Ripple Arts Review is a digital magazine for arts criticism and journalism in West Alabama. A student-led, written, and designed publication, Ripple aims to publish critical work that contributes to the cultural dialogue of the area and serve as a digital collective space for the local arts community.
Inspired by the Black Warrior River that runs through Tuscaloosa, Ripple Arts Review aspires to be a conduit for communication and connection within our community. Just as a ripple reverberates the energy of a droplet of water, so too does criticism share and preserve the ephemeral nature of art.
Ripple is dedicated to amplifying the artist’s perspective in reviewing, and is committed to showcasing a diverse range of voices in both our criticism and subject matter.
History
Ripple Arts Review was first launched in spring 2023. A reimagining of a previous arts magazine at The University of Alabama, Vanishing Sights (2010–15), it is one of the many English department initiatives to provide graduate and undergraduate students professional publication opportunities.
Editorial
As a teaching magazine centering student writers as developing authors and critics, Ripple employs a collaborative, double-open peer review process. Each submission is reviewed by two current section editors before moving on to a final review by the editor-in-chief and a faculty advisor — a process modeled after that used by the academic journal, Hybrid Pedagogy.
Ripple uses the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, supplemented with an in-house editorial guide informed by arts reviewing best practices, accessible web design, and the following resources.