Joe Handlin

Say a student wanted to write their own story. Maybe there’s this really cool thing they’d like to photograph. Perhaps there is even a cool piece of artwork they’ve been sitting on for a while. The campus literary and arts publication, the Abington Review, offers students a place to potentially publish any photography, artwork, or written work they might produce.  Any student is welcome to go through the distinct process from drafting work to publishing it, as noted by John Mitchell, Vice President of the Abington Review, “Any student is also welcome to submit their work to us regardless of if they are a member of the club or not.”

The publishing process goes like this: first, any interested student would go to The Abington Review’s website. Students don’t even need to be a part of the club to submit; they can submit their piece here. There is a maximum of five separate works a student can submit, so it is recommended they choose carefully.

So what does the average club member do? Mitchell added that “The Abington Review is a great way to meet new people, learn new skills, and put something unique on your resume that will really stand out to potential employers, regardless of what a student’s major is. We welcome all students to join us for our weekly meetings, or for some of the special events that we hold throughout the semester,” adding that he “can personally attest that being a part of The Abington Review has been one of the most rewarding experiences that I have had in college, and I highly encourage any interested students to join our organization’s page on Engage and to keep an eye out for us on campus!”

Students interested in joining should attend their weekly meetings. At these meetings, several student-submitted works are discussed. Mitchell told us that the Review is happy to “publish student short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and artwork in a yearly collection, and every year we have different theme. That said, students are always welcome to submit their work to us regardless of if they think it fits our theme or not, we’re very flexible on what we put in the magazine.”

Additionally, all submissions are anonymous, so there is no bias during discussions over the submitted work. Everyone is encouraged to give honest feedback to these works. According to Mitchell, Some may be flat-out rejected, but most rejections may be eligible for resubmission after significant edits. If the majority of the group approves of the work, it goes into the book.

The Abington Review is our award-winning campus literary magazine, and all in all, even if students aren’t looking to be published, it is still a fantastic way to meet new people and get involved on campus. The Abington Review is a club after all, and a welcoming one at that.