Students interested in writing or visual arts have a unique opportunity to have their work published in Writers Magazine, a student-run publication from the University of Portland’s English department. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 16 and can be sent to up.writersmag@gmail.com.
Writers Magazine is a completely student-run publication released annually, dating back to 1977. The magazine has traditionally included a variety of written work, ranging from poetry to letters to short stories. Different types of visual pieces include drawings, paintings and photography. The word limit for this year’s submissions is 2,000 per submission, and every student is allowed to submit up to three pieces of writing and three visual pieces.
“One of the great things about Writers is that anyone can be in it, and that we’re not just looking for one specific style,” said Sophie Downing, senior editor of the magazine. “We’re looking for a broad range of voices that represent everyone on campus, not just English majors. It’s a cool opportunity for everyone.”
The specific pieces selected to be in the magazine will be chosen by a group of student editors, which is led by two senior editors. The two co-senior editors for the 2020 edition are Downing, a junior double majoring in English and organizational communication, and Claire Breiholz, a senior double majoring in secondary education and English.
“My favorite part about the process of creating Writers Magazine is watching the publication take shape from submissions into the final printed version,” Breiholz said. “I really enjoy working with my peers during the initial read-throughs of the submissions to then building the actual magazine with the accepted submissions.”
Breiholz estimates that this year’s magazine will receive roughly 75 to 100 submissions. Each submission will be made anonymous to minimize bias in the selection process. Then, the group of editors will get together and decide which pieces they believe should be in the magazine.
Once published at the end of the spring semester, there will be a reading at the UP bookstore, where every writer will read their piece out loud, and the visual pieces will be on display.
“I think it’s such a fantastic opportunity for every student on campus, and you really have nothing to lose by submitting a piece,” Downing said. “We are hoping to get submissions from all over campus, so everyone can find a part of themselves represented in the magazine.”
Senior philosophy and Spanish double major Isabel Cortens had her work published in last year’s edition and is thankful for the opportunity.
“The opportunity to submit something to a public platform urged me to finally string some works together into something coherent and worth sharing — and receive some feedback from a neat nucleus of creative minds on campus,” Cortens said in an email. “What's there to lose? College years are so formative, with so many tangled thoughts, heady concepts, exciting social interactions, and wild introspection along the way. Document that or whatever art, poetry, stories arise from it all and please spread it about.”
Writers Magazine will be published near the end of the spring semester. For now, every edition of Writers Magazine since 2005 can be found here.
Carlos Fuentes is a reporter for The Beacon. He can be reached at fuentes22@up.edu.
