CategoryThe River

The River is a representation of the Sandy River itself, which runs alongside the university and what inspired the name of the journal. It is a constantly flowing, ebbing and surging, body of content filled with contemporary work. To submit to The River please visit our Submissions page to the left or e mail TheRiverEditors@gmail.com directly.

Posted October 17, 2025 Booked & Busy: Book Reviews by Katie

The Dead Zone

Review by Katie Lipoma *Spoilers ahead & content warning for murder, rape, and religious mania* This past weekend, I embarked on a trip to Boothbay Harbor, where I found The … Continue Reading The Dead Zone

Posted October 14, 2025 Poetry

Glass Ghazal

By Mark J. Mitchell Look, her almost bare stems bows away from glass, casting charms and spells so you’ll face the glass. Leaning towards light, this one expects you to … Continue Reading Glass Ghazal

Posted October 14, 2025 Poetry

The Error Dream

By Mark J. Mitchell You’re watching a minor league game on an unmanicured ball field. The players are so fast and so young, A routine ground ball slides past the … Continue Reading The Error Dream

Posted October 14, 2025 Nonfiction

Streetlights

By Erick Wilund I am a young boy, on a suburban lawn, lying in the grass. I can feel the cool, vaguely rough blades under me and around my ears, … Continue Reading Streetlights

Posted October 9, 2025 Booked & Busy: Book Reviews by Katie

Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better

Review by Katie Lipoma I finished Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better by Woo-Kyoung Ahn this week. This was required reading for my psychology Professional Seminar class. … Continue Reading Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better

Posted October 8, 2025 The Maine Lens - Brock Littlefield

Culture Shock

As a young man at the age of 18, I joined the United States Air Force. I would have to leave Maine to fully appreciate all that it had to … Continue Reading Culture Shock

Posted October 8, 2025 Nonfiction

A Right Hook at the Rive Gauche

Spoken word creative nonfiction by Carolyn A. Fox. Carolyn A. Fox—In addition to writing essays, one of which appeared in Southern Indiana Review, Carolyn is currently completing a memoir, “To … Continue Reading A Right Hook at the Rive Gauche

Posted October 8, 2025 Poetry

Ode to the Forbidden Fruit

by Connor Haskell Our Father, who art in heaven,forgive me for my trespasses,as I feel myself craving the forbidden fruit. Hallowed be thy nameand thy creation, the fruitof your labor … Continue Reading Ode to the Forbidden Fruit

Posted October 7, 2025 The Maine Lens - Brock Littlefield

A New Season

As the colors of autumn begin to flourish I am reminded how much I love the state of Maine and its seasons. Mainers will begin to see “leaf peepers” in … Continue Reading A New Season

Posted October 2, 2025 On Topics: Essays by Kylee

On Being Feminine

by Kylee Walton I grew up on the edge of gender identity. That is to say, I grew up in a constant state of confusion about my own gender expression. … Continue Reading On Being Feminine

Posted September 27, 2025 The Maine Lens - Brock Littlefield

Almost the Mile High Club

If you have been following my posts you might recall that Maine has millions of acres. Approximately 600,000 of these acres are designated to “Public Reserved Lands” run by the … Continue Reading Almost the Mile High Club

Posted September 25, 2025 On Topics: Essays by Kylee

On Journaling

by Kylee Walton I’ve been journaling for a few years, but I haven’t been keeping up with it as well as I used to be. My mom bought me a … Continue Reading On Journaling

Posted September 25, 2025 Booked & Busy: Book Reviews by Katie

The Secret Language of Love

Review by Katie Lipoma I had so much fun reading The Secret Language of Love by Megan Tresidder this week. Fortunately, contrary to the title, there aren’t so many secrets … Continue Reading The Secret Language of Love

Posted September 19, 2025 The Maine Lens - Brock Littlefield

The Big Hunt

The amount of prep work for a Moose hunt is rather important. A Bull Moose can weigh in at over 1000 lbs, and if you don’t bring a winch, a … Continue Reading The Big Hunt

Posted September 18, 2025 On Topics: Essays by Kylee

On Social Cataloging Apps

by Kylee Walton I’ve been using Goodreads since 2020—around five years now. Goodreads is a social cataloging app where users can track the books they’re reading, log them (or “shelf” … Continue Reading On Social Cataloging Apps

Posted September 18, 2025 Booked & Busy: Book Reviews by Katie

The Secret History

Review by Katie Lipoma *Spoilers ahead & content warning for murder, suicide, and incest* Okay, so I know I said that this week’s review would hopefully be more uplifting. That’s … Continue Reading The Secret History