowl, the art team are the ones responsible for coming up with that aesthetic. The team then works closely with the other teams to ensure that the proper images, art, and graphics are displayed across all platforms. This team is also responsible for generating the cover art for new issues and relaying that art to the proper people so that it can be displayed on the website, social media, etc. 

The glue that holds this publication together are the managing editors. This could be a team of people, or one person depending on the year, but the responsibilities remain relatively unchanged. It is the responsibility of the managing editor to gather submissions, ensure there is no identifying information on them, such as names, and distribute the submissions to the proper editors and readers based on genre. The managing editor is also responsible for managing The Fishbowl’s email account, responding to questions and concerns of students looking to submit. For students who submit their work to The Fishbowl Review, the managing editor is the point of contact. Once pieces have been submitted, the managing editor is responsible for informing the student of an acceptance or rejection.

While these technical jobs may seem vastly different in some areas, it is crucial that they all work together to ensure a seamless publication of The Fishbowl Review. While the genre editors and readers are important, the technical aspects of a literary publication cannot be forgotten. After all, you would not be reading this without the technical jobs that are working behind the scenes of The Fishbowl Review. 

Hello everyone! On behalf of the Fishbowl Review Editing Team, we hope you're feeling rested and refreshed after spring break—we are sure it was much needed! We are excited to let you all know that there is still one week left to submit to The Fishbowl Review, and we are eager to see what you create! Submissions close April 10th, so be sure to mark your calendars so you don't miss out!  

Submitting to The Fishbowl Review is a great way to share your voice on campus. Your work is not just to fill the pages of our issue but shapes the community and diversity of our campus. Whether you are looking to publish for the first time or have been published before, this is the perfect start for those wishing to publish their works and make their talent shine! We would love for you to contribute to our creative community here on campus, so don’t let the time escape you and keep an eye on the calendar for when our submissions close.

That being said here are a few reminders

• Our guidelines for submitting are located on our website so please look over those requirements before submitting your piece

• This is a blind submission so we will not know who created what piece unless it has been selected for publication

If you are in an English class for creative writing, in an art class creating ceramics, sketches, or painted pieces, or even if you are in a digital art class, please feel free to submit the work you have created for your class! We urge all students to submit work they feel proud of whether that be created in their professional or personal free time!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us via email at: thefishbowlreview@gmail.com 

We can’t wait to see your work!

Poetry is an art form that all can take part in. It is built off of a love for language, linguistics, and listening skills. Yesterday, March 21st, was World Poetry Day and what is a better way to celebrate than learning and writing poetry. Whether you are an athlete or a singer, you are a member of the VWU community, and therefore have somewhere to pull inspiration from. With flowers blooming on campus, ducks returning to the pond, and spring sports starting up, it is time to take in each moment. Poetry is not just love sonnets and lyrical tales, its emotions, themes, and a voice that wraps it all together. Throughout the world, storytellers have used poetry to tell tales and address themes. And what better way to celebrate World Poetry Day than with The Fishbowl Review!

Poetry is for All: Poetry Writing Activity

1. Grab a fresh piece of paper and your favorite writing utensil.

2. Choose a recent memory.

• What emotions do you remember from it?

• Is there a sense that comes to mind? What details make up the memory?

• Does the day, month, and time matter?

3. (Extra) Add literary devices or artistic details!

• Rhyme Schemes like ABAB or ABBA add flares.

• Metaphors and similes add artistic comparisons.

• Imagery allows you to expand more on the sensory details.

• Rhythm and tempo allows for cohesion between the lines.

4. Read it through! 

• Does it bring you back to that memory from the start? 

• Do you feel something different about the memory?

• What was your favorite line or phrase? Can you change it?

5. Looking to try something new, submit it to a literary journal! We would love to see your work!

World Poetry Day is celebrated on March 21st by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This was started in 1999, to highlight a tradition that has stayed alive over the thousands of years and hundreds of countries around the world. Poetry is an art that joins people together through its language, its words, and its ability to create action. In this way, poetry can be shared through auditory and visual forms, making an impact on many in different ways.

If you would like more information about The Fishbowl Review and our events, feel free to follow us at @thefishbowlreview on Instagram and check out the rest of the blogs. 

Welcome back to The Fishbowl Review! Submissions are now open until April 10th, 2026. We look forward to seeing what you create!

