Mission

The Headlight Review features new creative writing that demonstrates the persistent value of imaginative literature. 

We seek submissions that push the boundaries of form, language, plot, character, and prosody, especially from new and emerging writers of diverse backgrounds.

Masthead

  • KURT MILBERGER HEADSHOT

    KURT MILBERGER

    EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

    Kurt Edward Milberger is an Assistant professor of English at Kennesaw State University. He teaches publishing, professional writing, and literature and studies editorial theory and history, ecological thought, and poetry.

  • BRITTANY FILES HEADSHOT

    BRITTANY FILES

    MANAGING EDITOR

    Brittany Files is a writer and graduate of Florida State University, where she double majored in Creative Writing and Media/Communication Studies. In undergrad, she maintained a successful column with the FSU chapter of Her Campus and published poetry with The Kudzu Review. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Professional Writing at Kennesaw State University.

  • ANTWAN BOWEN

    SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

    Antwan Bowen is experienced in crafting, executing, and enhancing strategies for businesses of varied sizes as a Social Media Manager. Antwan is dedicated to fostering fresh interactions via social media channels and is prepared to channel this enthusiasm and dedication into The Headlight Review.

  • MELANIE SUMNER

    GUEST FICTION EDITOR

    Melanie Sumner is the author of four books of fiction, How to Write a Novel, The Ghost of Milagro Creek (New Mexico Book Awards 2010), The School of Beauty and Charm, and Polite Society, a collection of West African short stories. She is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Whiting Award, a National Endowment for the Arts grant, and the New Mexico Book award. Her recent novel manuscript is set in a fictional town in Alaska.

    Melanie’s publishing history includes short fiction and creative nonfiction in numerous journals and anthologies including The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, The New York Times, and Atlanta Magazine. She has appeared on NPR and Georgia Public Radio. Currently she lives in Taos, New Mexico, and teaches at Kennesaw State University.

  • GREGORY EMILIO

    GUEST POETRY EDITOR

    A poet and food writer from southern California, Gregory Emilio is the author of the poetry collection Kitchen Apocrypha (Able Muse, 2023). His poems and essays have appeared in Best New Poets, Gastronomica, North American Review, [PANK], The Rumpus, Tupelo Quarterly, and Southern Humanities Review, among other journals. A mean home cook and avid cyclist, he lives in Atlanta and teaches at Kennesaw State University.

  • JENNY RISSEN

    BOOK REVIEW EDITOR

    Jenny Rissen is an Atlanta-based writer focusing primarily on social media and nature writing. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kennesaw State University’s Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies program, with minors in Professional Writing and Asian Studies. She is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Professional Writing, also from Kennesaw State University. She accepted a position in the school’s flagship Graduate Professional Assistant program where she is placed in the English Department, helping define and maintain the department’s social media and branding voice. She enjoys working in the veterinary field and is passionate about empowering pet parents with helpful health information for their pet's well-being.

About

E. L. Doctorow famously described writing as akin to “driving at night in the fog. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” Founded in 2017 by Dr. LoVerde-Dropp, The Headlight Review illuminates the unfolding landscape of literary culture.

Featuring new creative writing that demonstrates the persistent value of imaginative literature, THR publishes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction that pushes the boundaries of form, language, plot, character, and prosody, especially from new and emerging writers of diverse backgrounds.

Produced by graduate students and faculty advisors in Kennesaw State University’s Master of Arts in Professional Writing Program, THR releases two digital issues per year, administers an annual chapbook contest, and awards the annual Anthony Grooms Short Fiction Prize. With an open reading period and no submission fees for regular issues, we welcome writers lighting the way.

Copyright Information

The Headlight Review is a production of Kennesaw State University. THR is published twice a year (Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer). Publication of the magazine is made possible in part by support from the Kennesaw State Department of English and the Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Address correspondence to headlightreview@gmail.com.

The online edition of THR is freely available to web users.

All rights reserved. Copyright © 2024 by Kennesaw State University.

Individual rights revert to the authors after first publication in THR. Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be directed to individual authors and/or the editors of the journal.

ISSN: 2996-8372

Past Editorial Directors

Tyra Douyon

Sam Casto

Ky Huddleston

Dominic Ligon

Justin Briley

Crystal Wilkins

Past Editors and Staff

Ashley Shaw

Katie Metzger

Giselle E Giselle

Cherish Collins

Janika Jackson

Trevor Hague

Laura Metzger

Hannah Newman

Fern Conte

Tennant Ross