The Foothills Undergraduate Visual and Textual Magazine was abandoned in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t until 2022 when Lily McManamy and Lauren Thompson teamed up and decided to bring it back to life, ending the two-year hiatus.
Since its inception in 1946, the magazine produced annual editions with selected prose, poetry and visual art made by the undergraduate student body. The latest edition of Foothills, which was released in the spring of 2023, is available to read on their website. The magazine has been completely revitalized, as this year Foothills has a full-fledged staff led by Thompson and McManamy, both co-editors in chief.
“We felt there was a hole in the undergraduate community for students to get their creative work published,” McManamy said. “It’s hard for undergraduates to compete with graduate students and professional writers to get their work out there.”
“The mission of Foothills is to give undergraduates a platform to share their artistic work with DU as well as the greater Colorado community,” Thompson added.
Foothills does not have weekly meetings as other clubs do; they are a closed staff with annual application offerings. Applications for staff are closed for this year, but everybody has the opportunity to get involved with the magazine by submitting creative work.
“We want to hear from anybody interested in art, literature, editing or the publishing world. If you are a writer or artist of any kind, we would love to hear from you. Being a published writer or working on our staff looks great on applications and resumes,” said McManamy.
One of the setbacks for most people interested in Foothills is the anxiety around publishing and editing. McManamy is aware of this, but she urges anybody with a desire to have their work published to push beyond their fears. “Don’t be nervous about submitting your work. Anybody interested in being in Foothills should take the chance. You never know—we may love it,” she said.
“Of course, we cannot accept all submissions, but we do want to read and see all of them. Plus, submitting your work and working with an editor, regardless of whether or not it is published, is a great experience for any aspiring artist,” she explained.
Foothills is not exclusively a literary magazine; they are equally interested in publishing visual art in all forms. “We are a magazine of Literary and Visual Arts,” said Thompson. “We are interested in all forms of writing, such as poetry, creative or nonfiction prose, lyrics, etc. We are also looking for visual artists working in any medium: photography, painting, digital art, and even photographs of statues and textile arts. If it can be printed, you can submit it!”
Submissions will remain open until March 1. The only requirements are that applicants be an undergraduate student at a Colorado university and that the submitted work be previously unpublished. The 2024 edition is set to be released in the spring, so follow the Foothills Instagram account, @foothills.magazine, to stay up-to-date on the magazine.
As for the future of the magazine, McManamy spoke on their goals as a publication. “We would like to garner enough interest to come out with quarterly editions of the magazine. In order to do this, we need to receive enough submissions to disperse them throughout the year. If we can get enough interest in this respect, we can hire more staff, making Foothills a larger and more interactive project.”
To submit creative work for the 2024 edition of Foothills, send an email with your name and type of submission (poetry, prose, or visual art) in the subject line to foothills.magazine.du.submissions@gmail.com.
