Accomplishments for the past week:
-Split up the genres between Angela, Jocelyn, and I, then sent out the submissions to the rest of the staff for the reviewing process. -Created an editorial statement. -Looked over other literary journals and the different styles they have, in order to generate ideas about designing the next spring issue. -Kept up with readings and blog posts. -After talking with Jocelyn we decided to meet in the Toyon room on Friday and begin using the InDesign / getting familiar with using the program.
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The Toyon is a multilingual journal which receives submissions from around the globe. Our journal is an outlet for the creative thinkers and readers to indulge in whenever they need inspiration or entertainment. It offers a space where experienced authors, as well as new authors taking their first steps, can showcase their work to the public and gain experience with the submission/publication process. You'll find a variety of works within the journal, which range from comments on society to social and environmental justice, to works derived for pure entertainment. The contributed pieces are just as diverse as the community supporting the magazine. As our community grows, Toyon grows with it.
Accomplishments for the week:
-Kept up with readings for the class, as well as blog posts. -I have read more of the Copyeditors Handbook. -After doing my readings I had a new idea for Toyon to try out, and will mention it to the staff on Monday to get their input. -In class we came up with evaluating criteria for reviewers to use as they read through submissions. -I took the staff photo on Monday, and once I finish making minor edits I will either upload the photo to the staff drive of email it to our staff advisor directly. When reading Herbert Leibowitz’s article in “Paper Dreams” a particular sentence stood out to me. It mentioned that editors must be able to decipher the intellectuality, laziness, accuracy, and sloppiness of an author’s submission (270). This is one of the stronger criteria in which I look for when evaluating a submission. A written work must be saying something, or making a comment in some way that compels the reader to respond/reflect in any way. It’s harder to create an idea or emotion within the reader if the writing lacks focus and more so, if it’s poorly written. As for the intellectuality of a piece, there is a difference when you’re reading a work that is complex because the idea is one of complexity, versus reading an overcomplicated written submission with a not so complex idea. By this I mean reading a piece that makes you feel as if the majority was fluff/unnecessary for understanding or complicates understanding for no particular reason. I keep an eye out strictly for pieces that seem to be written solely to give the impression of looking complex or profound, without the content actually being either of these things. This is not to say that the author truly felt that what they were saying isn't profound, or was trying to talk big to look big, but that sometimes what we write isn't as profound as we think it is, or just isn't communicated in a way that reflects what makes the piece profound to the author, profound to the reader.
Another aspect I take into consideration when evaluating submissions is, has it been done before, and if so is the author bringing anything new to the table? To expand upon this sentence, is the author telling us something in such a way that causes the reader to reflect in a new light on a common topic. One thing I want Toyon to avoid is publishing the same material over and over again in each issue, especially when it comes to poetry. Literary journals need variety in not only genres, but also the content these genres produce. Asking yourself if this particular idea has been done before, is overdone, or has been done before but in a considerably new way, works to create variety amongst the works published. Lastly, a major criteria I use for evaluation is the form. This aspect is mainly geared toward evaluating poetry, spoken word, and visual art, but know it can/does apply to all genres. When looking at poetry form can be the sole purpose, or affect how it is to be read/understood. This may seem to contradict the criteria of, is the piece saying something but it does not. While the words themselves may appear to be pointless, the form steps in and gives the poem its power or message. Form is just as important as the content itself, and demands just as much of the intellectual process to perform successfully. Despite this, I feel it’s one of the more underrated aspects of visual or literary art, and tends to be forgotten when reviewing submissions. A good amount of poetry relies on its form, and if you’re not aware of this you could be tossing one of the better written pieces because you didn’t understand how the author is using form to make his or her point. Sometimes the poem, spoken word, or visual art piece, is all about form and the words/image are the backlight which make it visible. So, when I evaluate these art forms and I can’t understand the point the words or images are making, I look to the form and see if that’s where it is, or that's what hammers in the nail. I want to reiterate that form can be just as complex and beautiful as the writing or image itself, and should be taken into account during all evaluations. This account of form will also transform the type of works published in Toyon as it will recognize the varying ways commenting on society, politics, life experiences, etc., can appear in literary and visual art. Things accomplished since the last week:
-Meet with Kyle, a librarian staff member to learn about BePress. Unfortunately it wasn't as informative as I thought it was going to be. -Since the BePress tutorial with the librarian staff didn't end up working out last Friday, my co-editor and I scheduled another meeting with our staff advisor for next Friday. -Last Wednesday I announced the submissions deadline to a few of my classes. I decided to hold off on promoting the course itself to other students 'til mid-October, in order to keep the focus on submissions. -Posted the submissions flyer on social media again, emphasizing the deadline. In Founder's Hall 205, Toyon keeps a library of previous issues for staff to generate ideas from. When I went, I chose to look at a journal from 2012 and the 2004 50th anniversary edition.
