A new section has been added to the DU Clarion, welcoming weekly poetry and prose submissions.
The section offers an outlet for all students to have their creative writing released on a public platform. The Foothills undergraduate literary magazine and the Denver Quarterly were the main outlets available to do so, until now, on DU’s campus.
The section started due to the vision of Clarion copyeditor Mason Wageman and contributing writer George Murray. Mason Wageman is now the editor for the poetry and prose submissions for the print editions of the Clarion. He spoke on why the section was added to the online website.
“I knew that the print version of the Clarion had been gathering a wide influence, and I figured it was a great place to get some creative voices shared. I was thinking of the New Yorker when I had the idea, as the section seemed incompatible with a newspaper at first, but I’ve been lucky to get support for the idea,” Wageman said.
The section is still a part of the print editions, only now it’s available online every week.
Clarion staff member and creative writer Jackie Michel, who has submitted work for the last two print editions, talked about the weekly availability of submissions.
“I think a weekly outlet allows me to challenge myself more with my writing, as well as explore different creative styles. The hardest thing about being a writer is actually getting yourself to write, so knowing that I have a weekly deadline pushes me to be more invested and consistent with my work,” Michel said.
DU Writer’s Club member and Denver Quarterly editor Gabriel Campos was glad for there to be a new outlet. “It is very important to me to have an accessible outlet for my writing. My writing process is never truly complete until the words leave my hands,” he said.
Michel, who also worked for the Denver Quarterly as an editor, spoke of the submission process, “Submitting to the Clarion is a non-stressful process. I can have my work published without the fear of it being ‘not good enough.’ It’s a much more casual creative outlet,” she said.
Campos spoke on the nerves of posting creative work on a public platform. “It can absolutely be scary. You don’t know people will respond to your work once it’s out there, but once it’s out there, it’s not really yours anymore, is it?” he said.
“Of course I get nervous,” Michel added. “Most of the time, I don’t know if my writing is worthy enough to be seen by other people.”
Wageman advised those nervous about submitting work to remember that “people take whatever they want from art, regardless of the artists’ intention. Sometimes people will laugh at what you thought was good, but that also means that somebody could be moved by something you didn’t believe in, so I think it’s worth the risk. Also, the people laughing just suck, so forget about them,” he said.
The submission form can be accessed every week through the Writers’ Club weekly newsletter, which can be joined through Crimson Connect. There is also an Instagram account (@duwriters) for writers at DU where additional information can be found.
Another way to receive the form is by emailing one of the editors, including Murray at (george.murray@du.edu) and (mason.wageman@du.edu).
