Creating a Literary Magazine

Almost every high school English department has a student-made literary magazine. It is a great way to give students an opportunity to express themselves beyond standard essay writing, and creating a literary magazine can be an exciting and rewarding adventure as well. This task is easier said than done, however. It’s not as simple as printing out some poems and stapling them together, but rather, is an intricate and artistic process. 

I’m currently constructing a literary magazine with my students. In my case, this is a new experience for my students. They haven't had this type of opportunity before, and I really want to give them a vehicle in which to express themselves.  Although I have experience writing and editing literary magazines, this is the first time I have constructed one from scratch. I originally thought that selecting formats and genres would be simple. I quickly realized that before I could even propose the idea, I needed to have a clear framework in which to build our magazine. 

Once I got approval for the magazine, I started to think about all the types, formats and genres of literary writing. I considered the ability level of my students and the time necessary to teach each format. Since this was a new endeavor, and many of my students have never written poetry before, I decided to focus on the following forms - haiku, diamante, acrostic, songwriting and captioning. Once students mastered the form, they could choose something from their portfolio to revise and submit for the magazine.  

Another crucial element was the staff. For this assignment, rather than compartmentalize the class, I assigned one student as the editor-in-chief and the rest of the class as general staff.  For the editor, I chose a student that had the maturity, skill and openness to lead the rest of the class and make objective decisions. My role was as the facilitator, the guide and the intermediary with the administration. At our first “official” staff meeting, we discussed the overall vision of the magazine, the submission and the editing process. It took some time, but eventually, we came to a consensus. By the way, be sure to assign a student to record the minutes. It will help, believe me.

Next, I had to consider the content. Even though the magazine was designed to illustrate the writing talents of the students, I had to set some parameters. Topics and language that were typically considered “inappropriate for the classroom” had to be addressed. Students believed that if we truly wanted to celebrate them, they should have complete freedom. Unfortunately, that philosophy doesn’t jibe with the opinions of the powers that be at high schools. My final choice was to give the writers some flexibility. I permitted subjects that truly reflected the issues facing young adults, including sex, suicide, love, relationships etc . . . I also gave them “freedom of expression” in regards to language as long as it was appropriate and not gratuitous. Since I was the overall editor, I made it clear that I had final editing control.

A few other things to consider—

Title: Some possibilities could be Expressions, Student Voices, and Writers Corner.

Layout: How many entries should be on each page? What should the overall length be? Should it be color or black and white?

Submissions: Will you accept submissions other than poetry (photography, for example)?

Advertising: Some businesses might pay for the cost of the magazine in exchange for ads on the last page.

Expenses: What is the overall budget and who will cover the costs?

Once you've figured out some of these basic questions, you can get started on your literary magazine. In my next article, I'll talk about the ins and outs of this endeavor.