‘Redivider’ Turns 40, Marking Decades of Student-Driven Literary Excellence

Throughout the past four decades, Emerson’s student-run literary journal Redivider, has devoted itself to publishing and elevating works by established and emerging writers across different genres and forms, covering short fiction, poetry and non-fiction pieces.

Even before attending Emerson, Production Director Harper Wood, MFA ’27, knew they wanted to be part of Redivider because of its reputation for creating a sense of community, professionalism, and artistry. 

“Academically and professionally, Redivider has broadened my understanding of what it means to work on a literary journal and what it means to run the publishing branch of a literary journal,” said Wood. “Professionally, the ability to attend conferences and reading events has been such a great way to connect with other writers and publishers and editors.”

Founded in 1984 as the Beacon Street Review, it was renamed to the palindrome Redivider in 2004 to reflect how its influence had grown beyond a local publication to a nationally-recognized literary journal. 

Redivider is run by a large cohort of nearly 50 graduate students who produce three issues a year: spring and fall issues, and a “blurred-genre” issue, which highlights unconventional work that doesn’t fit seamlessly into one genre. 

With each regular semester issue, the journal usually publishes six fiction pieces, half of which are flash fiction, about 10 poetry pieces, and six non-fiction pieces such as memoirs, personal narratives, and cultural critiques. 

At the start of the production for each issue, Redivider readers and editors sort through hundreds of submissions. For this year’s fall issue, for instance, Redivider received around 600 fiction submissions, and around 400 poetry and non-fiction pieces. The team works together to tackle this literary load, practicing skills that will continue to help them well into the future.

“It’s design and it’s math, like trying to fit things into space,” said faculty advisor and Writing, Literature & Publishing Assistant Professor Alden Jones. “It’s really about giving [students] the opportunity to do the whole thing by themselves and figure it out, solve all the problems by themselves and make a magazine.”

Jones said students gain great insight about the publishing industry by working on Redivider, adding that the hard work is a labor of love, as the staff consists of writers who are passionate about literature.  

During the past four decades, the Redivider has featured pieces from acclaimed writers all across the country including Maggie Smith, Desiree Bailey, and Edgar Kunz, whose poetry collection Tap Out elevated him to literary acclaim. In fact, Kunz’s poem “Tap Out” was originally published in a 2015 edition of Redivider.

Digital Director JP Legarte, MFA ’27 ,said the journal is a unifying space bringing together graduate students to celebrate and elevate works that challenge conventional understanding of the written word. 

“Ultimately—and personally—I want readers to continue engaging with Redivider and be reminded of how writing is ultimately an embodiment of the word Redivider,” said Legarte. “I want readers to be reminded of how writing—especially the writing we publish in Redivider—breaks expectations of what writing can and should be and rebuilds those notions into an experience of enjoyment and resonance—perhaps even reckoning—that can accompany the power of writing that dares to challenge and reinvent.”

View this post on Instagram