From a chance to be published to peer feedback, campus literary journals have a lot to offer artistically-minded students
Illustration by Sage Blackwell.
Ruby Harris is the Editor-in-Chief of This Side of West
Created by students for students, campus literary magazines are spaces where creative journeys take shape, voices are amplified, and community is built. Every submission helps keep this work alive, supporting student-run organizations and the creative cultures they foster.
These publications rely on volunteer teams at every stage of the process, from selecting submissions and printing issues of the magazine to promoting and hosting events.
Two of UVic’s student literary publications, This Side of West and The Warren, allow students to share their art and writing through annual printed issues, featuring a range of high-quality work. Beyond offering submitters a chance to publish their work and amplify their artistic voices, these campus publications create a distinct vision of community and artistic celebration rooted in student life.
Some publications, such as This Side of West, limit submissions to undergraduates at their institution, while others, like The Warren, encourage submissions from other students as well. Both of these journals at UVic publish multiple genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenplays, stage plays, photography, visual art, and, at times, delightfully strange hybrids.
As submission periods for both journals close at the end of the month, I have reflected on their importance on campus, and why students should submit to them.
I have heard from many published students that the experience boosted their confidence, by giving them a platform to share their art and connect with other creatives. This validation matters. Beyond serving as a résumé builder, the submission process itself is a necessary step for any creative: having your work read and taken seriously. At campus publications, this is built into the process — accepted or not, all submissions are read by attentive staff, tasked with uplifting student voices.
Unlike some literary magazines, where unsolicited work often ends up in a “slush pile,” read as quickly as possible (if at all!), all submissions to campus magazines are unsolicited. These publications are designed to treat all student work with utmost respect, and give them a fair chance. Ultimately, campus publications exist to build confidence, expand experience, and strengthen a sense of creative community.
Submitting your work to any contest or publication can be nerve-wracking. Submitting to a campus publication, where your work is reviewed by fellow students and peers, may feel even more daunting. However, this peer-led model can make the experience especially rewarding, too. The people reading your work are people who have been in your shoes; they are students engaging in similar creative practices, learning from the same professors, and submitting with the same hopes. From experience, I know submissions are handled with care and generosity, and far more work is praised than can ultimately be published. As The Warren put it in an emailed statement, “[we] promise we’re really not scary!”
For those of us who volunteer at these publications, the process of judging submissions is also rewarding, because it is inherently subjective. Different readers resonate with different voices, styles, and stories. There is no objective definition of “good” writing, and a range of perspectives allows diverse and unexpected work to be brought to light.
Being campus-based also comes with added benefits. Each spring, This Side of West hosts an off-campus launch party, where all published contributors receive free entry, the option to read their work aloud, and a complimentary copy of the printed issue. Being celebrated among peers and sharing your voice, both on the page and out loud, is an experience that can stay with writers for years.
The Warren also hosts a launch party for its anthology, and provides contributors with a free copy (cake included). The journal actively encourages experimental and unconventional pieces alongside more traditional work, making it an excellent place to test drive that out-of-the-box story you’ve been thinking about for ages, but are not sure what to do with.
Campus publications are, by nature, low stakes. They are forgiving of mistakes, and do their best to offer encouragement when possible. So, whether you’re a student in a UVic writing program or someone with a poem, photograph, or short piece tucked away on your laptop, this is your sign to send it our way.
If this process interests you, there’s still time to submit. The Warren accepts submissions by email until Jan. 31, and This Side of West until Feb. 1. Submission guidelines are available on both websites, and both are free to submit to. Don’t hesitate to ask questions. Your voice is welcome here.
