New design drawing from new traditions
Shoofly is a student-run literary journal sponsored by the English department of KU. Shoofly is in its fifth year of publication, which is relatively new for a campus organization.
“I think it’s amazing to be a part of a magazine that is so new and fresh,” said Dawn Santos, a junior Professional Writing major, “It’s not like working at a publication that has already built an impeccable reputation; we get to actually create that reputation.”
Shoofly is holding its launch party for this year’s publication on Thursday, April 23 from 7-9 p.m. in MSU room 250. This is the official day for the magazine to be released to the public.
“The launch is our official way of saying ‘Look what we did this year,’” said Gabbi Novia, a junior Secondary Education major and a managing editor for Shoofly, in an e-mail interview.
This event will feature student writers who are published in the magazine reading their works, and refreshments will be provided.
A dedicated staff of over 30 members and two faculty advisors, Dr. Heather Thomas and Professor Jeffery Voccola, both professors of professional writing, work very hard on the publication from the submission process and editing all the way to the layout.
Thomas and Voccola work closely with the staff to help create the magazine. Members are divided into committees that work on different areas of production, ranging from layout to correspondence.
Santos gives a lot of credit to the people who submit their works. She said that without submissions, Shoofly would have nothing to publish.
Cheryl Reigle is also proud of the work the staff members do. “We were very fortunate to have a dedicated team of staffers with us each year and encourage more students to join in,” the senior English and Professional Writing major said.
The submission process mainly takes place in the fall semester, and the spring semester is when the magazine is put together for publication.
“It is one thing to know that you’re helping to make a great magazine, but once you see it, you know that all of your hard work and dedication paid off—and the magazine shows that,” said Reigle.
About 40 writers contributed to Shoofly this year. Works that are featured include original poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and dramatic work. This issue includes a new section in the back, of works by alumni.
“It serves as a reminder to students and alumni that participation in Shoofly doesn’t have to end with graduation,” said Ashley Gellert, a senior Professional Writing major in an e-mail interview.
Gellert said that she hopes to see this section grow in years to come and that though the alumni have graduated from KU, readers will still value their works.
This year’s Shoofly cover features original artwork created by Amy Whitehead, a senior Communication Design major.
“I wanted the cover to portray all the voices contained in the magazine by the repetition of the word ‘Shoofly,’ to see the writers as individuals as well as a united group who share the same passion for creative writing,” said Whitehead, who looked to the magazine as a whole, as opposed to individual works, for inspiration.
After looking at past covers, Whitehead wanted to create something new. Using different typography and colors, she incorporated the word “Shoofly” into her design. The final cover came out of many different versions that had been created and compiled together, with the help of suggestions of other staff members.
Overall, everyone who helped create this year’s Shoofly is very proud of the final product. “We are all very proud of Shoofly and the magazine we put out this year. Looking back at previous issues of Shoofly, we were determined to produce the same quality magazine that Shoofly was known for,” said Reigle.
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