Neshaminy, the Bucks County historical and literary journal, has named William J. Donahue as managing editor, replacing David Updike, who will remain on the editorial staff.
Executive Editor Don Swaim also announced that Melissa Sullivan is joining the staff as editor.
Donahue is a 10-year member of the Bucks County Writers Workshop with more than 20 years of experience as an editor, writer and journalist. He is currently editor of the monthly lifestyle magazines Suburban Life and Philadelphia Life.
Donahue’s print and on-camera reporting has earned him nearly a dozen regional and national awards for excellence in business journalism. His published works include the novel “Burn, Beautiful Soul” and three short-story collections: “Too Much Poison,” “Filthy Beast,” and “Brain Cradle.”
Sullivan is a writer, journalist, attorney, and a 2019 Pushcart Prize nominee. Her work has appeared in Hippocampus Magazine, Nightingale & Sparrow, Sum Journal and elsewhere, and her short story, “Last Run,” placed second in the 2019 Bucks County Short-Fiction Contest. Most recently, her fiction was published in the locally-produced anthology Jersey Devil.
Also on the editorial team is Bill Stieg, former editor of Men’s Health magazine. David Updike, director of publications of the Barnes Foundation, is former publications editor of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rounding out the staff is well-known Bucks County illustrator Pat Achilles, whose art has appeared in The New Yorker and in countless books and magazines, and veteran graphic designer John Errichetti of Tinhouse Design.
Neshaminy is a joint publication of the Doylestown Historical Society and the Bucks County Writers Workshop. Publisher Stuart Abramson, president emeritus of the DHS, notes that the spring/summer issue of Neshaminy, originally scheduled for last April, was put off due to complications from the COVID-19 epidemic. It is now scheduled for publication on Oct. 13, and will be available in digital form as well as in print from Amazon.com and local Bucks County bookstores.
The fall/winter issue will feature, for the first time, full publication of an unpublished James A. Michener essay on his childhood in Doylestown during the early years of the previous century. It is one of a number of exclusives in the upcoming issue, including a look at the past and future of the famous Bucks County Playhouse written by Daniel Dorian.
The journal is open year round for submissions of genres of all sorts – including fiction, articles, history, poetry – pertaining in some way to Bucks County. The journal’s website has more details about the publication and its submissions policy: neshaminyjournal.org
