About Blue Mesa Review
Masthead
Amy Dotson
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Amy Dotson is a writer from eastern Kentucky, though she has also lived in central Kentucky. She is in her third year of her MFA and is working on a sci-fi novel that’s not not about sea lions. Her work tends to deal with class, places affected by political neglect, and sea lions. Like many twenty-somethings, she has recently gotten really into rock climbing. Like many twenty-somethings, she has hurt herself while rock climbing.
Gwyneth Henke
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Gwyneth Henke (she/her) is a writer from Saint Louis, Missouri. A third-year fiction student in the MFA at the University of New Mexico, she graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in religious studies and creative writing. In her reading life, she loves Haruki Murakami, Elena Ferrante, Mieko Kawakami, Jhumpa Lahiri, Diane Oliver, and Susan Choi. She also makes paper cut-outs.
Paris Baldante
Nonfiction Editor
Paris Baldante is a writer from Philadelphia and a second-year MFA student at UNM. Her fiction and nonfiction explore strange weather, ghostly locations, liminal identities, and cold intimacies. She loves to read Karen Russell, Jorge Luis Borges, bell hooks, Jennifer Egan, and Jia Tolentino.
John Hardberger
Fiction Editor
John Hardberger is a fiction writer from Lubbock, Texas. As a journalist, John wrote about music, comedy, art, and amateur wrestling for Chicago magazine, and briefly covered the hot dog beat for the Chicago Tribune. His fiction explores the liminal spaces between identities, cultures, landscapes, and religions.
Lucas Garcia
Poetry Editor
Lucas Garcia (they/them) has come home to Albuquerque. They are a second-year MFA candidate in poetry at UNM whose work in many genres explores queerness, resistance, failure, religion, survival and the discipline of hope. Incidentally, they are drawn as a reader to the work of writers with similar foci. They have a noted lack of chill.
Áine McCarthy
Associate Editor
Áine McCarthy (she/her) is a witch from New England who loves Buddhist chaplaincy, contemplative Christianity, and queer tarot. She has published poems and thoughts on labyrinths with Arsenic Lobster and Bitch Magazine. At UNM she is the Director of the Women’s Resource Center and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction. Her favorite writer is John O’Donohue.
Marisa P. Clark
Faculty Advisor
Marisa P. Clark (she/her) grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, came out in Atlanta, Georgia, and relocated to beautiful New Mexico in 1998. She holds a PhD in fiction-writing from Georgia State University and an MA in American literature and a BS in psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. A lecturer for more than two decades at UNM, she has taught all genres of undergraduate creative writing, queer texts and other literature courses, first- and second-year composition courses, and ESL, along with taking on various roles with Blue Mesa Review. She is the author of the poetry collection BIRD, and her prose and poetry appear in numerous literary publications journals.
Graduate Readers
Undergraduate Readers
Prof. Rudolfo Anaya
History
Blue Mesa Review was founded by Rudolfo Anaya in 1989. Anaya, a Creative Writing instructor at the University of New Mexico at the time, wanted a space for New Mexican and Southwestern writers to publish their work. As a landscape of intersectionality and diversity, the Southwest is the perfect place for beautiful intersectional art to grow, and Anaya charged Blue Mesa Review with tending those roots in our community. Today, we strive to continue to support and publish voices of the Southwest and the world at large, and to foster connections between our academic circle and the rich literary traditions of Albuquerque and New Mexico.
Blue Mesa Review is run by graduate students at University of New Mexico’s MFA program and assisted in our work by a faculty advisor and a team of graduate and undergraduate readers. In our thirty-four years and 40+ issues, our contributors have included Jimmy Santiago Baca, Sandra Cisneros, Joy Harjo, Sherwin Bitsui, and countless other exceptional writers. We are grateful to the diverse voices who have brought their identities, cultures, and creativity to an international arena.
We are proud to be approaching our 50th anniversary issue in Fall 2024. Since our founding, we’ve been committed to the craft of storytelling and the uplifting of unique voices and traditions through language and art. We invite you to join us. See our Submission Guidelines to learn how.
