Dear Readers,
Welcome to the ninth issue of Illinois Central
Review!
I am proud to say we have a robust and inclusive issue this semester,
even more so than in the past. This issue contains a total of 48 pieces by 29
different contributors. There are 13 artworks, 1 musical performance (a first
for Illinois Central Review!) 22 poems, 7 short stories, and 5 personal
essays.
Most of the pieces included in this issue were submitted by students
who are publishing work in Illinois Central Review for the first time.
In fact, 24 of the 29 are first-time contributors. These include students who
attend ICC full-time, part-time, are dual credit students, a variety of majors,
and this issue includes work contributed by one of our students in the Prison
Education Program who are enrolled in ICC classes while incarcerated at Pekin
FCI.
An extra special note of thanks to Professor Elizabeth Godinez for coordinating and collecting submissions from the PEP students and encouraging them to submit their work!
I am also grateful to all ICC faculty
who shared Illinois Central Review with their students and encouraged
them to submit. Particularly, I’m in endless appreciation of Jim Sullivan who
has encouraged students in his Poetry class to submit their work since the
inception of this literary magazine. Jim retired from ICC in December, and the
impact he has left on his students—and colleagues—is limitless.
Illinois Central Review is currently accepting
submissions for its next issue, which will be published in August 2026. The
deadline to submit is May 1, and you can do so here: Volume V/Issue 2
Submission Form.
Remember, submissions are open to all students taking
classes at ICC, including those in the Dual Enrollment and Strong Start
programs through Early College.
Finally, I invite you to visit the Illinois
Central Review Facebook page for updates and weekly
features of this issue's contributions, starting Monday, January 26.
I hope you enjoy this issue. Thank you for taking a
look!
In writing,
Melissa Grunow
English Professor
Department of Humanities