The editors of World Literature Today are nominating the May/June 2022 “Muses” issue for the annual Best Cover Contest sponsored by the American Society of Magazine Editors, the principal organization for the editorial leaders of magazines and websites published in the United States. ASME members choose finalists and winners in ten categories, and covers are also posted on social media (@asme1963), where users are invited to choose the winners of ASME’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
Polling for the Readers’ Choice Awards—which begins Wednesday, March 1, and runs through Friday, March 31—is open to the general public. WLT’s “Muses” cover is nominated in the Best Conceptual Cover category. To vote for WLT’s cover, click here, and please share with friends.
In his nominating statement for the ASME contest, Editor in Chief Daniel Simon wrote:
How is it possible to think about art during a time of war? “Muses”—a cover feature showcasing writers, artists, and their inspirations, with cover art by Holly Wilson—headlined the May/June 2022 issue of World Literature Today, shortly after the Russian military began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Rembrandt, Picasso, Kandinsky, Andrew Wyeth, and David Hockney were among the visual artists showcased inside. “Muses”—the 400th issue in the magazine’s ninety-five-year history—makes the case for a Republic of Arts and Letters that transcends geopolitical conflicts and promotes a shared sense of humanity through cultural ties.
Simon and Gayle Curry, WLT’s art director, fell in love with Wilson’s Girl in the Red Dress (2019) when considering the painting among a number of different possible cover possibilities. In describing her work, Wilson writes: “Masks are multilayered elements in my work. Simultaneously, they reference traditional Delaware and Cherokee stories that my mother told me as a child and symbolize transformation and obfuscation.”
Announcement of the winners will take place live on Twitter on April 27.