Thanks
Genre graphics were created by Amy Dotson, with inspiration from the Friends of the Orphan Signs project. Banner photograph by Gwyneth Henke; graphic by Amy Dotson.
The thumbnail images used throughout our site that are not credited artist works are taken from publications curated by the Public Domain Review, including Adam Ludwig Marsing’s 1776 Marmora et adfines aliquos lapides coloribus suis exprimi (Illustrations of marble types and some related stones), Orra White Hitchcock’s Scientific Illustrations for the Classroom (1828-1840), and Eugène Grasset’s 1896 Plants and Their Application to Ornament. They are accessible under public domain.
Our website was designed by University Communications & Marketing’s Vincent Narducci.
Staff Through the Years
Countless people have worked on Blue Mesa Review over the years as undergraduate and graduate readers, editors, advisors, and more. You can find their names below, with our thanks for their tireless contributions to the magazine. And, if you were a member of Blue Mesa Review and don’t see yourself listed below, reach out to us so we can add you!
Ali Abd’ Allah-Ellis
Haneen Abdeljawid
Carrie Adair
Jessica Adams
Emmy Alameda
Laurie Alberts
Dallas Alexander
Samantha Shay Allen
Matthew C. Allen
Maya Allen-Gallegos
Eva Allison
Rudolfo A. Anaya
Robert Anderson
Kani Aniegboka
Ellen Archibald
Beverly Army Gillen
Tani Arness
Bonnie Arning
Kara Arnold
Rebecca Aronson
Robin Babb
Adrian Baca
Leslie Baca
Jordyn N. Bachmann
Paris Baldante
Marcos Balido
Scott Barnard
James Barry
Lee Bartlett
Nathaniel Bates
Colleen Bazemore-Colclough
Dianne Bechtel
Randi Beck
Martha Bedeaux
Elizabeth Beecher
Amy Beeder
Jamesha Begay
Tyelynne (Tye) Begaye
Kyndall Benning
John Bess
Lauren Betzen
Amy Beveridge
Anne Bingham
Amanda Bissell
Alan Blackstock
Theo Bloyd
Theodore Bloyd
Gene Booth
Jerilyn Bowen
Hyler Kathleen Bowman
Alison Bratkovic
Trever Braun
Tamara Brenno
Kaylee Britt
Kyle Browder
Callan Buday
Andreas Buechler
Zahra Bundrage
Justin Burke
Lucy Burns
Nicole Bussard
L. Butler
Joe Byrne
Marisa Cabanillas
Loreena Cain
Tori Cárdenas
Mayra Yasmin Cárdenas
Muriel Carpenter
Mia Casas
Mia Casas
Shona Casey
Christopher Castellanos
Cameron Cates
Ada Chamberlain
J. Chapman
Loyola Chastain
Mari Chavez
Lisa D. Chávez
Evan D. Chilton-Garcia
Emma Chowns
Bruce Chrisp
Kyle Churney
Marisa Clark
Patricia Clark Smith
Marisa P. Clark
Isabella Clarke
Vera Clyne
Laurel Coffey
James Colbert
Larry Collins
Erica Colon
Jasmine Colorado
Miriah Constant
Jessica Coonrod
Shelbie Corey
Raina Corner
Shelley Corral
Kyle Craft
Lisa Craig
Brian Crane
N. Croce
Kristin Crocker
Juliette Cunico
Richard Currey
Carrie Cutler-Maxwell
Lynn Dahlgren
Sonnin Dahl
Isabelle Daikhi
Alexandra Dark
Dan Darling
Margaret Davidson
Cody Davis
Jennie Dear
Will DeBiasi
Katherine DeBlassie
