Issue 7 Editor’s Note

After a year of unexpected challenges, we are excited to present Issue 7 of The Virginia Normal. We always feel that each issue is better than the last, and this is no exception.

Adaptation has been the word of the year over here at The Virginia Normal, and while we have been working hard to bring you this issue, we have made new plans for our future.

After we published Issue 6, we hoped that things would improve over the summer and that we would be able to publish print runs of Issues 6 and 7. Unfortunately, publication of the print issues continues to be postponed due to funding delays, though I hope we can at least publish Issue 6 by the beginning of summer. Our challenges with print publishing this year have taught us that the print model is no longer sustainable for us. Therefore, this will be the final issue of The Virginia Normal as you know it.

Beginning in spring/early summer of 2021, we will begin seeking submissions for The Red Brick Review, a fully online journal produced by the faculty and student editors who brought you The Virginia Normal. Though we are updating our editorial mission and our format, we will still bring you high-quality poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction.

When we first began discussing the idea of moving online, we were excited by the possibilities. We believe that this move will allow us to be more accessible, to appeal to a wider audience, and will improve our ability to represent more sides of the literary landscape. We expect our first issue to be published in Fall 2021.

We hope that you will continue to support us as we embark upon this transition, and we hope that you enjoy this final issue of The Virginia Normal!