In December 2023, Schuyler Cummings ’25 (CLAS) saw a flyer for the Long River Review featured in a newsletter from her faculty advisor which sparked her interest. Already a copy editor for Nutmeg Publishing, and interested in a career in publishing, Cummings says she decided to apply for a lead copy editor role at the literary publication on “a whim.”
She landed the role, and in the few short months since, it has become not only a passion project but a meaningful opportunity to gain the experience she needs for a job in the industry.
Cummings joined her fellow student staff members in celebrating the launch of the 27th annual print edition on Thursday, April 25, at Barnes & Noble in Storrs Center.
A culmination of a yearlong interdisciplinary effort that includes both student staff positions and a course offered in the spring, the award-winning journal of literature and art pulls literary submissions across multiple genres from all over the world and showcases the top content.
At the event, contributors read their featured work and staff members shared words of gratitude about their time putting the magazine together.
“The launch party is one of my favorite times in the year because you get to actually hear contributors go up and read the poems or the stories that you’ve loved and cherished and stared at while editing, and you get to hear them talk about it,” says current Editor-in-Chief Allison LeMaster’24 (CLAS), a double major in English and journalism .
As Long River Review editors, students work together on panels to review submissions and select work to be featured, edit and refine submissions, and designing publish a physical journal and a website.
For Cummings, it’s been a rewarding and unique opportunity to learn about the publishing industry, a career path she plans to pursue after she graduates.
“Things don’t always have to do with the writing, the photography, the art, and everything–so much more of it is management, organization, communication, and those kinds of skills,” she says. “It was kind of intimidating at first, but I’ve come to love it because those are the things that help put together a product, like a publication.”
She added that it’s a wonderful feeling to see the final product of the group’s hard work.
“I love the satisfaction when I have it in my hands,” says Cummings “Like today, when we got them, I wanted to cry. It was like ‘Oh my God, we all worked on this, and it all came together and now we have it in our hands.’ It’s such a beautiful moment.”
The publication has also been a learning opportunity for students who plan to go into other fields.
“I want to be a journalist, but this has prepared me a lot for editing — I’m a pretty good editor,” LeMaster says.
LeMaster, who is also an intern at the Connecticut Mirror, covering the legislative session, said working on the literary publication with different narrative and literary styles helped her develop storytelling skills that will help her as she pursues a career in journalism. The experience will help her tell important news stories in a way that helps capture an audience’s attention and connect to them.
But it’s not just the practical skills LeMaster and Cummings enjoyed about their time with the literary publication. LeMaster, a commuter student who recently transferred from the Hartford campus, says working on the publication allowed her to get acquainted with the campus.
“What was cool about being the editor-in-chief is that you’re allowed to have your passion project and also help people get involved with it and see how cool it can be working with authors, working with staff, working with people who care about literature,” LeMaster says. Gaining that experience is just so awesome.”
In an age of digital publication, the students agree that creating something tangible is a special kind of satisfaction.
“There’s no feeling like getting that magazine in your hand and being like, ‘I helped create this,’” LeMaster says. “It’s such a cool feeling.”
