News
Spring 2026
- The Open calls in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction opened on April 15! Read more here.
- We are so grateful that more than 90 people joined us on April 8 from 4-6 p.m. for a Literary Reading and Art Show
- Copies of the Spring 2026 issue were mailed mid-March to contributors with a USPS address. Additional copies can be purchased on Amazon.
Shout Outs
- Reebie Flowers
- Congrats to Ric Stueker with his new book Coasting America.
- The Baird's Corner Writing Group, founded by Robert Villanueva, is an online writing group which has existed since 2002. Join them at The Bard's Corner website.
- Thank you to the following websites for promoting our competitions free of charge:
- Congrats to Alessio Zanelli with his new book!
- Thank you to A.S. Coomer!
Special Thanks to our Sponsor!
A Brief History
By Laurie MacKeller
Professor Mick Kennedy joined ECTC in 1999 to teach and advise the college's journal, then called ECCO His enthusiasm for poetry readings and literary events sparked my involvement from 2000 to 2009, and I joined the bimonthly writers' group he created, despite initially not writing poetry. With his support, I wrote my first poem, and the group became a regular part of my life, meeting at various locations and enjoying both social and serious literary discussions.
Kennedy also organized monthly poetry readings, inviting notable writers like Kentucky Poets Laureate Richard Taylor, Joe Survant, and others. He was instrumental in revamping the college’s literary journal by renaming it the Heartland Review and making it a nationally recognized journal. He organized a contest to promote the journal, named in honor of Joy Bale Boone, and I participated in the reading and ranking of submissions.
His efforts helped bring in submissions from across the U.S. and abroad, significantly raising the journal's profile.
Revised: 17 April 2026
