Oxford American
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The Oxford American is an American quarterly literary magazine that features writing and art from Southerners or about the South. The magazine has ceased publication several times but is currently published.
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[edit] First publication
The magazine began in late 1989 in Oxford, Mississippi, by editor Marc Smirnoff (born July 1963). Smirnoff, a native of Mill Valley, California, a suburb of San Francisco, arrived in Oxford after his BMW sedan broke down in the midst of a cross-country excursion in late 1987. While waiting for the car to be repaired, he secured a job at the independent Oxford bookstore Square Books.[citation needed]
At the bookstore, he met writers who passed through on author tours and local authors like John Grisham, Larry Brown, Barry Hannah, and Willie Morris. Smirnoff thus decided that the South needed a general interest magazine like The Atlantic Monthly or The New Yorker which focused on regional writers and culture. Smirnoff then began an in-depth study of the history of magazines in America at the University of Mississippi main library and read back issues of American general interest magazines.[citation needed]
The name "Oxford American" is a play on The American Mercury, H. L. Mencken's general interest magazine which Smirnoff long admired. Once he decided to start the magazine, Smirnoff wrote letters to American writers like John Updike, Richard Ford, Charles Bukowski, and William Steig to ask for contributions to the magazine. As a result, many writers donated work to the debut issue without requiring payment. Financed entirely through credit cards, donations from Smirnoff's friends and family, the magazine's debut issue was published on Saturday,March 14, 1992. The cover of the first issue featured a fire-engine red cover with white text and a "photo-realistic" painting by Oxford painter Glennray Tutor of an abandoned gasoline pump. Three more issues were published, including one featuring previously unpublished photographs by Eudora Welty. The magazine then ceased publication in mid-1994 for lack of funding.[citation needed]
[edit] Second and third publication
In April 1995, author and Oxford resident John Grisham secured financing to bring the magazine back into publication. The magazine had a new look and was printed on coated paper stock with a higher page count and new advertisers. Although the magazine had a successful following, it was still not a successful business venture and in September 2001 stopped publication for a second time.[citation needed]
The magazine began its third incarnation in late 2002 and was headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The magazine was published in conjunction with the AtHome, Inc., group of magazines. Due to insufficient advertising revenue, it again stopped publication in late 2003.[citation needed]
[edit] Present incarnation
After $500,000 in financing was secured, the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas, assumed the role as publisher and the magazine began publication once again in December 2004 as a quarterly. The magazine's editorial offices are on the first floor of Main Hall on the university grounds.
The magazine has won several National Magazine Awards and is noted for its annual Southern music issue, which includes a complimentary CD. It has also featured previously unpublished work by William Faulkner. The current staff includes Smirnoff as Editor/Publisher, Carol Ann Fitzgerald as Managing Editor, Paul Reyes as Senior Editor/Web Editor, J. E. Pitts as Poetry Editor, and a revolving staff of UCA students who serve as interns.[1]
