Riprap Literary Journal

20/05/2023

Something inspirational for our creatives out there! Amazing lecture by Robin Romm!♥️

✍🏻
✍🏻
✍🏻

15/05/2023

Spring 23’ has officially come to an end. We want to thank everyone for such a wonderful semester! Riprap 45 submitters, writers, the chief editors and senior & junior editors here at Riprap, readers, faculty (Lisa Glatt ), etc. Y’all made it HAPPEN.♥️

Finally, congratulations to all the graduates! It’s only up from here. We hope to see your creative work in Issue 46!♥️

🎓
🎓
🎓

27/04/2023

If you’ve ever pondered the mystery of how RipRap got its name, before it was Hornspoon (original name 1951), before it was Gambit—cause’ we know y’all have, lol—ponder no further. RipRap Literary Journal (since 1979) got its name from the poem “Riprap” by Gary Snyder!

Snyder is a poet, translator, travel writer, and educator, among other things.

RipRap has been around for 72 years!!! (round of applause pls! Lol.)And our name has remained Riprap for 44. 72 amazing years and 44 even more amazing years! ♥️

📚
📚
📚

21/04/2023

Writer, poet, and podcaster, Caesar Gonzalez, is a graduate student in the MFA Creative Writing poetry program at California State University, Long Beach. He has a forthcoming publication with Poetry Northwest and a podcast called Film Slob entering its second season!

Here is one of his humorously lighthearted poems entitled “Floating Farther Still.” We hope you enjoy it!

Poet: .r._gonzalez

🖊️
🖊️
🖊️

18/04/2023

Hey, Y’all!

If you were unable to make it to our launch party last week, don’t sulk! 🤓

WE’RE HAVING A VIRTUAL READING‼️

Join us tomorrow in listening to the work of the talented creatives that are featured in RipRap’s 45th Issue! All the information is in the photo; however, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

We can’t wait to your beautiful faces tomorrow!♥️

14/04/2023

We present to you the front cover of RipRap’s The Other, Issue 45! This whole process has been a pleasure from coming up with a central concept to reading work from a wide-range of creatives to working as a team (Co-editors-in-chief, senior & junior editors, readers, social manager, and faculty advisor).

Don’t forget y’all! You can get a FREE copy of The Other tonight from 7-9pm!!! It doesn’t get any better than free, lol!

Thank you to all that were a part of this wonderful project! Now let’s savory this fine piece of literary work.

Cover Art 🖼️: Terrance Hayes

📚
📚
📚

07/04/2023

‼️Appreciation Post‼️

Guadalupe Barragan, aka “Lupita” to anyone that has had the honor to a friend, is an Equity 2021 and Sally Casanova winner! She is in her final semester here at California State University, Long Beach completing her MFA degree in Creative Writing fiction—BUT not without a big bang!

Lupita has recently been been awarded a certificate and medallion as a Dean’s List Graduate Masters students. She has also been awarded a plaque for best Thesis.

We are so proud and excited for you, Lupita! Proud of all your accomplishments and excited for what’s to come—this is only the start to a more prosperous and promising future! We’re lucky to have you as a scholar, peer, mentor, and friend.♥️

♥️
♥️
♥️

03/04/2023

The Time Traveler’s Wife. 😢

What book was it for you?

P.S: Welcome back from spring break! Go and write down the book that broke your heart down at CSULB’s library.

24/03/2023

This flyer is on campus.

23/03/2023

Article posted by

Join us in supporting students due to graduate this year! They deserve to walk and to be recognized for their academic achievements, their scholarship, determination, and grit!

Our voices and our words are powerful. We know that as academics and scholars. So, divulge this unfairness and follow the hashtag!

21/03/2023

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on campus.♥️👩🏼‍🏫

16/03/2023

♥️Sandra Cisneros♥️

You can’t live a fulfilled life without having read The House on Mango Street! … At least that’s our thoughts!🤓

☁️
☁️
☁️

16/03/2023

Go Beach!!! 🌊

🏝️
🏝️
🏝️

14/03/2023

An excerpt from one of RipRap’s editors, Athena Vasquez! It is taken from one of her vignettes titled “Constancio” that makes up a larger body of work (a Roman-à-clef).

Athena Vasquez is also an MFA graduate student in the fiction program🖊️ , confessional writer/word-lover✍🏻♥️, and coffeeholic☕️.

☕️
☕️
☕️

13/03/2023

David Garyan, a CSULB alumni ( MA 2015 & MFA 2017, has started a dictionary calls LexiKula. It is a “cultural dictionary” that aims to share words of unique languages and create new words.

He is now located in Italy—where he also completed graduate work!

