Students in English course produce literary magazine Calyx

Pictured above: Students Kaitlyn Kida and Fatima Martinez proudly display the 2023 issue of the literary magazine the Calyx, which they and their classmates produced in a new English course.

Students in the new English class  “Literary Magazine Publication: Calyx” were excited to see their work on the literary magazine come to fruition this spring semester. “It was a huge first accomplishment,” said Kaitlyn Kida who had a short story and poem she wrote published. “It sets the bar for other literary magazines I can submit to,” said Kida, who is a business and literary studies major, a new double major made possible by Goldman Sachs.   

The goal of the Calyx course “is for students to understand how a literary magazine runs, what is needed to publish one online and in physical book form, and the ethical issues surrounding the publishing industry,” explained faculty course instructor Kara Jorgensen, M.F.A. ’13, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and biology from Caldwell. 

In the class, students put out a call to members of the campus community, inviting them to submit poems, fiction or creative nonfiction, artwork or photography.  They learned about accepting or rejecting submissions, checking submissions and biographies for errors, drafting emails to those who submitted work, creating cover art and the style guide as well as formatting the paperback version of the book. 

Selena Diaz, a communication and media studies major, engaged in editing the publication. “It was interesting to see people’s different writing styles.”  

Freshman Fatima Martinez was proud to have her Spanish poem “Mi Cariño” published, as well as her photographs. Initially a bit frightened since she is “fresh out of high school,” she was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. “I’m bilingual at home, so when writing about my feelings I like to write in whatever language comes out.” 

Ashley Guzman, a communication and media studies and English major, created the cover style on Canva. Students were going for a “spring vibe,” said Guzman of the floral design. At first she was concerned that the color would not print well, but she was very happy with the finished product.  

The history of Calyx dates back decades to when Sister Brigid Brady, O.P., professor emerita of English, was the advisor. It had long been a student-produced publication but had not been published since 2018. English Department faculty members desired to add an academic component to the class. “From day one, the students have been enthused about getting Calyx out again for the first time in five years,” said Jorgensen, who recalled working on the publication as an English major at Caldwell.   

After Calyx has gone off to the printers, in the second half of the semester students focus on creating a hypothetical literary magazine and they learn about formatting ebooks, websites, and paperbacks.  “They can go as traditional or as wild or niche as they choose for their final project,” said Jorgensen. The students create a style guide, a sample website and a print file for the magazine. “While they work on their own magazines, in class we talk about accessibility in web design, how print copies work and the ways they can make their own future magazines or anthologies a reality through Kickstarter, print-on-demand and other modes of publication,” said Jorgensen. She hopes that when students leave the class, they feel more confident in submitting to magazines or anthologies as the process and pitfalls have been demystified. “Those who might choose to create their own literary magazines or zines in the future have the tools to do so…I remember looking forward to having the physical copy in my hands and eagerly bringing it home to show it off to my family. Seeing my own students doing the same has been the highlight of teaching this class, and I look forward to many more issues of Calyx in the future.”

Chair of the English Department Katie Kornacki, Ph.D.  said they are excited to bring back Calyx and  combine it with this new three credit class. “The new class is part of our department’s focus on providing our students with high-impact learning opportunities where they can apply the critical thinking and writing skills associated with literary studies in real-world contexts. We look forward to running this course each spring and continuing to publish this student-produced journal annually.”  

She encourages the entire campus community to come out to barbecue in the fall to celebrate the relaunch of Calyx.