About

Dogwood: A Journal of Poetry and Prose is an annual national literary journal seeking works from writers during its fall reading period each year. We publish fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction of both contest winners and other writers in May of each year. The literary journal is produced by the faculty in the Department of English at Fairfield University, and Fairfield undergraduate students gain hands-on experience in helping to edit and produce the journal by taking EN 340: The World of Publishing or The World of Publishing II.

NewPages described us as “highly recommended… There are great stories and poems here that deserve a lot of attention” (Oct. 2012), and the Review Review described our content as “well-written and compelling.”

Dogwood collaborates in literary endeavors with CausewayLit, the literary journal produced by the students in the Fairfield University Low-Residency MFA Program.

Dogwood has published poets such as Elton Glaser, Allison Joseph, Virgil Suarez, and Joshua Mehigan, and fiction writers such as Eric Gabriel Lehman, Nalini Jones, Tom Hazuka, and Gina Ochsner. Judges for the competition have included former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, and Oprah book club author A. Manette Ansay. Work from Dogwood has been selected for The Pushcart Prize Anthology and has been featured on Verse Daily.

Dogwood would not exist without the generous support of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences at Fairfield University and without support of alumni and friends.

Why Dogwood?

The name “Dogwood” refers to the tree; the area of Fairfield, Connecticut, where we got our start is known for its flowering dogwood trees, hundreds of which were imported from Japan. One notable area is the Greenfield Hill neighborhood; you can see pictures of the dogwoods here, courtesy of the Greenfield Hill Village Improvement Society. The area hosts an annual springtime Dogwood Festival; the 75th festival was celebrated in 2011. Check out the latest pictures here courtesy of the Greenfield Hill Congregational Church.

How does the Dogwood tree contribute to our artistic vision? We take inspiration from a plant that has moved across the globe as a transplant and thrived as we celebrate writing that brings joy by crossing borders.

Dogwood is a proud member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses:

We are proud to be listed in The Review Review

Dogwood is a proud member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses

Dogwood is proud to be listed in New Pages

ISSN 2330-3905 (print)
ISSN 2330-3915 (online)