16 years and counting. That’s how long The Delmarva Review, the national literary magazine based on the Mid-Shore, has been at the challenging job of finding some of the best writers in America and giving them a dignified portal to present their work to academics, critics, and general readers annually.
Since the DR broke away from the Eastern Shore Writers Association to form its nonprofit organization in 2008, it has published over 500 fiction, nonfiction, and poems with the help of 40 volunteer editors from thousands of submittals worldwide. While true to its masthead with almost 50% of those writers do indeed come from the Delmarva region, the literary magazine’s ability to attract world-class authors has allowed it to move quickly to the top of a very competitive field.
Behind all this remarkable work is its leader, Wilson Wyatt. After a successful corporate communications career, Wilson relocated to Talbot County to start a second life as a literary editor. Influenced by such notable publications as the Sewanee Review (based at the University of the South, where Wyatt attended) and other standouts as Gargoyle, Wilson had high expectations for the Delmarva Review. After its 16th volume, he clarifies in his recent Spy interview that he’s more than satisfied that this labor of love has met those high marks.
In our conversation at the Spy studio, Wilson talks about the extraordinary effort it takes to produce the DR, the publication’s future, and lastly, this year’s cover photograph, which he carried himself, symbolizing the editor’s careful eye.
This video is approximately four minutes in length. The Delmarva Review is supported in part by Talbot Arts and the Maryland State Arts Council. It is available for purchase here and the BookPlate in Chestertown.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.