Our Story
Founded in 1997 in Cortland, New York, by filmmaker, producer, director, and ardent supporter of literature Guy Shahar, The Cortland Review was not only one of the first online literary magazines, but a trailblazer in the use of audio recordings of contributors reading their own work.
Longtime editor-in-chief Ginger Murchison guided The Cortland Review as it continued to break new ground with video interviews and special issues guest-edited by a range of extraordinary poets, expanding the notion of what a literary magazine could be. With new editor-in-chief Christian Gullette, our latest evolution has been to a triannual poetry journal and includes a new look and website that provides even more innovative ways to provide the exclusive, unforgettable literary content readers have come to expect.
Over the past 23 years, The Cortland Review has built a reputation for excellence, publishing everyone from Pulitzer Prize winners to exciting, emerging voices. Writers published in The Cortland Review have appeared in Best American Poetry and been nominated for Pushcart Prizes, and the journal has received accolades such as Best of the Web citations from Forbes magazine.
We pride ourselves on the diverse range of truly remarkable work we publish. Each issue of The Cortland Review curates a journey through different styles, experiences, and subjects, and through poems we find to be fresh and surprising. Poems that offer new ways of perceiving experience and the world. We remain committed to amplifying the voices of Black writers and the work of writers of color as we continue to learn and grow and fulfill our mission. We also believe in strong, collaborative relationships not only with our contributors, but with our talented, dedicated staff. Whether poetry, art, audio, design, or reviews, everyone brings unique skills and perspectives to each issue.
Through all these exciting developments and those to come, we strive to bring to our cherished readers and those just discovering us, work that will stop them in their tracks and show them something new.