"A milestone, this issue of Writers’ Forum -- our twenty-fifth production; our silver anniversary issue. When my friend and former colleague Alex Blackburn began his venture, I doubt that even he -- visionary optimist though he was in those years -- imagined that it would enjoy such durability. (His hilarious account of the journal’s origin is printed in Higher Elevations: Stories from the West.) Yet, a quarter-century later, here we are. It has not been only a longer story than I would have supposed; this magazine has maintained a higher quality than perhaps anyone might have supposed. The list of the writers who appeared in these pages early in their careers and then went on to attain prominence is truly too long to repeat entirely here. However, even a partial listing would have to include (the order is alphabetical): Charles Baxter, Robert Ollen Butler, Ron Carlson, Fred Chappell, Robert Greer, Joy Harjo, Linda Hogan, Bruce Kawin, Yusef Komunyakaa, Craig Lesley, Bret Lott, Paul Scott Malone, Victoria McCabe, Walter McDonald, Robert Roripaugh, Reg Saner, William Stafford, Gladys Swan, Sherri Szeman, and Bill Tremblay. Hundreds of recent books and a dozen or more prestigious awards are presented in that list. It is surely one to be proud of and one that, in turn, makes the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs proud of the now retired Professor Blackburn." -- Conway Kenneth Pellow, Editor, Writers’ Forum 25 (1999)
"A milestone, this issue of Writers’ Forum -- our twenty-fifth production; our silver anniversary issue. When my friend and former colleague Alex Blackburn began his venture, I doubt that even he -- visionary optimist though he was in those years -- imagined that it would enjoy such durability. (His hilarious account of the journal’s origin is printed in Higher Elevations: Stories from the West.) Yet, a quarter-century later, here we are. It has not been only a longer story than I would have supposed; this magazine has maintained a higher quality than perhaps anyone might have supposed. The list of the writers who appeared in these pages early in their careers and then went on to attain prominence is truly too long to repeat entirely here. However, even a partial listing would have to include (the order is alphabetical): Charles Baxter, Robert Ollen Butler, Ron Carlson, Fred Chappell, Robert Greer, Joy Harjo, Linda Hogan, Bruce Kawin, Yusef Komunyakaa, Craig Lesley, Bret Lott, Paul Scott Malone, Victoria McCabe, Walter McDonald, Robert Roripaugh, Reg Saner, William Stafford, Gladys Swan, Sherri Szeman, and Bill Tremblay. Hundreds of recent books and a dozen or more prestigious awards are presented in that list. It is surely one to be proud of and one that, in turn, makes the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs proud of the now retired Professor Blackburn." -- Conway Kenneth Pellow, Editor, Writers’ Forum 25 (1999) 
