Dear Readers, 

The winter issue of the Under Review has become a very welcome New Year’s tradition for me. The calendar turns over, and before I’ve even given up on the several resolutions that I’ve promised are going to stick “this year!” it’s already time to load a new issue into the publishing machine and celebrate the next batch of incredibly talented writers. 

I love starting the year like this. Selfishly, it provides a fresh feeling of accomplishment, a nice springboard to get me through the rest of the cold winter ahead. It also provides the opportunity to reflect on the year that was through the lens of sports and literature. As a reader, writer, editor, fan and person, who thinks about sports and literature on a second-to-second basis, there were so many moments of joy that filled my cup in 2023; but ultimately, the year in our little corner of the world felt defined by two unfortunate events I previously thought were unthinkable. Those two events I’m referring to are career academics shuttering The Gettysburg Review, and television network suits dissolving the Pac 12.

The final chapters of both one of our most prestigious and beloved literary journals, and of a 108-year-old athletic conference have been detailed and written about by much more talented writers than myself (I encourage you to check out the links above if you’re interested in learning more about either). I promise I will not let this letter turn into a manifesto against the soulless perfumed bureaucrats behind these events no matter how much I want it to. As our editorial process went from fall into winter and the year 2023 melted away, I just couldn’t help but ask myself those two questions. If The Gettysburg Review isn’t valued by those in power, what hope exists for any literary journal? And, if they can erase a century’s worth of athletic spirit, competition, and tradition in one fell swoop, what’s next? 

I don’t have the answer to either, and if last year taught me anything, it’s that this year, next year, and the years to come will be filled with more attempts to take away the things that create space for the work we love. But there are a couple of things I do know. I know the Under Review is first and foremost a literary journal, and from that love springs our passion for and dedication to these stories in the bountiful container we call ‘sports.’ I also know the pages of Issue No. 9 of the Under Review are living and breathing tributes to that collective love and passion. A love and passion for perfect games that mean a hell of a lot more than 27 up and 27 down; of penalty kicks filled with drama stretching a lot further than the 12 yards between taker and keeper; of skating hard, but not quite hard enough; of reveling in the thrill of victory, but learning much more from the agony of defeat. 

It’s an Under Review issue of the highest order, arriving with its guiding glow in the middle of another winter when the air is cold and the nights are long. I’m proud of this issue. I’m proud of these writers. And I’m proud to see them shine today, tomorrow, for the rest of this year, and for always. 

Thank you, Readers, once again for your time, your energy, and your curiosity.

Terry Horstman  

Co-editor

the Under Review