As I say to many of my fellow Arts majors, having less course work than a science degree does not often mean less work. Beyond the basic time investment of essays and readings, the academic development of one’s work is often paired with the personal and professional development of a portfolio. This means that on top of coursework, an Arts major will typically have some kind of side gig, like working on a novel or writing for a journal or newspaper (such as The Phoenix). Coming from an Arts student, personal and professional development is what will really help you stand out in your field before you get your degree, setting you up for success beyond school environments. Oftentimes, this development comes in the form of publishing.
Last year I had written an article on publishing. While I stand by what I said, many of the self-publishing avenues I discussed require some sort of self-advertising, which is what turns many writers off of publishing in the first place. Starting off a little closer to campus may be just the trick to getting the young artist to develop a personal portfolio.
In my continued time at UBCO I have found many small campus publications willing to take on submissions. So for the sake of the writer who still struggles to get their work out there, here is a decently encompassing collection of ways to get published through the school.
Inkwell is the publication I had mentioned in my previous article and is also the official publication of the Creative Writing Course Union. Last year there were two editions and two rockin’ launch parties. I find it is a great publication to get to know the creative writers on campus as well as writers in the general Kelowna community, especially at the launch parties. They are currently closed for submissions but are on the lookout for an editor. More information can be found on their Instagram, @crwr.courseunion.
Paper Shell is an anthology of student work that is physically published annually. This anthology is one I scarcely hear people discuss outside of creative writing spaces, but it accepts prose and poetry from writers with different backgrounds. There are some stipulations which are as follows: prose can be submitted with a 1000 word limit, poetry has a 3 page limit, and screenplays can be submitted with a maximum of 6 pages. When submitting your writing, you must do so in an email to ubco.papershell@ubc.ca with the work’s genre in the subject line, a cover letter, and your name and contact email on each page of the work. The deadline for this year’s submissions is December 1st. Paper Shell hosts a launch party for each year’s edition and it is an excellent opportunity to get to know the Creative Writing faculty on campus.
Audacity is a relatively new publication on campus. It is a student run zine that accepts any and all different kinds of work. Currently in its beginning stages, they have just started accepting submissions with very little limits on what can be submitted. Audacity is a great place to submit more freeflowing work and develop an audience with your peers. Audacity accepts both writing and image submissions and is currently accepting submissions for their first issue. You can find the submission form in their Instagram bio, @audac1tyz1ne.
That’s What [We] Said is a student-run publication that operates under the Women and Gender Studies Department of UBCO. Each issue has a theme with some general themes and ideas it asks its artists to explore, typically within the vein of women and gender studies. For example, their previous issue was called Pleasure and some of the words the call for submissions post used were joy, indulgence, shame, and reclamation. Submissions will be open in the near future for their latest installment and they are currently on the lookout for editors. Submissions and resumes may be sent to thatswhatwesaid07@gmail.com, for more information check out their Instagram, @thatswhatwesaidjournal.
Each of these publications are accessible to students and often made specifically to get the young artist’s voice into the public sphere. Being published is a wonderfully affirming thing once you can make it happen, and these publications all aim to boost you on your journey, whatever that may be. So if you have something to share or if these publications spark your imagination, please send something in, even just for the satisfaction of holding in your hands something you helped to create. It may even become a great jewel in your crown portfolio.
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