MORIA Celebrates Its Five-Year Anniversary
Congratulations to MORIA Literary Magazine! In fall 2022, MORIA marked two momentous occasions: the publication of its 10th issue and the fifth anniversary of the journal’s founding. To mark the occasion, the issue included a bonus supplement that included selections of work from Issues One through Nine. Read the current issue and the bonus supplement here.
MORIA Literary Magazine was founded in the fall semester of 2017 by five intrepid students and a member of the Writing Department faculty, Dr. Linda Dove, an award-winning poet with extensive experience in the world of publishing houses and established literary journals. They started from scratch and without any dedicated funding to mature into — five years later — a well-regarded online presence, with several award credits to its name and a proven track record of successfully placing undergraduates in both internships and careers, not to mention graduate programs of their choosing.
Alumni Alyssa Pieprzyca said the class “opened me up to the world of publication.” As a member of the inaugural staff, Pierprzyca said she “was lucky enough to be there for the true beginning of it, where we sat in a Woodbury classroom and debated what to name ourselves, what logo we should create, and what color we should stick with. It opened my eyes to all the wonderfully overwhelming and microscopic choices that go into publishing, and just how satisfying it could be.”
Speaking of the name, the original editorial team picked the name MORIA because of the centuries-old olive trees on campus, as the website explains:
“At one time, an olive grove stood on the land that is now Woodbury University, and many of the old trees still grow on campus today. The name MORIA is taken from that context, as it refers to a special type of olive tree in ancient Greece that is protected by the government. As a tree sacred to Athena, the goddess of wisdom, the original “Moria” was believed to have been planted by her at the Parthenon and includes the meaning “to be part of” something larger than itself. Here at the literary magazine, we recognize and celebrate that Woodbury University is a part of a tradition of learning that is larger than itself, just as literature and the writers who make it are part of a tradition of creative engagement and cultural production that is larger than any one individual alone.”
Over the years, a range of students — representing all the schools and majors on campus — have taken part in this practicum course, where they gain real-world work experience as a para-professional editor. One of MORIA’s proudest achievements, according to Professor Dove, is its consistent and deliberate commitment to diversity and publishing underrepresented voices, which include women-identifying authors, writers and poets of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and voices of all ages. Another highlight has been the First Press Reading Series, our most successful program, which brings four internationally recognized writers or poets to campus every year for readings, workshops, Q&As, and collaborative opportunities with the student editors.
MORIA looks forward to many more years of publishing successes, representing Woodbury on the literary stage.
Last Updated on February 16, 2023.