The Sequoya Literary and Arts Magazine held their annual release party on Monday, April 24 to celebrate the publication of their 2017 issue.
Sequoya, which is the oldest creative publication at St. John’s dating back to the 1920s, has been publishing student works that include nonfiction and fiction, prose, poetry and photography.
Writers, students and faculty came together in the University Writing Center to commend the magazine for its ongoing success. Some of the writers even read their pieces out loud for the audience to hear.
Current editor-in-chief and the Torch’s former chief copy editor, Sarah Guayante, said she was appreciative of the outcome as well as the people who contributed and made this year’s magazine possible.
“I am thankful for everyone who submitted, and thankful that this just continues to be a thing every year, because it’s been a thing since the 20s. I can’t believe that it’s been 80 something years and it’s still going on,” Guayante said.
More and more students are submitting their work to get their voices out there. And through the use of platforms like Sequoya they can publish and receive recognition for their creativity.
To mark the end of this year’s publication, Guayante passed the reigns to a new editor-in-chief, Kendall Collins. Collins has been the layout artist and has been working with Sequoya for three years, but hopes to form a different structure for the organization.
Collins wants to bring the magazine staff closer together, working on tightening the bond that has already been created.
“I want to make it a different process this year, make it more as a team and bring a family aspect to it,” Collins said. “I am excited for that because I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. So the whole collaborative process will be a good time.”
The close-knit editorial team is, however, looking for more writers to contribute to future issues. Maggie Ryan, a freshman English major, has expressed interest in the magazine and she said, “I have always loved to read and reading influenced me to become a writer, so that is why I am interested in this. And it’s also very entertaining.”
Danielle Rouse, who has been published in the magazine, has a word of advice for students who may feel a little ambivalent in sharing their work.
“Don’t be afraid, because fear is expensive but it does nothing for you. It is not an investment of yourself; so definitely don’t be afraid to submit because the worst you can get is a no,” Rouse said. “But it’s not likely that you’ll get that because they are so open to so many different types of writing styles and structures. Fear is just a thing that you shouldn’t let stop you, especially with Sequoya.”
Students interested in writing and designing for Sequoya can email the editorial board at [email protected] and more information about the publication can be found at https://sequoyazine.wordpress.com.
Editor’s note: On the print version of the April 26 issue, an incorrect date for the celebration was printed. As of May 3 at 10:30 a.m. this date has been corrected from 2016 to 2017.
