Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts, finished its fifth year with the publication of “Ennui” by Sylvia Plath. This previously unpublished poem was unearthed by Blackbird’s 05-06 associate editor, Anna Journey ('07). The poem’s publication was international news with over 150 news reports from around the globe.

Vol. 5, spanning 2006-2007, averaged over 50,000 visits (or "sessions") per month with international visitors from all over the world, including, for instance, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Turkey, and Poland, ranking in that order.

During its fifth—and now entering its sixth—year, Blackbird garnered a greater readership by publishing works from the likes of Alan Shapiro, Terese Svoboda, Josip Novakovich, William Henry Lewis, Camille Zakharia, Dan O’Brien as well as VCU First Novelist winner Peter Orner and Ron Slate, winner of the ’06 Levis Reading Prize. A special congratulations goes out to previous Blackbird contributor, Natasha Tretheway, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in poetry.

Gregory Donovan of the MFA faculty, Mary Flinn of our publishing partner, New Virginia Review, Inc., and Michael Keller ('89) of the Department of English continue to serve as editors of the magazine, along with associate literary editor and book review editor, Susan Settlemyre Williams ('04). Kate Beles ('08) served as the Blackbird associate editor, and Tarfia Faizullah ('09) will serve in that capacity for the upcoming 07/08 academic year. The magazine also brought on board Patrick Vickers as the online editor and J. Randy Marshall as a new associate literary editor. Blackbird continues to provide vital editing experience for our MFA and MA students, and also works with the new PhD program in Media, Art, & Text, that, in turn, provides two additional GTAs. In addition, Blackbird depends on a volunteer staff of VCU friends and alumni as manuscript readers and copyeditors, thus continuing to foster relationships between the English department and the greater Richmond community.

See http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu.