Bennington Review Redux
The Little Magazine Collection recently acquired issues of the rebooted Bennington Review, now under the direction of Michael Dumanis, a faculty member at Bennington College. “This is the third inaugural issue,” Dumanis notes in the Spring/Summer 2016 issue. “We were originally inaugurated in 1966 by photographer Laurence J. Hyman, the son of critic Stanley Edgar Hyman and author Shirley Jackson, a Bennington alum.” The magazine continued until 1970, Dumanis explains, and then in 1978 editors Robert Boyers and Nicholas Delbanco revived it. They featured Jorge Luis Borges, John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, John Ashbery, Ai, Annie Dillard and May Sarton, Dumanis points out. Now, 30 years later, the journal is publishing Nick Flynn, Meena Alexander, Deb Olin Unferth, Rick Moody, and a host of other talented folks.
To celebrate Bennington Review’s return, here’s a peek at its transformation over the years. From the beginning, it showcased great writing and elegant art and design. Take a look yourself in Special Collections, and welcome back, Bennington Review!