The Fulcrum Journal has officially opened submissions for its 2018 publication.

The annual magazine is a collection of art and literature from Hamline’s undergraduate students. It was first issued in the spring of 1996, after a group of students petitioned for a fund from the Humanities Division. Since then, the Fulcrum has served as an outlet for Hamline’s undergraduate body to showcase their visual artwork and creative writing.

This year’s Editor-in-Chief, senior Taylor Elgarten, believes the Fulcrum allows Hamline’s artistic community to thrive. She said the journal is inclusive of any type of art and is all about “giving students the space for expression.”

There are many ways students can benefit from having their work published in the Fulcrum. One way, Elgarten believes, is that it helps students to leave a lasting impression at Hamline.

“You’re putting your mark on the school,” she said.

Elgarten also believes it is a way for undergraduate writers to build a record for themselves and see their work in print. She says anyone that has their literary work accepted by the Fulcrum can call themselves a published writer.

Elgarten is working to give this year’s journal a bigger presence on campus. According to her, many students were not familiar with the Fulcrum last year. She hopes to make it a more open and recognized publication at Hamline.

“It was more closed off to a certain community,” she said. “‘What’s the Fulcrum?’ I want to change that.”

In regards to the visual art submissions, Elgarten says the Fulcrum staff is looking for all mediums. For creative writing submissions, whether it be prose or poetry, she said the team is most likely to publish something if it is “well written, it has good thought put into it, and if it’s purposeful.”    

Elgarten encourages students to submit work even if they feel hesitant. She says the experience, whether your work gets accepted or rejected, would be similar at a regular publishing house.

“If you’re thinking about it, do it!”

While submissions roll in, the Fulcrum staff will be busy making weekly updates to their Facebook page (Fulcrum Journal), as well as advertising across campus.

Students interested in submitting their work must follow these guidelines:

Prose and poetry pieces are limited to 1,500 words per piece and will automatically be rejected if the limit is exceeded. Include the word count and genre in the entry, and make sure it is in .doc/ .dox format.

For visual art, submit a high quality photo or scanned image of the piece. Include the title and the medium, and make sure it is in .jpg format.

Each entrant is limited to 5 submissions total. Submissions close on Feb. 16, 2018 at 5p.m. Send submissions and questions to fulcrumjournal@hamline.edu.