The Value of Working on a Literary Magazine as an Undergrad
Following graduation in May, I’ll be attending New York University’s Summer Publishing Institute, and then I’ll be starting my master’s in publishing and writing at Emerson College in the fall. I am beyond excited to experience both of these programs, but I know they would not be available to me if not for my time working on literary magazines like Saranac Review. In my eyes, the opportunity I’ve had to be an editorial assistant and social media manager has meant more to me than just taking a course to complete a graduation requirement; my time with this magazine has given me the knowledge and skills I need to move forward with a career in publishing, so I am forever grateful that it exists.
My first few weeks with Saranac Review in 2022 were filled with a lot of information about publishing that I had never known before. Up to that point, I knew I wanted to go into the industry, but I really did not know much about it; I just knew I liked reading and editing, so that felt like the ideal career path for me. As time went on, I started to get a better idea of what I could potentially expect to see and do in the field, and I was becoming more confident in my abilities to make a career out of my interests. Not only were my reading skills improving with each new submission I looked at with a critical eye, but my editorial knowledge was growing exponentially. I came to understand the process of producing a literary magazine, from assembling a team, to putting out a call for submissions, to actively promoting on social media, to reviewing and selecting pieces for publication, to working with writers in a way that would ensure their vision for their work was executed in alignment with our vision for the magazine.
I have since taken this information with me in my other editorial endeavors, including my time as the current editor-in-chief of SUNY Plattsburgh’s student-run literary magazine, North Star. When I initially joined the 2023 team as EIC, I was fairly nervous that I would not know how to lead the team in our meetings or properly plan and execute the actual publication process. Eventually, I started to think about how Sara Schaff leads Saranac Review editorial meetings, and all of the extra work she does outside of our class time. Our graphic designer created our promotional poster which we hung around campus, all team members signed up to push into various classes to briefly talk about North Star, and our social media director worked hard on advertising on our Instagram. We were working hard to get as many submissions as possible, and all the while I was getting in contact with people to find answers to any questions we had, selecting a date and time for our launch party, and organizing all of our submissions. Currently, we have officially selected all of the accepted pieces for this year’s magazine, and it will be published online in just a few weeks. I am certain that if I did not have the prior experience Saranac Review has offered me, the North Star team would not have been able to achieve this level of success so far.
Not all colleges and universities have their own publications, which is why I am incredibly grateful that SUNY Plattsburgh has not only one but two literary magazines that undergraduate students can work on. Whether a student wants to go into publishing or they just like to read and discover new writing, being a part of an editorial team offers incredible opportunities that can benefit anyone. I personally would not have felt confident enough to apply to NYU and Emerson’s publishing programs if I had not been involved in our publications. With each new submission I read for either magazine, I am exposed to new and incredible writing– especially poetry– which has made me appreciate the craft even more. Though I am sad to think that my time with North Star and Saranac Review is coming to an end, I feel lucky to have been given the chance to work with these teams, and that these experiences have helped me progress my academic and professional goals.
