The White Review is a London-based magazine on literature and the visual arts. It is published in print and online.
History
Founding
The White Review was founded by editors Benjamin Eastham and Jacques Testard, and released its first issue in print in February 2011. The quarterly print edition was originally designed Ray O'Meara, and carries poetry, short fiction, essays and interviews alongside photography and art. Since 2013 and 2017 The White Review has administered the influential The White Review Short Story and Poetry Prize respectively. The White Review website is frequently updated with new web-only content and excerpts from the print edition. The website, like the print edition, carries essays, interviews, poetry and fiction.
In an interview with Creative Review, the founding editors stated that The White Review was intended as "a space for a new generation to express itself unconstrained by form, subject or genre".[2] Talking to US-based magazine Bookforum, they explained that they were inspired to establish a British-based equivalent to publications including n+1, Guernica, Cabinet, The Paris Review[3] and Bomb,[4] while an early interview with It's Nice That quoted them as saying that the magazine would endeavour to "stay close to new writing and emerging art".[5]
Redesign
After 20 print issues, The White Review's print iteration and website were redesigned, and a new editorial team, led by Francesca Wade and Željka Marošević, was introduced. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, and in response to the paucity of space for arts and literature criticism in UK publications, The White Review began publishing book and art show reviews on its website in 2017.[6]
Hiatus
In September 2023, The White Review announced that it would be "ceasing its day-to-day publishing" and undergoing an indefinite hiatus, citing the removal of funding from the Arts Council England and broader macroeconomic hardship.[7][8]
In 2013, The White Review Short Story Prize was launched to find and foster new British and Irish writing talent. It is an annual short story competition for emerging writers who "explore and expand the possibilities of the short story form ... the prize was founded to reward ambitious, imaginative and innovative approaches to creative writing."[9] The prize is supported by Jerwood Foundation and awards £2500 to the best piece of short fiction by a writer resident in the UK and Ireland who has yet to secure a publishing deal. The winner will also be published in a print issue of The White Review. Many winners and shortlisted writers have since published novels and become acclaimed.[10][11]
The White Review Poet's Prize was introduced in 2017,[12] and was launched to recognise and celebrate English-language poets who are at the crucial stage of creating their debut pamphlet or collection, and to encourage poetry that explores and expands the possibilities of the page-poetry form.
The 2017 Short Story Prize was awarded to both a UK and Ireland winner, as well as a US and Canada winner, with two respective shortlists and judging panels. The UK and Ireland judges were Jon Day, Joe Dunthorne and Faber and Faber publisher Mitzi Angel. The US and Canada judges were Hari Kunzru, literary agent Anna Stein and New Directions publisher Barbara Epler. Both winners were awarded in May 2017. [17] The White Review Poet's Prize was also introduced in 2017,[18] and was launched to recognise and celebrate English-language poets who are at the crucial stage of creating their debut pamphlet or collection, and to encourage poetry that explores and expands the possibilities of the page-poetry form. The 2017 judges were Kayo Chingonyi, Vahni Capildeo and Penguin Books editor Donald Futers. The poetry winner was awarded on 7 December 2017.
