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New Laurels Issue Ponders “Why, Then, Something?”
5/19/2008
 With a puzzling title “Why, then, something?” and a mysterious cover, the Spring 2008 Laurels literary magazine editors and contributors keep readers guessing.
Continuing the theme of the fall 2007 issue, “Philotechnical Difficulties,” a term that means, ”difficulties in crafting the art we love,” the latest issue’s title asks, essentially, “why create, anything, at all? Why bring something out of nothing,” said Dr. Janet Lowery, English professor and Laurels faculty advisor.
The cover art, a perplexing series of red lines emerging from darkness, is a photo taken by Laurels editor Joseph Colvin of the seats in Jones Hall Theatre at Lowery’s play, Traffic in Women III.
Colvin, a graduating philosophy major and creative writing minor, has been the Laurels editor for two semesters. Colvin has two poems published in the issue, one entitled “Stalker of the Night,” which he calls a joke piece, the winner of the St. Thomas tradition of the Shadwell Wake Bad Poetry Contest.
Why does Colvin create?
“When I write a piece of fiction story I get to experience something I would not normally be able to,” Colvin said. “But writing fiction and writing poetry is the difference between crafting and creating. Crafting fiction is more structured, because I go back and edit. But for me, poetry is creating something, because it is more directly self-expressive. I write exactly as I feel at the time.”
Lowery commended the Laurels staff for their harmonious collaboration on producing the publication. She extolled the academic benefits of working on a student publication.
“Having a literary magazine is a tradition and convention upheld at every great university. Some of the best writers made their starts working on their university literary magazine. Students who work on a publication are involved in project-based learning,” Lowery said. “This type of work enables students to build a bridge from the academic world to the professional world.”
Colvin and Lowery encourage students to take pen to paper, and to submit their words to Laurels.
“There is inherent value in poetic expression,” Lowery said. “Poetry gives students an avenue for creative expression. It validates them and it validates their experiences. To see it in print validates their craft and makes it more worthwhile.
Laurels is free and can be found around campus in Crooker Center, Guinan Hall, the Link-Lee Mansion, Doherty Library, Malloy Hall and other locations. For more information about the magazine, contact laurels.mag@gmail.com.
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