LC Meridian

Issue date: 5/9/10 Section: News

Media Credit: Cover art by Louis Riso.

For the first time in over a decade, Lehman students have a literary magazine.
"Obscura," launched April 28th at the English Department Awards Luncheon, showcases the work of Lehman students in fiction, poetry, photography and artwork in 120 pages of creativity at its best.
"It's great, as it gives students a chance to publish their work. It will sure help them to come up with a portfolio," said Multilingual Journalism senior Sandra Cespedes.

The idea for this type of publication came when Professor Terrence Cheng, Chair of the English Department, saw the need to prepare students for real-world situations by giving them hands on experience in editing, proofreading, and production, all of which Cheng experienced firsthand when he worked for a literary magazine in graduate school.

Cheng highlights that it is very important for an English department to have a literary magazine. "It shows that the Department is providing an artistic yet professional opportunity for our students to cut their teeth by practicing what they learn in the classroom. It also gives the College a chance to publish their work through a peer reviewed process, which gives their work a lot of credibility," said Cheng.

The first issue includes eleven poems that explore love, death and the life in the city among other things. Fiction works, weave creative plots and interesting characters into complex stories. The works of poetry and fiction flow through the magazine between inspiring photographs, drawings and paintings that are one of a kind.

"It's been a lot of fun," said Brian Morgan, Obscura's Editor-In-Chief. "Part of the appeal would be the fact that it consists of student work. But the real value is in the quality of the contents."
Morgan said that the most difficult part of the process was agreeing on a name for the project. After much deliberation, the staff chose "Obscura," which comes from camera obscura, the dark space inside of a camera where the light projects the image. "Creative writing is a way of projecting an idea, illuminating it through a story or poetry, for instances," explained Morgan.

The recruiting process started when Cheng approached students he had taught before for a meeting. After the staff was formed, they started revising the work the students submitted in the staff meetings and voting to select what would be published in the first issue. Lehman students from all departments are encouraged to submit their works in any genre.

The magazine is set to come out once a year, with the first issue in black and white print only, but each issue will depend on what the staff decides serves the material best, and the budget.
Obscura is available for free at the Lehman Bookstore, in the English Department and in the Student Life offices.

If you want to submit to "Obscura" email the staff at LehmanLitMag@gmail.com.

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