We hope you language lovers find joy in becoming familiar with this word: “Taarof”

P.s: Follow LexiKula’s page: ♥️

01/03/2023

You can read this newspaper article on the wall by the Caffeine Lab in the Library!👩🏼‍🏫☕️

💟
💟
💟

19/02/2023

Happy Sunday Y’all! 🖤🤎

▪️
▪️
▪️

14/02/2023

Happy Valentines Day! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤

10/02/2023

Patty’s poem “Ode to the Santa Anas was featured on !!! Yassss!!!♥️

▫️
▫️
▫️

06/02/2023

Wise words from the great Foucault!♥️

▫️
▫️
▫️

02/02/2023

‼️Major News‼️

David Hernandez, professor at CSULB, Poet and Novelist, and MFA Coordinator. He’s the author of many poetry books including A House Waiting for Music (2003) Always Danger (2006) Hoodwinked (2011), and Dear Sincerely (2016). He is also the author of several YA novels including Suckerpunch (2007) and No More Us for You (2009).

Hello I Must Be Going is David’s latest masterpiece, and we are pleased and honored to announce is a —NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE FINALISTS!!!.

So proud of you David!!!🖊️📚♥️

▫️
▫️
▫️

30/01/2023

Here at RipRap we love to highlight and celebrate our CSULB peers, scholars, graduates, etc.

Kelsey Brown, a recent Journalism graduate at CSULB, is the Senior Editor at She’s published numerous articles and can write like it’s nobody’s business!👩🏼‍🏫

📸: Giselle Palomero, also a CSULB journalist/photographer. Check out their awesome work

17/01/2023

We’re starting off this semester with this exceptional, crazy-good piece of writing from Sugar’s “Write Like a Motherf**ker.”

▫️
▫️
▫️

17/01/2023

Hey, y’all! Spring ‘23 is almost here (36 hours and 32 minutes to be exact! 🤓).

We, here at RipRap, have so much planned for all of y’all. And we’re so stoked!!! Deets and Insider look on how we put together RipRap’s 45th Issue coming soon!

Stay tuned RipRap-ers!

P.S: We’re happy and grateful to have y’all be a part of our literary community and for being continuous supporters of RipRap Literary Journal!!!🥰♥️

▫️
▫️
▫️

06/12/2022

It’s true that language, and by extension literature and books, shape our perception of world. English majors and bibliophiles and lit nerds understand this better than anyone. To lighten the heaviness of what’s to come—finals week—tell us what your all-time favorite book is and why? How did it shape? Internally and/or externally?

P.S you can also just drop the title in the comment section 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 We’re just as curious as Pandora and love to talk books.

▫️
▫️
▫️

28/11/2022

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” —Aristotle

▫️
▫️
▫️

25/11/2022

♥️♥️♥️

09/11/2022

Author of the Week: Emily Dickinson.♥️

explicates this poem best! Needless to say—hope really is “the thing with feathers/that perches in the soul/… and never stops-at all-“



◻️
◻️
◻️

03/11/2022

What’s the best writing advice you’ve received/given? 🤓

Comment Down Below 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

02/11/2022

Day Navarrete, a theater student here at CSULB, is also a Latina artist with amazing work(holding two printouts of her art)! We hope she submits to RipRap’s 45th Issue!
▫️
▫️
▫️

01/11/2022

Our tweets, events, info on submissions, etc. are now being displayed at the Caffeine Lab in the
▫️
▫️
▫️

27/10/2022

22/10/2022

I’m sure y’all have heard about the release of our new and first podcast episode. Still, in case you haven’t, here is a reminder!

We’d like to add that Caesar Gonzalez does a PHENOMENAL job as interviewer/podcaster! Steers the conversation in remarkable places with a set of questions that lead to nothing short of insight. This is conversation between .r._gonzalez and is the perfect occasion where academic meets entertainment, and we’re here for it!📚♥️

We’d LOVE to hear your thoughts, feedback, suggestions! Rate and review our podcast so we’re able to upload content for YOU.♥️

▫️
▫️
▫️

19/10/2022

This is where we’re holding our open mic on 10.27.22! Be there!

▫️
▫️
▫️

19/10/2022

This Friday we’re dropping our first podcast episode! It will be available on a couple streaming platforms such as: Apple & Spotify. Caesar Gonzalez, editor and podcaster of RipRap, chats it up with Patty Seyburn, poet and professor, about the writing process and publishing a book.

Don’t miss out on this insightful conversation!

The more you know, the more you grow!🧠

▫️
▫️
▫️

15/10/2022

We’re still @ El Mercadito Literario! Stop by y’all!♥️
▫️
▫️
▫️

14/10/2022

Y si. Somos UNA jente. ♥️

▫️
▫️
▫️

12/10/2022

There will be no vows being made, no rings, or a veil. Well, maybe metaphorical ones. Still, we suggest you still save the date.🤓🙃

10/10/2022

Books, books, books!📚♥️

▫️
▫️
▫️

07/10/2022

Here’s your book list for spooky SZN on behalf of RipRap. You’re welcome.🤓

▫️
▫️
▫️