Daedalus literary magazine is published on West Chester’s campus each spring. It is filled with poetry, prose, creative nonfiction, and artwork from students on campus. The magazine is created by undergraduate students. Now, Daedalus is seeking editors to be a part of the 2014-2015 staff. The magazine is also open for submissions.
On September 17 at 7:15 p.m., Daedalus will be having an interest meeting in Main Hall 202. Everyone is welcome to attend. The meeting will discuss the requirements for being an editor for the upcoming year.
As someone who has been an editor for the magazine for the past two years, I cannot recommend it enough. It is a wildly rewarding experience. Not only do you get editing experience – which is helpful for English majors – you get to hear the creative works of your fellow classmates.
Personally, I love reading my classmates’ writing. Many of the pieces we have published have stuck with me months and years later. We have published poetry about friendship, stories about death and grieving, and pieces about true love. We have the dark, the witty, the sad, the humorous, the romantic, and everything in between.
A typical meeting for Daedalus involves us turning the desks into a circle. Then, we begin to read the submissions out loud. All of the submissions have the author’s or artist’s name whited out, so it is completely a blind read.
As one person reads the story out loud, the rest of the editing board determine their opinion on it. Then, we vote “yes” or “no” on a piece. Sometimes, pieces are given a “maybe” vote, and we revisit them at the end of the semester.
This process allows everyone to voice their opinion on a piece and even argue for its place inside the magazine. Because it is a blind-read, it also allows for editors to submit their own pieces and be judged unbiased.
At the end of the year, all of the editors of Daedalus put together a reading in Phillips Memorial Library. Everyone dresses up for this reading and enjoys the fancier atmosphere of being in Phillips.
Published writers and artists are all invited to attend this reading. Writers often get up and read their works out loud. Artists are also invited to get up, show their piece, and perhaps discuss their inspiration for it.
There are also refreshments at this event. This event is open to the public and oftentimes other students and professors attend.
At this event, Daedalus also awards a cash prize to the best piece in each category: prose, poetry, and artwork. The prize, in the past, has been around $50. This prize money is fundraised through bake sales.
Of course, the magazine requires more than just editors; it requires people to submit their work. The submission period has actually already begun. You can submit any piece now until Feb. 28, 2015 through email.
All you have to do is save your writing as a word document and email it to WCUDaedalus@gmail.com. It is helpful if you email it from your WCU email, so we can confirm you are a student.
If you are submitting artwork, it is very important that it is a high-quality photograph. You can submit photos of your three-dimensional pieces; in the past, we’ve published photos of vases and sculptures. You do not want your artwork to be rejected because the photo you took of it is fuzzy or poorly pixelated.
I highly encourage everyone to submit. While the magazine is competitive, because it is a blind-read, there is really no pressure. It is amazing to be able to see your work in print. It is always worth it to submit your pieces and see how they go over.
Because the magazine is free and distributed across campus, having your piece published is a great opportunity to have your voice heard.
At the reading, published writers and artists are actually encouraged to take multiple copies of the magazine to give to your friends and family. We also encourage editors and readers to distribute them amongst their friends.
If you are interested in becoming an editor for Daedalus, please join the organization on orgsync and email WCUDaedalus@gmail.com for more information on how to get involved. Do not forget to attend the interest meeting on Sept. 17! We look forward to meeting you.
Theresa Kelly is a third-year student majoring in English literary secondary education. She can be reached at TK780615@wcupa.edu.