Observations for the 2012 issue of Toyon: -The cover is the winning art submission and covers the front and back. - Contributor bios are a couple sentences in length and convey brief information about the author, such as where they grew up and their relationship with the creative world. -Table of contents is very neat and organized by genre, followed by the awards available for submissions and the monetary value. -Prior to the table of contents we have the staff listing, Editors are separated from the rest of the staff. Editors are lined up with their job title. For example. John Doe......Managing Editor, while other staff such as marketing, are all lumped together without specificity to their staff position. Observations for the 2004 issue of Toyon: -Solid matte, black cover for front and back with gold lettering, very smooth look. -Bios again are brief, and include their status as a student, graduate, or professor, along with other publications they're in. -Table of contents is organized with award winners first, then separated by genre. -Their staff seemed to be quite small, only Editors are listed as staff. Below this they have "Toyon Readers" which I'm assuming to be persons who subscribed or donated to Toyon. I'm not entirely sure. -This issue is my favorite of the two. Very well put together, the paper used is great, along with the font. I enjoyed looking through this one very much, I've got some ideas to suggest for our upcoming issue after seeing this journal. In week three I've established a meet time with the librarian staff member Kyle, to show my co-editors and I a tutorial of BePress. This walk-through will be taking place on Friday instead of Jocelyn and I meeting on our own.
I've begun reading up on Copyediting last Thursday and Friday. I split the readings into two half-hour segments because I felt it was easier to focus this way. However, I did not begin reading the Chicago Manual of Style like I had planned to, so I'm thinking of alternating reading each book every week, rather than reading both each week. In regards to advertising Toyon, I have individually spoken to a few students and friends that have show interest in submitting to the lit. magazine, or joining the course next fall. Almost all shared a common anxiety in submitting or joining Toyon due to the fact they had no experience in either. Even after explaining to them there's really nothing to fear in taking a chance with Toyon, about half still seemed hesitant. In response, I'm going to think of ways to ease their anxiety about Toyon and then speak to them again after they've had some time to process what I've previously told them. As for the business card idea I had, I'm actually going to the library after I post this to print them so I can pass them out on Friday when I speak to my classes about Toyon. In addition, I've already printed a few extra flyers that I can post at my work in town and a couple other shops too. I'll be doing this tomorrow. For progress on my resume, I have yet to contact anyone to peer edit. I mentioned in my last post that I have been dealing with a cold (which I'm now finally getting over) so I've waited until this week to start making appointments with other people. That's it for this update! See you next week! “Regardless of the nature of their contents, magazines must not only identify their audiences and shape policy accordingly, they must also act with a visionary understanding of their own importance to present and future readerships and, in so doing, help to shape the very audience they wish to reach.”
