Chiron Review is a literary journal based in St. John, Kansas

St. John, Kansas

St. John is a city in and the county seat of Stafford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,295.-19th century:...

. It was founded as The Kindred Spirit in February 1982, by Michael Hathaway shortly after graduating high school and taking a job as typesetter at a local daily newspaper. In March, 1989, the title was changed to Chiron Review.

Jane Hathaway served as assistant editor until her death on Feb. 20, 2000 at age 63. In March 1989, Gerald Locklin became contributing poetry editor and Raphael Zepeda became contributing fiction editor. In September, 2003, John Brantingham joined the staff as a second contributing editor in fiction and in March, 2008, Zachary Locklin joined as a second contributing editor in poetry. Guest editors for special issues include Andrew Gettler and Sarah Daugherty.

Chiron Review is printed in tabloid format with photos of featured poets. It is noted for publishing the widest possible range of contemporary creative writing. It is also known for fostering a sense of "community" in small press circles.

Chiron Reviews archives are collected by and housed at Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. The journal is indexed by Humanities Index International Complete, Averill Park, NY. Issues 18-81 were indexed by Index of American Periodical Verse.

Chiron Review has published work by authors such as Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski

Henry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...

, William Stafford

William Stafford

William Edgar Stafford was an American poet and pacifist, and the father of poet and essayist Kim Stafford. He was appointed the twentieth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1970....

, Marge Piercy

Marge Piercy

Marge Piercy is an American poet, novelist, and social activist. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Gone to Soldiers, a sweeping historical novel set during World War II.-Biography:...

, James Broughton

James Broughton

James Broughton was an American poet, and poetic filmmaker. He was part of the San Francisco Renaissance...

, Edward Field

Edward Field

-Biography:Field was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Lynbrook, Long Island, New York, where he played cello in the Field Family Trio, which had a weekly radio program on WGBB Freeport...

, Antler, Richard Kostelanetz

Richard Kostelanetz

Richard Kostelanetz is an American artist, author and critic.He was born to Boris Kostelanetz and Ethel Cory and is the nephew of the composer Andre Kostelanetz....

, Robert Peters

Robert Peters

Robert Louis Peters is a poet, critic, scholar, playwright, editor, and actor born in an impoverished rural area of northern Wisconsin in 1924. He holds a Ph.D in Victorian literature. His poetry career began in 1967 when his young son Richard died unexpectedly of spinal meningitis...

, Lorri Jackson, Charles Harper Webb

Charles Harper Webb

Charles Harper Webb is an American poet, professor, psychotherapist and former singer and guitarist. His most recent poetry collection is Shadow Ball . His honors include a Whiting Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, The Kate Tufts Discovery Award, a Pushcart Prize and inclusion in The Best American...

, Tony Barnstone, Erskine Caldwell

Erskine Caldwell

Erskine Preston Caldwell was an American author. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native South like the novels Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre won him critical acclaim, but they also made him controversial among fellow Southerners of the time who felt he was...

, Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel

Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel

Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel was a long-time resident of California's Central Valley. Wilma was one of thousands who emigrated from Oklahoma to California during the Dust Bowl years of the mid-1930s....

, Janice Eidus

Janice Eidus

Janice Eidus is an American author who writes and speaks on issues concerning contemporary culture, women's issues, and Jewish culture.-Biography:...

, Denise Duhamel

Denise Duhamel

-Background:Duhamel received her B.F.A. from Emerson College and her M.F.A. from Sarah Lawrence College. She is a New York Foundation for the Arts recipient and has been resident poet at Bucknell University...

, Wanda Coleman

Wanda Coleman

Wanda Coleman is an American poet. She is known as "the L.A. Blueswoman," and "the unofficial poet laureate of Los Angeles."-Biography:...

, Harry Northup

Harry Northup

-Life and career:Northup was born in Amarillo, Texas. He lived in seventeen places by the time he was seventeen, but mostly lived in Sidney, Nebraska, where he graduated from high-school in 1958. From 1958 to 1961, he served in the United States Navy, where he attained the rank of Second Class...

, Hugh Fox

Hugh Fox

Hugh Bernard Fox Jr. was a writer, novelist, poet and anthropologist and one of the founders of the Pushcart Prize for literature...

, A.D. Winans, Clifton Snider

Clifton Snider

Clifton Mark Snider is an American poet, novelist, literary critic, scholar, and educator. He has a B.A. and an M.A. from California State University, Long Beach, and a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico...

, Felice Picano

Felice Picano

Felice Picano is an American writer. He graduated cum laude from Queens College in 1964 with English department honors. He founded SeaHorse Press in 1977, and The Gay Presses of New York in 1981 with Terry Helbing and Larry Mitchell; he was Editor-in-Chief there. He was an editor and writer for...

, Will Inman and Quentin Crisp

Quentin Crisp

Quentin Crisp , was an English writer and raconteur. He became a gay icon in the 1970s after publication of his memoir, The Naked Civil Servant.- Early life :...

.

Chiron Review has published five theme editions. Issue #26 (spring, 1991) was written entirely by Vietnam veteran writers. The issue was guest edited by Andrew Gettler. The cover featured Steve Mason, Poet Laureate of the Vietnam Veterans of America. Other writers included were W.D. Ehrhart, Lamont B. Steptoe, David Connolly, James Soular, B.D. Trail, Jon Forrest Glade, Jabiya Dragonsun, Kevin Bowen, David A. Willson, Jerome Gold, Mack Moore and Jonathan Block.

Issues #33, #50 and #81 were all-gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender editions. Issue #33 (winter, 1992) featured Will Inman on the cover. Among the other writers were Robert Peters, Sue Silvermarie, Antler, Laurel Speer, Lisa Beskin, Riq Hospodar, Michael Lassell, Myrna Elana, Sarah Van Arsdale, Hugh Fox, Sally Bellerose, Gavin Dillard, Linda Zeiser, Diane Williams, John Gilgun, Christopher Thomas, Rane Arroyo, Andrew Demcak, Scott Heim, Kenneth Pobo, Edward Field, Carl M. Daniels, Michael Gregg Michaud, David Trinidad and Janet Mason.

Issue #50 (winter, 1992) featured James Broughton on the cover. Other writers were Leslea Newman, Will Inman, Denise Nico Leto, Jim Elledge, Laurel Speer, Antler, Gavin Dillard, S.K. Duff, Edward Field, Michael Lassell, Michael Lowenthal, William Reichard and Michael Gregg Michaud. There was also art by Gary H. Brown.

Issue #81 (winter, 2005) featured Ian Ayres on the cover. Some writers included were Quentin Crisp, Jeff Mann, Will Inman, Shane Allison, Carl Miller Daniels, Laurel Speer, Michael Huxley, Collin Kelley, Phillip Ward, Hugh Fox, David Cope, Felice Picano, Kathleen Bryson, Jillian Lauren, Leslea Newman, David Cope, Louie Crew, Laurie Levinger, Angelique Chambers and Jennifer D. Munro.

Issue #89 (winter, 2009) was an all-punk issue, suggested by Beat poet and cartoonist Charles Plymell. Sarah Daugherty, MFA, guest-edited this special edition. Chiron Review #89 is a unique and authentic collection of edgy, dark and often humorous works by known and unknown punk rock writers and artists. Contributors to Issue #89 include Meri St. Mary, Eugene Robinson, Sab Grey, Shon Fox, Chairman Ralph, D.C. Lynn, John Oliver Hodges, Victor D. Infante, D.R. Haney, Doug Mathewson, Jeff Flaster, Sean Punk, Clifton Snider, klipschutz and Adelle Stripe.

External links

• Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library