The Minnesota Review is a literary magazine covering literary and cultural studies which places a special emphasis on politically engaged criticism, fiction, and poetry.
Issues are often "themed," recent issues examining the nature of academic publishing, of academic celebrity, and of "smart" working class kids' experiences as adults or children within the educational system.
The magazine was oriented toward publishing avant garde fiction, poetry, and graphic work.
From 1982, edited by Fred Pfeil and Michael Sprinker, it began to acquire the Marxist overtones and emphasis on literary theory for which it would later be known.
Under the editorship of Jeffrey Williams, it moved from explicit Marxism toward politically conscious cultural studies.