Jeanette DeDios
Jill Dehnert
Elizabeth Delorenzo
Marisa DeMarco
A. Demas
Leslie Jae Dennis
Nick DePascal
Emmett DiMauro
Dominic D. Dix
Gwyneth Doland
Darren Donate
Krys Douglas
Sarah Durand
Mariam Durrani
Tatiana Duvanova
Robert “Wes” Dyer
Paul Eberly
Bronson Elliott
Anne Elrod
Brett Elwell
Susan Engman
Donna Epler
Aaron Espinosa
Jennifer Evans
Sabrina Fannin
Shana Ferguson
J. Steve Fernandez
Katie Fields
Diana Filar
Andrew Flood
Mary Beth Folia
Benjamin Fowler
Leslie Fox
Casey Frank
Debra Freeman
Syd Freland
Larson Fritz
Gene Frumkin
Carter Gage
Nancy Gage
Jared Gallardo
Patrick Gallegos
Katrina L. Gallegos
Angelo Gallegos
Lucas Garcia
Melisa Garcia
Seth García
Joshua Garr
Tamara Gaskill
Michael Gay
Jenny Krause
Andy Geary
Katrina Gilbert
Jana Giles
Yvonne Gillam
Sheila Gilmartin
Lawrence C. Goeckel
Brenna Gomez
Renata Gonzales
Alena Gonzales
Sarah Gonzales
Rigoberto Gonzales
Renata Gonzales
Emily Graves
Dyllan Griffan
Gabriel Gryffn
Carnely Guana
Angel Guanajuato
Isaiah Guerra
Kristina Guist
Andrew Gunn
Michelle Gurule
Lenore Gusch
Kurt Gutjahr
Ally Hack
Erin Hagenow
David Hailey
John Hardberger
Kathleen Hardy
Joy Harjo
J. Harris
Valaree Hartley
Jonathan Bohr Heinen
Michael Henderson
Kim Henderson
Gwyneth Henke
Emily Herrera
Jennifer Herrera
Nora Hickey
Kathryn Hickling
Rachel Hill
Jacquie Hinton
Jessilyn Hobby
Deborah Hoffman
Bryant Holderried
Stephanie Holinka
Patrick Houlihan
Steven D. Howe
Cat Hubka
Aaron Huffman
Phillip Hughes
Jonathon Huse
Ben Ikenson
Charissa Inman
Jody Ipsen
Paul Irwin
Gabriela Irwin
Anita Jaime
Echo Jardini
Grady Jaynes
Nell Johnson
David Johnson
Corrine Johnson
Katyna Johnson
Molly Johnston
Dylan Jones
Bridget Jones
Cody Jones
Carolyn Jones
Ana June
Amy Jurgensen
N. Jane Kalu
Tessa Keenan
Kimberly Keller
Sarah Kelly
Jason Kerkmans
Nancy King
C.W. King
Nari Kirk
Victoria Kittredge
Eric T. Knowlson
Andrew Koch
Khallen Korte
Jennifer Krohn
Sari Krosinsky
Gayle Krueger
William Kuh
Uma Kukathas
Pat Kusch
Laurie Kutchins
Crys LaCroix
Sam Laird
Lindsay Lancaster
Daniel Landman
Katie Landon
David Landry
Naomi Lange
Heather Lapahie
Dan Larson
Skip Ledger
Orion Lee
Kassandra Legarda
D. Lensing
Sarah Lentz
Jordan Lenz
Marybeth Libbey
Matthew Lineberry
Charles Linsmeier
Aaron Little
Matthew Loeblich
Ka Long
Alex Longo
Casandra Lopez
Jessica Helen Lopez
Ed Lorusso
Ellen Lusetti
Brian Lush
Sama I. Maadi
David Madan
Emilia Madrid
Aspyn Maes
John Maes
Betty Malloy
Monet Maloof
Andrew Marcus
E.A. Mares
Kathy Marmon
Kate Marsters
Gregory Martin
Trista Martin
R. Martinez
John Martinez Weston
Mitch Marty
Robert Masterson
Amy Matteucci
Kaylee Maxon
Carrie Maxwell
Áine McCarthy
Alex McCausland
Tom McGraw
Mitzi McGuire
Ari McGuirk
Elise McHugh
C. McIntire
Katlyn McKinney
Carrie Meadows
James Patrick Melendez
Kelsa Mendoza
Ty Miller
Jared Mills
Jonah Mioduszewski
