Former University of Wisconsin, Platteville at Baraboo Sauk County professor Kelly Dwyer founded Spirit Lake Review back in 2003, with the help of another professor and four students. Back then, Spirit Lake Review barely had enough submissions to fill 40 pages of black-and-white newsprint. With the support of Kelly Dwyer, a long and distinguished line of student editors nurtured SLR over the years into 80+ glossy pages of annually-published literature and art. Dwyer and her cohorts named Spirit Lake Review after the beloved Baraboo, WI landmark, Devil’s Lake State Park, known as “Spirit Lake” by the one of the indigenous peoples of the region, the Ho Chunk, and (mis) translated to “Devil’s Lake” by the European settlers.

 

In 2022, University of Wisconsin, Platteville professor Kara Candito became the new Spirit Lake Review faculty advisor, when Dwyer went into well-deserved retirement. 2022 also marks the debut of SLR’s website and first online issue.