On April 11, the launch of Digressions, NSU’s student-run literary magazine, will take place on the second floor of the Alvin Sherman Library from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. This will be the ninth edition of the magazine, and with 56 pages of content, it will be the largest publication.
At the launch, students will read and share their work, and awards will be distributed to selected authors. Members of the NSU community who attend the launch will receive one of the 2,700 copies of the magazine.
In the fall, students submitted 132 pieces of poetry, short fiction, artwork, and photography to be considered for Digressions. However, only 33 pieces were selected for publication.
Christopher Garcia, editor-in-chief of Digressions and senior English major, said that there was an intricate selection process.
“We have about 12-15 editors,” said Garcia. “Once we get in all the submissions, I put all of the editors into groups of three, and then it’s all voted on [a scale of] one through five for each piece. The managing editor and I get it all back, and then we make a spreadsheet, the highest averages go in [the magazine] automatically.”
For the first time, every individual who submitted a piece received feedback. Joe Cirino, managing editor of Digressions and junior English major, said this was a great learning experience for the writers and they were appreciative of the feedback.
“This year, I’ve decided to send back to the authors graded comments and editorial reviews of all their pieces,” said Cirino.
Faculty advisor, Suzanne Ferriss, Ph.D., professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, has been involved with Digressions since it began nine years ago. She said the quality of the magazine has improved each year, and students, administrators, and professors have enjoyed reading Digressions. Ferriss said she is eagerly anticipating the launch.
“What I look forward to most is seeing the students receive the congratulations they deserve for their hard work on the magazine.The students, staff, and all of those who submitted to Digressions get the opportunity of having people respond to their excellent works [at the launch]. That to me is most gratifying,” said Ferriss.
