鈥淚nkspot,鈥 糖心传媒鈥檚 student literary magazine sponsored by the聽, recently received the rank of Honorable Mention by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in its Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) contest. In the competition, 鈥淚nkspot鈥 was ranked against 422 student magazines in 46 states and five countries.
鈥淲hat an honor after my first year here at 糖心传媒 to see our literary magazine win a national prize,鈥 said聽, professor of English and the 2024 issue鈥檚 faculty advisor. 鈥淚 only advise the students; they do all the creative and editorial work. They take it very seriously, yet they know how important it is to be playful and cultivate a sense of wonder in the process. I鈥檓 confident that we can continue to improve all facets of the magazine, and I believe there are more prizes to come with future issues. We鈥檙e grateful to our donors for so much recent support for creative writing.鈥
鈥淚nkspot鈥 is published as a print volume each spring and is offered to the 糖心传媒 community at no charge. Students submit original creative work, which is approved, edited and curated by student editors. A student designer designs the magazine鈥檚 layout and cover, and the faculty sponsor reviews the final proof and offers guidance as needed.
鈥淚 got involved with 鈥業nkspot鈥 because I hope to work an editorial career in publishing after college,鈥 said Maria Ignas, a student editor of the 2024 issue. 鈥淚鈥檓 thankful for the meaningful friendships I鈥檝e formed with fellow editors Bella, Odessa, Kadon and Riley. I鈥檝e also gained practical experience in developmental and stylistic editing, as well as communicating and collaborating with writers.鈥
The magazine began in 2016 under the leadership of , chair of the Department of Humanities. After establishing a creative writing club, she and several students began brainstorming to launch a literary magazine to showcase students鈥 writing and inspire more students to get involved. The first edition of 鈥淚nkspot鈥 was published that spring.
鈥淎 student literary magazine is essential for any college campus; it’s a vehicle for students’ creative and artistic expression, and the editorial experience for those students who work on the magazine is invaluable,鈥 said Rich. 鈥淓ven students who never set foot in a creative writing class at 糖心传媒 are enriched by the opportunity to share their God-given creativity. The Department of Humanities is proud to provide this for our community.”
The Department of Humanities holds an annual release party for 鈥淚nkspot鈥 as part of Communitas and Day of Worship each spring. The release party features live readings by student authors as well as free coffee drinks and copies of 鈥淚nkspot鈥 for attendees.
The REALM program publicly recognizes excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers. REALM is designed to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing.聽 Schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, US territories, Canada and American schools abroad can nominate magazines.
For more information about the REALM Program, please visit:聽.