- Eric Staley in Paper Dreams: Writers and Editors On The American Literary Magazine Toyon has constantly adapted its contents in order to shape how the journal is perceived by our audiences and in respect, the audience itself. Looking back to the issues from the 1970s, the majority of pages were filled with poetry, a handful of art, and one to three pieces of short story. In order for Toyon to reach more people it needed to increase the intake of varying genres published each spring. You can see the expansion of fiction, non-fiction, photography, and multi-lingual genres in the literary magazine throughout the years, along with the readership. One thing I noticed in a previous journal was an actual poster for one of the published drawings. This really stood out to me, to be able to pull out a poster and possibly hang it up, or share it. It made me wonder if the other issues all had the same drawing, or maybe each journal came with a different drawing. I think this would be a great idea for Toyon to consider doing for future issues. If the reader hangs up the poster, they will always be reminded of Toyon when they see it and feel some inspiration to create. Having a physical poster to see daily, could put the thought of, "if a student did this then I can too" into the person’s mind. I say this because for me personally, it’s really motivating to see students or people in general, who are in similar standings as I am, accomplish something. It makes the reality of me achieving my goals become more real and attainable. This is also a huge element for Toyon, to show young authors and artists that being published is a very real opportunity for them, all they have to do is try, like the other contributors did. It really puts into perspective that being a published person isn’t only for those who have been writing for years, or have degrees, or whatever have you. Having this poster can be a reminder that it can be you too. This idea could work also as a way to spice things up for Toyon and keep readers interested in seeing what comes next. For this week I had planned on giving a 2-minute presentation to students from other classes, however, due to a nasty cold springing up I decided to switch talking to classes for next week. In its place, I advertised submissions on social media and had positive responses from students who attend other colleges, people tagging their friends, and the post being shared on other's walls on Facebook. I've also posted some flyers in one of the school buildings I was assigned to, and plan on printing some smaller flyers to leave out on desks in the library, depot, desks outside classrooms, mainly places where students tend to sit between classes.
In regards to BePress, Jocelyn and I still have our scheduled meet time of 3:30 on Fridays. For this meeting in particular, we were planning to meet with our Managing Editor and a library staff member Kyle, to give us a tutorial of BePress. However, due to conflicting schedules we will now be meeting with Kyle on separate days to receive individual help next week. I have also set for myself a chunk of time on Thursday, roughly an hour and a half, to review the Copyediting Handbook and Chicago Manual of Style. I'm going to try and keep Thursday evenings dedicated to reading the texts, and I might add a second review time during the week based on how well I'm able to retain the information. Creating writing prompts was a fun process for me, I think I wrote about five or six. It was almost a challenge to stop going, I had to remind myself these were supposed to be prompts to pass out, not short stories. I think those who do pull my prompts will have a good time and really be able to get their creative juices flowing. Lastly, for my resume I've printed out the version I have now and have begun making edits on the paper. I'm going to reach out to student services after class today and see if I can arrange a meeting to have someone else peer edit my resume. For me, it'd be extremely beneficial to have someone who has experience of applying for a job in the publishing field, to give some feedback for improvements. That's about it for this post! I'll be doing weekly updates in addition to the response writings, so check back in on Wednesday and see what progress I've made! I have an individual goal for what I’d like to accomplish while on the staff of Toyon. I want to reach out to new students and show them the power of becoming a staff member for a literary magazine. For those trying to write and one day become published, it’s crucial to understand the publishing industry and the review process your work(s) will undergo. With this information you can only improve your writing and increase your chances for publication. As well, those who aren’t so much interested in being published but working as a publisher, the experience you receive on a university literary magazine is that foot in the door you need when applying for jobs. You will learn skills that will put you ahead of those who’ve never worked for a literary magazine, plus you will have familiarity with the publication process, what’s expected of your role, and the jargon used daily. I want people who are thinking about being involved in the industry, one way or the other, to become a staff member in their first years and build their foundation over the next few years of their college career. It’s never too late to join, but I do wish someone had told me as a freshman to join the Toyon staff. The best part is reviewing and actually reading what makes it into a journal, what issues prevent a piece from being published, etc. It’s a continual process of “not this because….” and “yes, this one because…” which helps you understand quality writing versus writing that still needs improvement. I want people to understand the value and tools Toyon can give them.
