English Undergraduates: Writing Specialization

Manastash

Our literary magazine was started in 1989 by Joseph Powell and Shannon Hopkins, a graduate student at the time and now an instructor at Yakima Valley Community College. Our first issue came out in 1990, and an annual collection of student literature has been published ever since. Online volumes can be found here. An archive of all past issues can be found in Central’s library. We have published poems, short stories, critical essays, and creative non-fiction. Early editions contained pictures of art work by Central students, and one of the pieces was usually chosen for the cover.

With a faculty advisor, students select, arrange, and see through to publication the writing in this magazine. We have two Practicum Courses—one for the editing and sequencing, one for the layout and design. Each course is one credit, and the classes meet for three weeks during spring quarter. The course number is Eng. 485, but it can be taken twice for a total of two credits. The magazine is perfect-bound, from 48-64 pages. This year’s faculty advisor for the selection and arrangement of creative work is Professor Katharine Whitcomb. The advisor for the layout and design course is Professor Lisa Norris.

Submissions: student submissions to the magazine are typically due at the end of fall quarter or the first week in winter quarter. Mail them to Katharine Whitcomb, Dept. of English, Central Washington University, 400 E. University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926-7558 or take them to our main English office: # 423, Language & Literature building. The stories and creative non-fiction should be under 4,000 words. All work should be in Word format. Your name, address, telephone number, email address, titles of the work, and contributor’s note should all be included on a separate sheet. Your name should not appear on the work itself. If your work is chosen, we will ask you to provide it on a disk in Word. If you have any questions about the magazine or your submission, contact Professor Kathy Whitcomb, Whitcomk@cwu.edu.