By T’Neil Gooden
Submissions for the spring issue of the Stuck in the Library Magazine close on March 21, and the magazine is excited to see what the students of Brooklyn College have to share.
The magazine has two issues for each semester, and the issues consist of poetry and BC student work. The fall semester issue is usually a poetry booklet, whereas the spring issue is a larger booklet based on the submissions the students of BC provide to the magazine. The booklets produced in the spring are much more open to the artistry and originality of students based on their varying themes.
“The themes are usually picked by a poll that we take with all the ideas that were given by the members of the club. We try to make sure that we include diverse choices in our polls and consider themes that we didn’t pick but would use for another situation,” Amira Francis, president of the magazine, told The Vanguard.
In previous semesters, the magazine had themes that were portrayed through the cover drawings of the issues. For last fall’s issue, the theme was poetry and the cover art of the magazine was a background wall of books with a human standing with the face of a clock, done by Lex Rivera, a contributor to the issue. The magazine also uses special events to be the cover of their magazines while being filled with BC student poets, the spring 23 issue was the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the magazine’s creation.
This semester, the magazine decided not to go for themes and allow BC students to let their creativity be the star of the magazine.
“This semester, we decided not to deal with the theme really, just because we want to get everybody’s submissions and not limit people’s creative freedom,” Lilith Leys, treasurer of the magazine, told The Vanguard.
The magazine wants to hear from the students of BC through photography, drawings, and three-dimensional creations that can be appropriately shared within the school environment.
“We’re not overly selective, but we do like to make sure that people are putting quality work out there, to make sure that everybody is putting their best foot forward creatively,” Leys said. “We are a school publication, we can’t necessarily put out some things, even if it’s artistically worthwhile.”
The magazine has found its mark within BC and is ready to allow students into their world of expression. The magazine is a community that wants students to spread their talents and get their work published, and students are free to join the magazine as staff members.
“Everyone is so kind and eager to help one another. The thing about having a creative community is that everyone is in tune with their emotions and feelings about their work or other people’s works and we always find a way to build everyone up or give out friendly advice.” Francis said.
The magazine’s board and student community have become closer as they begin to find their place for BC students. This semester has been especially helpful for the magazine as they have found confidence in their environment.
“I’d say that this semester, we kind of hit our stride in terms of production,” Leys said. “We’ve hosted ‘Write, Paint and Sips,’ and we’ve been trying to do whatever we can to kind of get the word out there about the magazine, and that we are here to stay,” Leys told The Vanguard.
The magazine wants to do many more events as they have found their place within the BC community and are ready to bring in new members.
“When the magazine releases we are going to be hosting a gala, basically like a release event,” Leys told The Vanguard. “We host one every time we release a magazine, it’s something to look forward to as we hand out the magazines and have open mics.”
These open mics encourage students to share and showcase the work they have added to the magazine. The magazine wants students to be proud and secure in the work they have shared with BC students, allowing for extended exposure and the continuous push for more submissions.
“We have people reading the magazines, we have people reading their own works besides the magazine, and with all that people are just given a place to chill and celebrate the fact that your friends and everything got published,” Leys said.
The magazine board wants students to understand that this magazine is a place for expression and artistry to be celebrated, and people should not be intimidated or scared to send in work even if it will be reviewed.
“This is a good place to get started and put out your work. There are plenty of people who start out just submitting to a school magazine. It’s something that can snowball into future submissions, future things, and replenishing your art is just fun,” Leys told The Vanguard.
Interested students can learn more by following Stuck in The Library on their Instagram: @stuckinthelibrary.