by J.T. Buchheit
News Editor
jbuchhei@jccc.edu
Students who want to read creative pieces from their peers should look no further than The Mind’s Eye, which is the student literary and arts magazine. Once a year, it publishes work by student artists and writers on campus.
“We publish work in four categories,” said adviser Thomas Reynolds. “We publish student artwork, we publish poetry, fiction and also creative nonfiction.”
Reynolds and students who serve as editors choose which works can be accepted for publication. After a piece is accepted, it is sent to a judge, who decides if it will win a prize in its category. The papers are judged anonymously, with the judges unable to know who submitted what piece.
“I give a score to each submission, and my number is mixed with scores from many other people,” said Mind’s Eye editor and judge Stephanie Hansen. “Then they’re totaled and that’s how winners are chosen.”
Hansen enjoys the work she does. She signed up because of her love of creative writing as well as the ability to build up her résumé. Hansen’s favorite part of the job is being able to interview authors about their work.
“I like hearing everyone’s story, and we all have one to tell,” said Hansen.
Hansen believes the submissions reflect the diversity of the students at the college.
“JCCC is a well-rounded school, and the submissions seem to mirror that,” she said.
There will be eight poems, five short stories, seven creative nonfiction pieces and 11 student art pieces in the upcoming issue of the magazine. It also features works from established authors.
“Our guest poetry and fiction judge is Stephen Meats, who was a teacher and poet for many, many years at Pittsburg State University, and we’re going to feature some of his work,” said Reynolds. “Our guest nonfiction judge is Professor Sam Bell from here at the college, and we’re also including an essay written by her.”
Students only need to get in touch with Reynolds in order to apply for a job at the magazine.
“All the student would have to do to become an editor is send me some information about their experiences,” Reynolds said. “Experience with creative writing is recommended but not absolutely essential. They can contact me and I’ll have a quick meeting with them, and they can become a part of the magazine.”
The 2016 issue will likely be available for purchase at the beginning of May. There are copies of the 2015 issue at the bookstore and convenience store in the Student Center, as well as in the writing center.