Cimarron Review

Cimarron Review is an American literary magazine founded in 1967 and based at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The magazine publishes fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews and has been associated with a wide array of writers, editors, and institutions across the United States and internationally. Over decades it has cultivated relationships with universities, cultural centers, foundations, and presses while featuring work that connects to the wider landscapes of American letters, regional studies, and contemporary literary movements.

History

The magazine was established in 1967 amid a national expansion of literary periodicals linked to universities such as Iowa Writers' Workshop, Columbia University, University of Iowa, New York University, and Stanford University. Early editorial leadership connected the journal to state and regional networks including Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Tulsa, and cultural institutions like the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. During the 1970s and 1980s its publication schedule and editorial remit reflected broader trends traced from the Beat Generation through Postmodernism and the rise of creative writing programs at institutions such as Yale University, Brown University, Cornell University, and University of California, Irvine. The journal's history intersects with national conversations shaped by literary awards and organizations including the PEN American Center, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Award.

Editorial Profile and Content

The magazine issues quarterly volumes featuring short fiction, poetry, critical essays, and interviews, drawing submissions from established and emerging writers affiliated with major programs like the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Michener Center for Writers, and conservatories such as Juilliard School in broader artistic conversations. Editorial practices have mirrored peer publications such as The Paris Review, The New Yorker, Granta, and The Kenyon Review, emphasizing craftsmanship and discovery. Content has engaged with subjects and figures from American and world literature, presenting work by contributors connected to entities including the Library of Congress, Modern Language Association, American Academy of Arts and Letters, and prominent presses like Random House, Knopf, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Simon & Schuster, Harcourt Brace, and Vintage Books.

Contributors and Notable Publications

Over decades the magazine has published work by writers and poets who are also associated with the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle, MacArthur Fellows Program, and state arts councils. Contributors have included figures with affiliations to programs and institutions such as Columbia University School of the Arts, Brown University, Princeton University, Harvard University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, University of Chicago, Dartmouth College, Rutgers University, Pennsylvania State University, and cultural organizations like the New York Public Library and the British Library. The journal has printed fiction and poetry by authors who later appeared in anthologies such as The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Poetry, and whose work was selected by editors linked to publications including Poetry Magazine, Ploughshares, TriQuarterly, and AGNI.

Awards and Recognition

Work first published in the magazine has been reprinted and honored in national anthologies and prize lists including the O. Henry Award, Pushcart Prize, Best American Short Stories, Best American Essays, Whiting Awards, Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, and selections by juries associated with the National Endowment for the Arts. The journal and its editors have received support and recognition from funding bodies such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and state arts agencies, and contributors have gone on to receive honors from institutions including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the MacArthur Foundation.

Distribution and Access

Published from Stillwater, the magazine is distributed through academic channels tied to Oklahoma State University Press and is available in print and through library collections at institutions such as the Library of Congress, New York Public Library, University of Michigan Library, Harvard University Library, Yale University Library, and regional consortia. Subscription and back-issue access are managed alongside university repositories and literary databases used by scholars at institutions such as JSTOR, Project MUSE, EBSCO, and research libraries across the United States and internationally, including collections at British Library and major European research libraries.

Category:Literary magazines published in the United States Category:Oklahoma State University Category:Magazines established in 1967