Ruben Miranda-Juarez
Emma Mitchell
Merimee Moffitt
Isabella C. Montoya
Mario Montoya
Samuel Montoya
Ryan Moore
Juan Morales
M. Morgan
Kioshi Morosin
Rita Mortellaro
Tyler Mortensen-Hayes
Delaine Mottershead
Sloan Moulton
Sammy Mowrey
Daniel Mueller
Robyn Mundy
Danyel Muñoz
Emily Murphy
Michael Noltemeyer
Zach Norwood
Perry Novelli
Adam Nuñez
David O’Connor
Nathan Odegard
Evelyn Olmos
Paul Olson
José Orduña
Megan Osborn
Mikaela Osler
Sarah Yasmin Osman
Zak Ostrowksi
Olivia Padilla
Jasmine Partain
Monica Patchett
Steven Pearl
Catherine Pelletier
Luisa Pennington
Jervon Perkins
Mariah Perry
Julie Peterman
Inez Petersen
Adam Phelps-Romero
Tammy Phillip
Alexis Pierce
Michelle Pierce
Annie Pollard
Maxine Porter
Abigail Pratt
Rachel Pratt
Skye Pratt
Sophia Puglia-Henry
Julia Purrington
Renee Quintana
Kendra Rael
Lisa Ragsdale
Rhea Ramakrishnan
Sayra Ramos
Emily Rapp Black
L. Redmond
Aaron Reeder
Aliyah Reese
Myriam Renaud
Rebekah Rendon
Lila Richardson
J.C. Richard
Suzanne Richardson
Wendell Ricketts
Jeanette E. Riley
S. Riley
Gareth Ripol
Elijah Ritch
Jennifer Roberts
William Roberts
Logan Robinett
Rush Robinett
Victoria Brooke Rodrigues
Ruben Rodriguez
Savina Romero
Holly Romero
Hay Rose
Erin Roth
Matt Rowe
David Rubalcava
Joe Rull
Kayanna Russo
Kayla Russo
Adam Rutherford
Marisa Saavedra
Bob Sabatini
Elena Sanchez
Ricardo Sanchez
Valerie Santillanes
Tristan Santoniello
Natalie Scenters-Zapico
Miriam Schacht
Sylvia Jane Schaepe
Justin Schatz
Richard Schetnan
D. Schmidt
Lauren Schmitz
Connor Schneider
Laura Schoenfelder
Joshua Schorr
Electra Schroeder
Brett Schuler
David Schwartz
Joshua Maitland Secor
Jillian Selwyn
Walden Shank
Bridgid Shaski
Janet Shaw
Sarah Sheesley
Julie Shigekuni
Francesca Shirley
Jennifer Simpson
Nicole Skettle
Rebecca “RJ” Smith
Karyn Smith
Rebecca Snow
Lauren Snyder
Marcia Southwick
Andrew Sowers
Dawn Sperber
Emily Sperry
E. Spiegelman
Patricia Lynn Sprott
Justin St. Germain
Carmela Starace
Stormy Stewart
James Stotte
Cyrus Stuvland
Kimberly Summers
Mark Sundeen
Keara Sweeney
Elizabeth Tannen
Luci Tapahonso
Angelique Tapia
David Teagle
Samantha Tetangco
Jason Thayer
Braydon Thedford
Diane Thiel
Mackenzie Thomas
Joshua Thompson
Dean Thompson
Joshua Tise
Robert Tobin
Alison Todd
Lizbeth Torres
Faerl Torres
Lisa Torres
John Travis
Jennifer Tubbs
Teyler Tulloch
Tanya Tyler
Melanie Unruh
Jared Valdez
Hector Valverde
Vicente Vargas
Allegra Velazquez
Summer Vigil
Rose Theresa Vigil
Colette Village Center
Meg Vlaun
Sydney Walker
Ethan Ward
Daniel Ward
Sharon Oard Warner
Franci Washburn
E. Washburn
Lydia Wassan
Izzy Wasserstein
Diane Wegmann
Stefi Weisburd
Molly Weisse-Bernstein
Cody West
Chris Whitaker
Michelle Wilburn
Leo Williams
Jesse Williams
Tanaya Winder
Tammy Wolf
Christopher Wrenn
M. Wright
Alice Yang
Anthony Yarbrough
Crystal Zanders
Dianna Zimmerman