By Heidi Busath
Pull out your autograph books because UP students are getting published. Next week the University of Portland will be distributing its annual literary magazine, Writers. Writers is a student edited, student written magazine that provides a creative outlet for UP's burgeoning literary and artistic geniuses.
It features poems, short stories, personal essays, and photographs - all by students. Writers began in 1994, and has been published every year since. Dr. Louis Masson, the student advisor since the magazine's beginning, and new advisor Dr. Lars Larson are highly supportive and give students free reign.
This year's student editors are Ashley Sanders, Katie Mitchell, Jennifer Tierney, Kat Berg, Heidi Busath and Tiffany Candelaria. The senior editors are Maureen Inouye and Beth Watje. Each year the editors choose a title based on the works being printed. This year the title is Tension. This name was chosen because it reflects the opposing artistic positions and subjects engaged by the authors. There are pieces dedicated to imaginary monsters as well as serious issues such as death. Over 40 students will have the opportunity to see their ideas in print this year. Amie Dahnke, a junior here at UP, said she likes Writers "because it gives me the chance to take a risk."
Anyone can submit to Writers. Submissions are accepted during the first few weeks of Spring Semester. While most submissions come from English and communication studies majors, the pieces published in Tension reflect the creativity of diverse majors like engineering and education too.
"We're trying to make this a University publication, not just an English publication," states Maureen Inouye, Senior Editor of Writers. Joseph Ritter, a ROTC student, claims he wrote because "it's nice to do something that is valid for more than just a week or a semester."
Sophomore Erin Murray, who has a piece being published in Tension, confessed, "I submitted to Writers because I thought it would be exciting both to have my work in print and to share it with my peers in a more formal way.?I'm really looking forward to seeing the final product." All the editors are anxious to see the final product when it comes out on April 10 as well.
The cover features a new layout which reflects this year's title. According to Inouye, "The University publications usually have a standard format - but we wanted to shake it up a little." The magazine, with its new cover, will be distributed to students outside The Cove and Commons during dinner next Tuesday and Wednesday. The magazine is full of thought-provoking, profound, and refreshingly novel pieces that all readers will enjoy.
To celebrate the publication of Tension, Writers will join with Espresso UP and KDUP on Wednesday, April 11 for a poetry reading of some of the pieces published. This coalition will be an exciting event to showcase the talents of UP students. Ashlee Grimes, a sophomore education major, who plans on attending the combined reading, coffee house, and radio broadcast says, "It's really cool to see people you know get published."
Who knows? Maybe there will be a new John Donne, Mark Twain, or Joan Didion reading on Wednesday night and you can get their autograph. Come support students supporting students and witness the creations of your peers.
