WSU literary journal moves online

The final print issue of Weber — The Contemporary West arrived this spring. A peer-reviewed Weber State publication since 1984, the journal features art, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and interviews focused on the Intermountain West and the West more globally conceived.

With the journal moving to an online-only format in spring 2027, longtime editor Michael Wutz recently reviewed the final lines of text before the issue went into print.

“Having had the privilege of editing the journal has been an important part of my creative life at Weber State,” said Wutz, a Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor of English, who retired at the end of the spring 2026 semester. “I was trying to help establish Weber State’s presence in the Intermountain West and beyond, especially in the humanities and the arts, and would like to think that we have succeeded.”

Originally from Germany, Wutz completed his doctorate at Emory University in Atlanta before arriving at Weber State in 1992. He first served as assistant editor of the journal, working with then-editor Neila Seshachari and later editors Sherwin Howard and Brad Roghaar. Eventually, he became editor with the fall 2007 edition.

“If you look through any of our issues, you’ll see that we’ve got submissions from across the country, and, indeed, the world,” Wutz said.

The spring issue includes interviews with Powder Mountain’s chief creative officer about artwork displayed on the slopes, a Dalit journalist about the ongoing effects of the caste system in India, and a Lebanese-born writer about life in the international diaspora. It also features a conversation with a British sound artist who records the natural world to use in music and poetry.

Kathryn Lindquist, former WSU Board of Trustees member and journal editorial board member, said she loves every aspect of Weber, especially the interviews.

“We have had so many superb writers who have presented at Weber State and then been interviewed, so people who weren’t able to attend their lectures or readings were able to be in a conversation with them through the interviews,” she said. “Some of the speakers in the interviews were just brilliant people who brought in perspectives that were badly needed.” Ukamaka Olisakwe, assistant professor of English, and Sunni Wilkinson, instructor of English, will take on editorial duties for the new online edition.

Wilkinson, instructor of English, will take on editorial duties for the new online edition.

For more information, visit weber.edu/weber-journal.