Under the leadership of editor and founder Professor Mitch Wieland, The Idaho Review, the literary journal of Boise State’s MFA Program in Creative Writing, has earned high praise.
Author and Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Doerr, a Boise resident, said, “In an era when print journals were folding left and right, Mitch assembled, sustained and elevated The Idaho Review from sheer force of will.”
Over the past 20 years, 17 stories from The Idaho Review have appeared in national prize anthologies including “The Best American Short Stories,” “The O. Henry Prize Stories,” “The Pushcart Prize” and others.
Weiland called heading the journal “a singular thrill.”
“The journal’s amazing success — and the MFA program’s as well — has exceeded my wildest imagination. To be a part of both from the start and watch them gain national attention and prestige has been deeply rewarding,” Wieland said.
He recently learned that the short story “This Isn’t the Actual Sea” by Corinna Vallianatos, which he published in his final issue last year, will appear in the upcoming issue of “The Best American Short Stories,” edited by Min Jin Lee.
“It doesn’t get much better than that. I suppose they call this kind of thing going out in style,” Wieland said.
Novelist and creative writing alum Mary Pauline Lowry will be guest editor for the 2022-23 academic year.
“Mitch’s dedication to the literary community is an inspiration. I’m incredibly grateful for all he taught me,” Lowry said.“I am beyond honored that he gave me the opportunity to help take The Idaho Review into its next phase.”
Anna Caritj, who joined the writing program’s faculty in 2022, will become the journal’s permanent editor. She is the author of the novel, “Leda and the Swan.” Her shor appear in Blackbird, Mid-American Review and The Sewanee Review.