SIR to print first edition since COVID-19 lockdown

After a long hiatus due to COVID-19 precautions, the Snow Island Review (SIR) is finally printing the upcoming edition of their annual literary and art journal in 2022.   

“Now that we can print and it feels like all of our hard work is finally coming together into a tangible final product, it feels so good,” Kendall Bullock, editor-in-chief of SIR and senior marketing major, said. “It feels like we’re actually contributing something to campus.”   

The editorial staff of SIR could not post any of the submissions before the COVID-19 pandemic, so Bullock felt relief in being able to publish other writers’ hard work.   

The editing process for SIR is a long one, but they want to ensure that they are conveying the message the writer wants as well as publishing grammatically–correct work.   

“Whenever a writer gets a chance to turn in their work, we read them and make sure there aren’t any punctuation errors,” Maia Wilson, a senior mass communications major, said. “We check in with the writer for everything, though. We don’t ever want to misconstrue what people really mean.”   

None of the current editorial staff have been able to print with SIR before, so it is a novel experience for them and the creators of submissions.   

“I feel like [printing] is an amazing experience because it’s the first time I’m getting to the behind-the-scenes part,” Wilson said. “It actually shows I can actually do this when I graduate. Now, I definitely get more insight into what to expect in the real world.”  

Though the team contributed countless hours to the journal’s production, Wilson said it prepared her for the real world and her future career aspirations.   

“Every time I thought I was done for the day, I was wrong,” Wilson said. “I’m grateful to be in those positions because it’s training my mind and my body to be ready; I gained a lot of stamina.”  

Another member of the editorial staff for SIR, English, creative writing and psychology triple major Daelin Tripp, said the creation of the journal is a cool physical manifestation of a writer’s work and would look great on a bookshelf.  

“I think it’s fun to see your work on paper printed because it adds a bit more realness to what your craft is,” Tripp said. “I’m really glad the university allows it.”  

SIR is a literary and art journal funded by the English department but run by students. The English professors guide the students and give them boundaries, but the students control the journal. Inside the journal is a collection of works chosen and vetted by the students on the editorial staff.   

“We try to give a space where people on campus, especially undergraduates, can feel they can be creative and part of something,” Bullock said.  

 To celebrate the upcoming printed edition, SIR hosted a party on Thursday, April 21, for all students and staff. They asked members of SIR and the English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta, to attend and listen to the newly published authors read their work.   

Further information on the upcoming edition can be found at https://snowislandreview.wordpress.com/, and submissions, open year-round, can be emailed to snowislandreviewatfmu@gmail.com.