When the precursor to The Windsor Review was first published in 1965, the journal contained no literature, nor reviews.

In the intervening decades, the articles on such topics as alchemy and religion gave way to the works of such renowned writers as Marshall McLuhan, Joyce Carol Oates, and winners of Governor General awards, Pulitzer prizes, the Order of Canada, and other accolades for their literary work.

An event at Biblioasis bookshop Thursday, Nov. 14, celebrates 50-plus years of The Windsor Review. The family of the late Eugene McNamara, the journal’s first editor and founder of UWindsor’s creative writing program, will be on hand to accept a memorial photo commemorating The Windsor Review’s history.

The latest edition, edited by UWindsor English professor André Narbonne and published online for free public access, is a selection of works published over the journal’s six decades. The list of authors in what Narbonne calls the “special, retrospective issue,” reads like a who’s who of contemporary literature — poets laureate and iconic essayists, novelists, and authors of short stories.

“I wanted it to be representative of the journal Eugene McNamara created in 1965… a collection of important writing,” said Dr. Narbonne.  

Narbonne is the journal’s fiction editor. He guest-edited the current edition, carefully curating a collection of creative writing, interviews, poetry, and visual art.

“It’s such an easy project for me to get involved in,” said Narbonne. “These are foundational things for writers.”

Thursday’s event begins at 7 p.m. Biblioasis is located at 1520 Wyandotte St. E.

─Sarah Sacheli