‘Absolute’ publication open to submissions

By Erin Ferrell, News Writing Student

Time is running out for authors and artists wishing to be published in the 2008 edition of “The Absolute.” The deadline for submitting work is Dec. 7.

“The Absolute” has received many promising pieces, but submissions are still being accepted.

The editors are also on the look out for aspiring artists who would like to see their artwork published in “The Absolute.”

It also features poetry, short stories, and non-fiction.

Anyone wishing to be published can find a submission form in the Arts and Humanities Office, or on the college webpage.

Four student editors decide the content: Cynthia Praefke, Jeff Miller, Johnathon Seratt and Robert Smith.

When one of the editors gets a submission, the editor reads it and gives it a score between one and 10.

Their varied opinions help keep “The Absolute” representative of the student body.

“Having multiple view-points helps keep it about quality rather than subject matter,” Miller said.

Miller and Praefke said being editors is a fun.

Praefke said she enjoys the varied styles of writing she gets to read. Miller said, “it is also effective at relieving stress headaches.”

They all meet to discuss what worked and what didn’t.

“I love our group of editors,” Praefke said.

For a piece to be published, it has to evoke some kind of reaction from the reader.

“If the piece is serious, I would like to be moved by it. If it is an attempt at humor, I sure would like to be laughing when I’m done,” Miller said.

But unfortunately, cuts have to be made.

“I wish I didn’t have to eliminate some of the work,” Praefke said.

There is not an established number of stories “The Absolute” will accept, but they receive too many submissions to publish all of them.

The magazine will be available in the campus bookstore in April.