The castle’s built, the bowl is made, now it’s time for fish to play! Join The Fishbowl Review’s staff and contributors for our Journal Launch Party at 3:00 p.m. this Friday, May 9, at Hofheimer Library’s Foley Classroom. Eat, drink, and sit back as our authors read selections from their published works. We’ll see you there! 🌊

As the founding staff of The Fishbowl Review, we have decided to focus on publishing undergraduate students exclusively. However, this school is peopled (or “fished”) with numerous other strange and luminous beings whose experiences we can benefit from: professors! With that in mind, we’ve tasked our staff with interviewing them for their experiences in the world of publishing. Our first catch was the laughing lake trout, Dr. Terry Lindvall, by our very own renaissance woman, Lily Reslink.

LR: What is your experiencing in publishing?

TL: Publishing did not enter my mind until ten years into teaching. Busy with becoming proficient in my field(s) preoccupied my time. 

Then, after presenting papers at academic conferences, and looking at the texts I was using, I realized that I need to make all my pedagogy personal.  What had I learned that lingered in my soul? 

LR: What did you learn through publishing? Why is it important?

TL: First, let my teaching inform my publishing and let my publishing enhance my teaching. At present, my Pixar class serves as critical reviewers for a book that Steven Emmanuel and I are authoring for Bloomsbury Press on Kierkegaard and Pixar films. They shine as truly critical, candid, and helpful readers for a future text book, revealing what works and what misses.  Lectures and chapters in the book correspond to each other, cross-fertilizing and correcting the other.  

Second, as my mind buzzes like a honeybee from one flower to another (with ideas...), I find that writing several projects helps me gain perspective on each.  Serendipity often reigns, but use your imagination and your own thought processes more than looking up extensive endnotes. 

Third, like Charles Wesley writing his hymns, I seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit (and my wife, family, and friends like Craig Wansink--mostly my wife) on writing ideas for publication. 

Fourth, in teaching a course on laughter, I realized the importance of incongruity, of juxtaposing different thoughts and seeing what grows out of them.  Again, lectures lead to discerning what you can write about. But, most importantly, write what you enjoy!  You will be spending a lot of time with that book and it is better to have a delightful relationship and affection with your topic.

Fifth, I learned to take every unexpected obligation or inconvenience as an opportunity to develop new works. For example, when I first came to VWU, I was assigned to teach Church History. As I reviewed primary texts, I realized how frequently church fathers and mothers addressed the topics of laughter and humor and so I wrote God Mocks: A History of Religious Satire for New York University Press.  The book never would have appeared unless I had been fired from a previous job and came to Wesleyan. 

LR: What is your advice to people who might feel discouraged to pursue publication? What is your advice to the people who want to but don't know where to start?

TL: At conferences I established friendships with Publishers, who are actually seeking fresh and odd material, not just regurgitation of old books. Networking helps immensely. Make friends with these people and carry on correspondence even if they don't accept your first idea.  I did send large bouquets of flowers to my NYU publishers after they released my book and they brought me back for three more books. 

For those who want to publish, I would first recommend: READ different works and find your voice through various books. Second, WRITE every day at a specific time (I am up with the worms, before the robins.)

Dr. Lindvall was safely released to continue on his way. Be on the lookout for more spotlights of these terrific creatures.

🌊 

The Fishbowl Review’s website is no longer under construction! Our website is ready for you to explore at your convenience and we appreciate your patience as we’ve decorated this site for you. The turrets could use a few more stones, but that’s no excuse for delaying our grand opening. 

Don’t forget that April 10th, 2025 is the last day we are accepting submissions. We can’t wait to publish our newest issue for 2025, so stay on the lookout for that. Thank you for visiting!

🌊

Looks like you’ve caught us by our tails! The Fishbowl’s website is currently under construction. We’re doing our very best to decorate the bowl nicely for everyone who visits. Hand building a castle takes a lot of work. We’re still happy to take your submissions up to April 10, 2025. Thank you for visiting!🌊

Welcome to The Fishbowl Review: Virginia Wesleyan University’s first official literary journal! We are so excited to share the passion and creativity of this community. We strive to create a place where students can grow safely, until they’re ready to leave for more turbulent waters. If you’re interested in sharing your fiction, non-fiction, poetry or art, we invite you to submit your work. The Fishbowl Review is a place where amid all the pressure to make waves, you can start with a splash! 🌊