Few free online literary magazines can top the emotional depth and intellectual vigor of Blackbird. A joint project from the Department of English at Virginia Commonwealth University and New Virginia Review, Inc., Blackbird presents poems, stories, essays, and other beautiful examples of written work. The Spring 2015 issue, posted on the landing page at the time of this writing, starts with a Foreword that briefly introduces the issue, which includes an In Memoriam list honoring such luminaries as Mark Strand, Philip Levine, and Tomaz Salamun, along with examples of their poems from past issues. In addition, this specific issue features readings by first-time novelist Helene Wecker, and poetry readings by Hal Crowther and Margaret Gibson. The best aspect of the site, however, is the archive of back issues, which stretches back to 2002 and features some of the brightest minds in fiction, poetry, and literary criticism.