A collective goal I have for the semester is to improve the way we present and advertise the Toyon. The creativity bound within the covers of Toyon should be reflected in how the journal is presented to the community. This year’s staff is already rocking some great ways to attract new readers and contributors. I feel one of the main aspects of Toyon is to inspire others to write, to be artistic; we should be fueling people’s fires to create. I want people to think of Toyon, and pick up a pencil or a book. This is something our staff can do by passing out daily prompts, or other inspirational words to the community. The person may not be submitting what they write down, but they are writing. Who knows, maybe some writers will be born through this process. As for my role, I’d like to dedicate as much time as possible to learn the ins and outs of using BePress, keep other editors aware of evaluation deadlines, and keep a separate file for all contributor emails. My vision is to keep production of the journal running smooth, and accomplishing this by keeping on top of deadlines and starting as early as possible so any delays wont be an issue. This will be key in communicating with contributors about any final edits to their pieces before being put into the first proof, as many people do not check their email or forget to respond. September Week Two -Schedule a meet time with Jocelyn and Marissa to learn about BePress. -Receive specifics about what is to be done through BePress. -Advertise submissions to my classes and give a 2-minute blurb about why Toyon is worth their time/ benefits of being involved with Toyon. -Create writing prompts to pass out when advertising Toyon. -Post flyers on campus. -Re-write resume, possibly switch to CV instead. -Keep up with readings and blog posts. --Review Copyediting Handbook and Chicago Manual of Style September Week Three -Meet with Jocelyn on Friday and continue to familiarize ourselves with BePress. -Also work on acceptance/rejection letters with Jocelyn -Have someone look over my resume and point out weak spots, etc. -Speak with a couple students I know are interested in the publishing world but don’t know if Toyon is for them. -Keep up with readings and blog posts. -Post submission flyers in town and post online flyer. -Continue to encourage students to submit or mention Toyon to friends. September Week Four -Meet with Jocelyn and continue playing with BePress and being with InDesign -Keep up with readings and blog posts -Tabling? -Announce call for submissions again to classes, emphasizing deadline is on Friday the 30th. -Revise works and post in example section of portfolio -Review Copyediting Handbook and Chicago Manual of Style October Week One -Meet with Jocelyn on Friday and work with InDesign and BePress -Review submissions, 4-5 a night (may change depending on how many I need to review). -Keep up with readings and blog posts -Talk to someone new about joining Toyon staff --Review Copyediting Handbook and Chicago Manual of Style October Week Two -Continue reviewing submissions. -Remind other staff to keep up with evaluations. -Meet with Jocelyn on Friday and begin research project and work with InDesign -Keep up with blog posts and readings -Work on contributing to portfolio -Review Copyediting Handbook and Chicago Manual of Style October Week Three -Evaluations due the 19th! -Speak with other editors about needed revisions to accepted pieces. -Meet with Jocelyn on Friday and send out acceptance emails along with mentioning any changes needed from contributor. -Work with InDesign -Keep up with blog posts and readings. October Week Four -Meet with Jocelyn -Create final PDF for each accepted piece, and have them approved by author. -Email award recipients to have their paperwork submitted by December or January. -Create first proof!!! -Keep up with readings and blog posts. -Speak with Spoken Word/Multimedia Division Editor and Managing Editor about online issue. November Week One -First proof due on the 2nd! -Work on research project with Jocelyn. -Keep up with readings and blog posts. -Begin proofreading proof and make a list of edits. -Refer to copyediting handbook and Chicago Manual of Style. -Advertise Toyon as a class for returning fall students/ Advertise spring issue release November Week Two -Review proof for errors and continue list of edits. -Refer to copyediting handbook and Chicago Manual of Style. -Keep up with blog posts and readings -Work on portfolio and resume - Speak with Spoken Word/Multimedia Division Editor and Managing Editor about online issue November Week Three -Work on final draft of research project with Jocelyn. -Keep up with readings and blog posts - Advertise Toyon as a class for returning fall students/ Advertise spring issue release -Add something to portfolio, or make significant edits. Fall Break November Week Four -Research Project Due on the 28th!! -Keep up with readings and blog posts -Complete FINAL proofread -After edits are all made, meet with Jocelyn and upload finalized pdfs to BePress for online version. December -Keep up with readings and blog posts -Write and post letter for future Toyon staff to moodle -Come up with ideas for spring release and advertising Toyon -Mention Toyon as a class to students, and the benefits/value of being on staff. -Advertise spring release to classes. |
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December 2016
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