Do not skip

The American River Review collects awards like other literary journals collect bookshelf dust, and it takes just a quick glance at this latest issue, Volume 22, to see why. The large format does justice to the photography and art, and the editors have made sound decisions about placement (witness the juxtaposition of Lynn Slaughter’s “Autumn Child” with Olena Bilyk’s “Snow Kisses”). They’ve also left enough white space to fully appreciate the caliber of work. The literary works, while not quite as breathtaking as the visual arts, still offer some interesting pieces; among them, “The Death of Juan Reyoaso (1971, Yuba County, California)” by Wes Lydon, a fully envisioned story that brings magical realism a little closer to home. The American River Review is probably the best public-relations work American River College could do, and it’s all student work.