The Fourth River
Encyclopedia
The Fourth River is an American
literary magazine
established in 2005 by the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
Its editorial focus is nature and place-based literary writing. The magazine is edited by MFA graduate students and Chatham faculty; publication is annual as a quality paperback and monthly in its online format.
The journal takes its name from a subterranean river beneath Pittsburgh, a city sited at the confluence of three rivers: Monongahela
, Allegheny
, and Ohio
. The fourth river, unseen but indispensable to the city’s riverine ecosystem, is actually an aquifer geologists call the "Wisconsin Glacial Flow". Founding editor and poet Jeffrey Thomson wrote in first issue that the genesis of The Fourth River is the idea that “between and beneath the visible framework of the human world and the built environment, there exist deeper currents of force and meaning supporting the very structure of that world". The journal also takes inspiration from Rachel Carson
, the biologist
, zoologist, nature writer who is one of Chatham's most notable alumnae.
Editor-in-Chief: Peter Oresick
Managing Editor: Caroline Tanski
Fiction Editor: Robert Yune
Nonfiction Editor: Marc Nieson
Poetry Editor: Heather McNaugher
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
literary magazine
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
established in 2005 by the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Its editorial focus is nature and place-based literary writing. The magazine is edited by MFA graduate students and Chatham faculty; publication is annual as a quality paperback and monthly in its online format.
The journal takes its name from a subterranean river beneath Pittsburgh, a city sited at the confluence of three rivers: Monongahela
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
, Allegheny
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, and Ohio
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. The fourth river, unseen but indispensable to the city’s riverine ecosystem, is actually an aquifer geologists call the "Wisconsin Glacial Flow". Founding editor and poet Jeffrey Thomson wrote in first issue that the genesis of The Fourth River is the idea that “between and beneath the visible framework of the human world and the built environment, there exist deeper currents of force and meaning supporting the very structure of that world". The journal also takes inspiration from Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson
Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement....
, the biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
, zoologist, nature writer who is one of Chatham's most notable alumnae.
Masthead
Executive Editor: Sheryl St. GermainSheryl St. Germain
Sheryl St. Germain is an American poet, essayist, and professor.She is of Cajun and Creole descent. Her father was Jules St. Francois St. Germain and her mother Myrl Marie Frank. Born and raised in south Louisiana, much of her work deals with the culture and environment of Louisiana...
Editor-in-Chief: Peter Oresick
Peter Oresick
Peter Oresick is an American poet and Associate Professor of English at Chatham University, where he directs the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program...
Managing Editor: Caroline Tanski
Fiction Editor: Robert Yune
Nonfiction Editor: Marc Nieson
Marc Nieson
Marc Nieson is an American screenwriter and professor.Currently he teaches in Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania....
Poetry Editor: Heather McNaugher
Past contributors
Past contributors to the journal have included:- Michael ByersMichael ByersMichael Byers is an American writer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and of the University of Michigan Creative Writing MFA Program. His first book, The Coast of Good Intentions, is a collection of short stories set in his native Pacific Northwest...
- Astrid CabralAstrid CabralAstrid Cabral Félix de Sousa is one of the most eminent contemporary poets in Brazil.During the 1950s she was a member of the innovative literary movement known as Clube da Madrugada. She holds a degree in English from Institute Brazil-United States...
- Peter ColePeter ColePeter Cole is an American Jewish poet who lives in Jerusalem and New Haven.-Early life:Cole was born in 1957 in Paterson, New Jersey. He attended Williams College and Hampshire College, and moved to Jerusalem in 1981.-Literary career:...
- Robert HassRobert HassRobert L. Hass is an American poet. He served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1995 to 1997. He was awarded the 2007 National Book Award and the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Time and Materials.-Life:...
- Terrance HayesTerrance HayesTerrance Hayes is a prize-winning American poet. His recent poetry collection Lighthead won the National Book Award for Poetry...
- Samuel HazoSamuel John HazoDr. Samuel John Hazo is an author of books, including poetry, fiction, essays and plays, and the founder and director of the International Poetry Forum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is also McAnulty Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Duquesne University, where he taught for...
- Ted KooserTed KooserTed Kooser is an American poet. He served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004 to 2006.-Early Life:...
- Naomi Shihab NyeNaomi Shihab NyeNaomi Shihab Nye is a poet, songwriter, and novelist. She was born to a Palestinian father and American mother. Although she regards herself as a "wandering poet", she refers to San Antonio as her home.-Career:...
- Claudia RankineClaudia RankineClaudia Rankine is an American poet and playwright born in 1963 and raised in Kingston, Jamaica and New York City. She has taught at Case Western Reserve University, Barnard College, University of Georgia, and in the writing program at the University of Houston. As of 2011, Rankine is the Henry G...
- Janisse RayJanisse RayJanisse Ray is an American writer, naturalist, and environmental activist.She attended North Georgia College, 1980–82; Florida State University, B.A., 1984; and the University of Montana, M.F.A., 1997....
- Judith VollmerJudith VollmerJudith Vollmer is an American poet and editor.She is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg where she teaches such courses as Intro to Poetry, Nature Writing, World Poetry, and Political Poetry, and co-teaches American Poetry and the Creative Process. Vollmer is co-editor of 5...