March 26, 2025 | 7 pm @ Tusculum University
GREENEVILLE– Take a deep dive into literary journals and the people who bring them to life atTusculum Universityand in the broader writing community during the prestigious Cicero Lecture on campus.
Kelsey Trom, professor ofEnglishand editor of “The Tusculum Review,” the university’s international literary journal, will give the presentation Wednesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. in Behan Arena Theatre on campus. The community is invited to this free talk, called “Literary Journals: Publishing Gatekeepers or Cultivators of Diverse Talent?”
The lecture focuses on academic and literary journals’ role in publishing. Trom examines the ways in which journal editors expand literary access by publishing an array of voices, as well as their history with the process. She also provides valuable insights from her work overseeing the “The Tusculum Review.”
“We are pleased to share Kelsey’s expertise and love of literature with the community,” said Dr. Kurtis Miller, assistant dean of the Humanities Division. “Kelsey is committed to excellence in publications, and her stewardship of ‘The Tusculum Review” through her collaboration with internationally known authors and mentorship of students who help produce the publication is exemplary. She also has a great appreciation for high-quality writing that will be evident throughout her presentation. Community members who attend will be impressed with the information she shares.”
Attendees are treated to more than a simple lecture. Trom presentsworks fromthe extensive catalog of “The Tusculum Review,” which has been published for 20 years. She also highlights the work of the journal’s student editors, who are given the unique opportunity to edit this premier literary publication as undergraduates.
“Working on a literary journal is the best training a young writer can have in cultivating writing practice, an original voice and the tools with which to make their voice heard in the publishing marketplace,” Trom said. “This is evidenced by the fact that our small school has graduated two of the most influential and groundbreaking writer/editors working today: Justin Phillip Reed, National Book Award-winning poet, and Anup Kaphle, executive editor of ‘Rest of World.’”
The lecture’s main goal, however, is to draw attention to the struggles and barriers that literary journals face when publishing varied or marginalized authors.
“I was honored to be invited,” Trom said. “I've been having this urgent conversation about access to and representation in publishing with myself and the other editors of ‘The Tusculum Review’ that I wanted to invite others into. It's also a good opportunity to let people in the community and other disciplines know what literary journals, especially at colleges and universities, have done to support and shape the literary canon.”
Trom, who is also the Harriett Reaves Neff ’21 Chair of Fine Arts, has been a member of the Tusculum family since 2014. She has served as the editor and fiction editor of “The Tusculum Review” for five years. She has won countless awards and recognitions for her work, both as a professor and writer. Her students often sing her praises, citing her to be an inspiring and exceptional professor.
Besides her educational work, Trom serves as the university’s creative writing program coordinator andserves on the General Education Committee.She served as faculty vice chair for four years.
Trom holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing for fiction from Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Virginia.
The Cicero Lecture has been hosted at Tusculum for more than two decades. It allows for a current or former faculty member of the university to share their unique experiences, ideas or interests.
Cicero was a Roman statesman, lawyer, philosopher and orator.He would often host debates and learned discussions at his villa in the ancient town of Tusculum, located 15 miles southeast of Rome. There, he outlined principles of civic republican virtue, which involved active engagement in political life, a commitment to reflective thought and a willingness to put the well-being of the community above narrow self-interest. His principles inspire Tusculum’s focus on the civic engagement component of the university’s mission.
While the lecture is free, the university welcomes donations to support this lecture and other Tusculum programs.Staff of “The Tusculum Review”will also take donations at the end of the lecture to support the journal.
Anyone with questions can contact Trom at 423-636-7300 ext. 5420 orktrom@tusculum.edu. Additional information about the English program is available athttps://site.tusculum.edu/english-2/, and people can learn more about “The Tusculum Review” athttps://ttr.tusculum.edu/. Further details about the university can be accessed atwww.tusculum.edu.
Category: Literature