The Chrysalis Literary andArts Magazine was revealed to campus Wednesday night in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room.
Inside of the magazine is a mix of written poetry, stories, and music, but includes photography and artwork as well.
Editor Scout Lynch loves the versatility.
“We all express ourselves differently. I am a writer so I love the chance to express myself through my writing, but some people would rather express themselves through art or photography,” Lynch said. “I love the opportunity and inclusion for everyone to have a chance to express themselves and share their passion.”
The magazine isn’t thrown together in a short time frame. The staff has been working all semester long.
The staff prints out everything individually and begins to pair written work with a piece of art or photography to see what goes best together.
Once everything is laid out, Adobe InDesign is used to edit the magazine digitally before sending it to the printer.
“I am so thankful for all of our contributors and the students who work on staff as well as our wonderful advisor (English Professor) Dr. (Katherine) Grimes. They’ve all worked so hard to make everything come together,” Lynch said.
As editor, Lynch has a goal every time a new edition of the magazine is unveiled.
This year, that goal was met.
“My goal is always to make sure everyone is represented in the way they wish to express themselves and ensure that their work and passion shines,” Lynch said.
Junior staff member, Mattie Green had photography and written work in this semester’s magazine.
“It was really cool to see it all come together. I was really proud of all the hard work I did and the improvements we were able to make to the magazine,” Green said. “Some people spoke to me afterwards about my ‘Armor of Obesity’ piece (and said it) spoke to them and they could relate. It was really rewarding to be able to give others a voice through my writing where they felt seen.”
Green also had a photography piece–“The Time Being”–win second place art.
“I inherited a lot of clock parts from my dad and wanted to do something creative to honor him,” she said. “When we were assigned to make a robot out of found objects in fabrication, it felt like the perfect opportunity. I named it ‘The Time Being’ after a joke my husband and I have, where we personify the phrase ‘for the time being’ into a little creature of time.”
Lynch aspires to become an English professor following graduation.
The Chrysalis adds to that passion.
“I love seeing the prose submissions that come in. We have so many talented students and as a future English professor, I enjoy seeing their creativity in writing,” Lynch said.
