Hurricane Review

Hurricane Review An annual journal of poetry, fiction and the written word, published by the English & Communications Department for Pensacola State College.

In 1986, Walter Spara, an English Professor and poet here at Pensacola State College (then Pensacola Junior College), called on his friend, fellow poet and P.J.C. Visual Arts instructor Allan Peterson, to help make the journal produced by his Creative Writing students into a more professional and far-reaching literary publication. The students titled the journal, Halftones To Jubilee, a line from

one of Spara’s poems. For the next ten years, the two friends worked with students to publish top-notch writers from around the world and establish a stellar reputation in the realm of literary magazines. After becoming Chair of the Visual Arts Department, Peterson stepped away from being co-editor and Spara kept the journal going until he retired in 2001. Since then, it’s come out every year, thanks to the editorial guidance of the following faculty members: Bill Fisher, Marian Wernicke (who renamed it Hurricane Review), Mike Will, and Todd Neuman, who passed the baton to professor and poet Jamey Jones in 2017. Each of these faculty editors kept the bar high by creating quality issues that were authentic and true to their individual visions. Pensacola State College’s commitment to publishing Hurricane Review has remained consistent. As a result, the tradition started more than 30 years ago by Walter Spara and Allan Peterson remains unbroken. The journal strives to remain relevant by publishing innovative writing from well-established and lesser-known authors, creating a cohesive glimpse into the ever-changing waters of contemporary poetry.

Come join us in celebrating new releases from the reoccurring Hurricane Review featured poet, Sarah Anne Wallen, and our...
10/04/2025

Come join us in celebrating new releases from the reoccurring Hurricane Review featured poet, Sarah Anne Wallen, and our very own Hurricane Review Faculty editor, Jamey Jones. Tonight at 7PM, doors will be open at 6:30PM

Reoccurring Hurricane Review featured poet, Sara Smith, will be reading some of her work tonight (6PM) at 309! ✴︎
10/02/2025

Reoccurring Hurricane Review featured poet, Sara Smith, will be reading some of her work tonight (6PM) at 309! ✴︎

Earlier this week we spotlighted Anne Waldman / No Lands newest book and Bradley King from The Brooklyn Rail interviewed...
12/06/2024

Earlier this week we spotlighted Anne Waldman / No Lands newest book and Bradley King from The Brooklyn Rail interviewed the two after reading 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘝𝘌𝘓𝘝𝘌𝘛 𝘞𝘐𝘙𝘌. Click the link below to emerge yourself in the minds of these writers.

No Land and Anne Waldman “met on the street” and “exchanged a flower” on May Day 2012, and so opens The Velvet Wire. The Velvet Wire reads like a sort of shrine to their friendship, a holy collage of lines from each other’s work, nightly notes, and poems made together and for one another, ...

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Our Story

In 1986, Alan Peterson and Walter Spara, a couple of guys who taught art and English at what was then called Pensacola Junior College, had a crazy idea. Working with the West Florida Literary Federation, they figured they would publish an annual review of prose and poetry by writers who lived roughly in the area of the college. Since then, Pensacola Junior College has changed names and become Pensacola State College. the journal has changed names throughout the years too. Originally called Halftones to Jubilee, the journal has had two other names since its launch. For a single year the journal was edited by Northwest Florida's current poet laureate Jamey Jones and was called Holy Tomato. After that, Marianne Wernike took the journal over and gave it the name it has today: Hurricane Review. It's now 2016, thirty years since Alan and Walter founded the magazine, and the journal is going strong. This year, Hurricane Review is showcasing the works of a number of excellent poets and dedicating a large section to a single author whose work is beginning to receive attention nationwide. As always, we hope our readers enjoy this year's edition of the Hurricane Review, and we thank all of our readers and contributors for their loving support of the little literary journal Alan and Walter founded over a quarter of a century ago. Thanks for reading.