By John P. Waterhouse
Rice’s undergraduate literary journal, r2: The Rice Review, has been crowned the premier undergraduate literary magazine in the country by the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP).
This prestigious recognition marks the second time the journal has secured the top spot, having previously won in 2015. It was named national runner-up last year.
Housed within the Department of English and Creative Writing, the award-winning 2024-2025 edition was led by editors-in-chief Katherine Jeng ’25, an English and Social Policy Analysis double major, Politics, Law and Social Thought minor and Humanities and Arts Moody Research Fellow; English major Riley Combes ’25; and Amelia Tsai ’25, a Neuroscience major and Medical Humanities minor, who served as lead designer.
The AWP award judge Marianne Kunkel, an author who holds an MFA in poetry from the University of Florida and a PhD in English from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where she was managing editor of Prairie Schooner, praised the Rice Review publication as a “leader in the pack,” highlighting its “over-the-top professionalism.” She specifically noted the sophisticated design — from vibrant full-bleed images to intentional layouts — that seamlessly organizes its “copious arrangement” of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art and exclusive interviews.
In addition to the title, the achievement includes a $1,000 prize. The Rice journal will also be featured in AWP’s national trade publication, The Writer’s Chronicle.
“I am truly excited and inspired by the excellent work of the Rice Review editors, staff and contributors, and by this well-deserved national award,” says Humanities and Arts Dean Kathleen Canning. “This kind of sustained national recognition speaks not just to a single strong issue, but creates a tradition of editorial excellence that will inspire future student editors and writers.”
Founded in 2004 by novelist and writer-in-residence Justin Cronin, and helmed for more than a decade by Ian Schimmel, associate teaching professor of English and Creative Writing, the Rice literary magazine maintains a unique mission. Unlike many journals that pull submissions from a global pool, r2 focuses exclusively on work created by Rice undergraduates.
“In that sense, this latest award highlights not just the strength of our writers, but the rigor, care and discernment of our student editors who are identifying, developing and elevating this work,” Schimmel says. “That’s what makes building this magazine so rewarding — the talent of the writers and artists on the Rice campus combined with the consistency of our student editors to platform and showcase their incredible work.”