Dynamic interviews with literary lions and acclaimed artists have been a defining centerpiece of the Whitefish Review since its inception more than a decade ago.
Dating back to 2007, the list of interview subjects reads like a roster of red-carpet guests, creating a platform for wide-ranging long-form conversations about the human condition and the artist’s craft.
In issue No. 7, the literary journal’s founder, Brian Schott, published an interview with acclaimed novelist John Irving. For issue No. 10, he interviewed Tom Brokaw, the television journalist best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News.
Other notable interview subjects have included artist Russell Chatham, writer Doug Peacock and NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
But something about issue No. 18, in which Schott published a post-retirement interview with late-night talk show king David Letterman about his recent departure from the Late Show on CBS, sparked a wave of media attention and attracted a bevy of new subscribers from across the globe.
Among the new subscribers: Jimmy Kimmel, the comedian and host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Still riding the wave of attention, Schott welcomed yet another round of unexpected news a month ago, just as he was sending the latest edition of the Whitefish Review to print.
“We got a call from the distributor for Barnes & Noble saying they wanted to carry the Whitefish Review,” Schott said. “We had to do some scrambling to run 1,000 extra copies with our printer. We were really coming down to the wire.”
Beginning Dec. 22, the Whitefish Review will be available in 160 Barnes & Noble stores across the nation, adding another feather to the little literary journal’s cap as it becomes a publication of national esteem.
What can readers expect to find within the pages of issue No. 21? An interview with actor Michael Keaton, for one, in which the sometimes Montana resident and Academy Award-winning star of “Spotlight” and “Birdman” tells an epic fishing story, extols the virtues of public lands and characterizes the arts as a vital need, like food and oxygen.
Following the recent series of successes, not much surprises Schott anymore.
“After doing this for 11 years, we have gotten the word out through national publications and we gained international attention after the Letterman interview,” Schott said. “We’re really stepping it up in a lot of ways.”
Since its bold debut in 2007, the nationally acclaimed nonprofit journal has been publishing distinctive literature, art and photography with an enlightened, if unexpected, verve. Its launch parties have become biannual extravaganzas featuring live readings by a who’s-who of Montana literati.
But even with a glut of A-list interviews, the Whitefish Review hasn’t lost sight of its roots.
Through the Whitefish Review, Schott and its co-founders Ryan Friel, Mike Powers, Tom Mull, Lyndsay Schott, and Ian Griffiths, created a cultural outpost for the Mountain West when there was none, and provided a congregation of writers and artists with a place to worship.
Today, it continues to feature work by writers and artists who have never before been published, and recently joined in on a collaboration to launch a literary magazine dedicated to publishing work created by young adults.
Called “New Montana Voices,” the journal is a partnership between Schott, husband-and-wife team Steve Moore and Cindy Edstrom, of Creston, and Montana State Poet Laureate Lowell Jaeger, who also guest-edited the latest edition of Whitefish Review, the “Rising Voices” issue.
Although calls for submissions are often accompanied with a “theme,” Schott said the editors decided to take a different tack with the upcoming issue No. 22, and will choose a theme once the submissions arrive and a concept emerges organically.
Also notable about the upcoming edition, for which submissions are due Jan. 1, is that it features the Rick Bass Montana Prize for Fiction, a winner-takes-all contest for best short story, judged by author Rick Bass and carrying a purse of $1,000.
Established and aspiring writers alike should consider submitting their work. They’ll be in good company.
For more information on the Whitefish Review and to submit work, visit www.whitefishreview.org.