OXFORD AMERICAN

from 2020-2021 UCA Annual Report

ATHLETICS

The Oxford American is a nationally distributed, quarterly literary magazine that features the best in Southern writing while also exploring the complexity and vitality of the American South. Over the course of the year, the organization has continued to present cultural offerings such as virtual panels, films, readings and concerts in addition to our award-winning publication.

The Oxford American’s internship program provides students at the University of Central Arkansas the opportunity to engage with all aspects of publishing. Additionally in spring 2021, Executive Director Sara A. Lewis, taught the Oxford American Publishing Practicum class in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and Department of Film, Theatre, and Creative Writing. This capstone course gave students hands-on experience in the editorial processes of the magazine.

Also last spring, the Oxford American launched an updated version of OxfordAmerican.org, highlighting multimedia projects, including the “Points South” podcast, as well as the magazine’s vast archive, which dates back to 1992 and is in the process of being digitized for the web.

Danielle A. Jackson was named editor of the Oxford American in early 2021 and is spearheading the print edition of the magazine as well as film and web projects. For her first music issue as editor, Jackson has selected the theme of Up South, which explores the great migration of Southern sound, and is accompanied by a CD and Spotify playlists highlighting the outsize impact of Southern music.

The Oxford American was named a finalist for a National Magazine Award in Fiction as well as a finalist in General Excellence by the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses’ Firecracker Awards. Work originally published in the Oxford American will be highlighted in the 2021 Best American anthologies including a special commendation for the 2020 Place Issue.

Since the start of 2021, the Oxford American headquarters have relocated from downtown Little Rock to the campus of UCA, giving staff the opportunity to interact more meaningfully with faculty, staff and students, with further collaborations on the horizon.