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Journal seeking contributors
When a person looks through the eyepiece of a kaleidoscope, all he or she sees is an abstract design. Each design is unique and diverse in some way with many different shapes and colors that represent a whole.
In this case, the Kaleidoscope is an online journal published each spring and is full of multi-culturally themed original stories, poems, essays, photography, short stories, non-fiction, drawings and graphic art.
“These works will help people at SCSU to think about what it means to live in a diverse community,” said Frances Condon, director of The Write Place.
Sponsored through The Write Place and funded by a $2,000 grant from the SCSU Cultural Diversity Committee, Kaleidoscope will be publishing works done by students, faculty and staff at SCSU. The magazine is intended to recognize and honor the artistic vision, perspectives and contributions of the SCSU community.
Kaleidoscope was first introduced in 1990 by Judith Kilborn, professor of English. The journal is part of the Literacy Education Online (LEO) that contains past Kaleidoscope issues. According to Condon, Kilborn was concerned about diversity at SCSU.
“(Judy) finds creative ways to talk about the gifts that diversity represents,” Condon said. “Not everyone is the same, and it’s a good thing, not a bad thing.”
Condon first got excited about Kaleidoscope when she applied for a job at SCSU. She had previously done work with racism and activism and wanted to work creatively with these issues.
“Kaleidoscope is a creative forum for the (SCSU) community to think about and reflect and process through difference,” Condon said.
The Write Place will carry on with Kilborn’s work and is currently seeking volunteers to assist with the preparation and publication, as well as creative contributions to the journal. The editorial board gathers sometime in Jan. or Feb. and meets once a week for six weeks.
The editorial board will then judge the submitted works based on the quality and the appropriateness of the piece given the magazine’s multi-cultural theme. They will also give advice to people on their works. Submitters will not get paid for their published work.
Cindy Peterson, graduate student working toward a master’s degree in English, will be helping out with the journal for the first time.
“It’s important to promote diversity in the university culture,” she said.
“(Cultural diversity is important) because it’s where we are all the time,” Condon said. “The university has experienced conflict with all kinds of issues. The more people think about these issues creatively, the more healthy our community and intellectual lives.”
Posters and e-mail notices are hanging around campus. Past issues are available at http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/kaleidoscope/index.html.
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