The Good Life Review was co-founded in the spring of 2020 by Shyla Shehan and Ed Vogel, both of whom envisioned creating an online literary journal that would be edited and operated by fellow graduates and candidates of the MFA in Writing program at the University of Nebraska. Our group of writers, editors, and designers came together to craft a space intended to shine a light on the diversity that exists in the Midwest.
Based out of Omaha, Nebraska—astride the often unnoticed—we know there is a myriad of voices who call the regions surrounding us home. The Good Life Review is committed to exploring the overlooked. Our mission is to lift the strange, the daring, the underrepresented; and reveal complexities hidden in the Heartland and beyond. We seek to elevate writing that takes risks and challenges perceptions, writing that haunts long after the last line.
Fall 2020 update:
The above has been The Good Life Review‘s mission since its inception. Everyone at TGLR is a creator, and we’ve always believed in the power of art to shape a world. As a literary magazine, we are learning how much reach and power publishing platforms have. We acknowledge and embrace this responsibility. Without subsequent action, however, we’ve come to realize that statements are really just a form of inaction, and inaction complicity.
We are working toward becoming a more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and welcoming space by:
- Amplifying voices—initiatives, efforts, grassroots organizations, etc.—on our website and social media channels who are working toward equity and eradicating injustices.
- Supporting local and national organizations focusing on the arts as a vehicle to inspire positive social change.
- Actively seeking words and art by those humans often marginalized, including Black, Indigenous, people of color; trans people; cis women; agender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and intersex people; LGBTQIA+; people who are incarcerated, and people with disabilities. If for any reason our submission process is inaccessible to you, please reach out.
- Waiving submission fees for these populations for portions of our spring and autumn reading periods.
Though these are small first steps, TGLR is earnest in our desire to be better and do better. We promise to honor our original commitment to exploring the overlooked and to grow our efforts in the creation of a more just and safe society.
We are a 501C nonprofit literary journal made with ♥ from Omaha, Nebraska.
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