Connecticut College News

Among the wealth of extracurricular clubs and volunteer opportunities here on campus it seems that over the years, interest in media related clubs, specifically Connecticut College´s literary magazines, has dwindled, forcing these publications to fade into the background of the budding successes of other organizations. Fortunately, there seems to be a revitalization of literary involvements at Conn with the introduction of Cadenza Magazine and the reemergence of The Sound, which was formed and published last year. Sophomores Jenni Milton, Katelyn Goll and Becca Crovo had considered creating a literary magazine on campus since their freshman year. Encouraged by the lack of creative literary outlets on campus, and at the urging of faculty, these students decided it was time to construct their dreams into a reality. "The idea has been a little seed that is now growing into something," said editor-in-chief, Jenni Milton. "All the other literary magazines that had existed at Conn seemed to have died and I wasn´t sure why. We talked to the English department and they told us that for at least three years there hadn´t been a literary magazine on campus. We thought that since there weren´t any we might as well start one." So why has this club had such a late introduction into Connecticut College´s extracurricular bubble? "Students, especially freshmen, are so overwhelmed with so many clubs and things they want to be involved with in the fall semester. Now that it´s spring semester students are more likely to know what they want to be involved with and are more likely to be committed to their involvements," said Milton. The editors of Cadenza Magazine constantly stress their goal of making sure their magazine outlasts the many literary magazines that have come and gone at Connecticut College. To accomplish this feat, Cadenza hopes to gain the interest of freshmen. Milton said, "we really want freshmen to join and contribute to the magazine because if they start being involved with it, the magazine is more likely to flourish and last." The goals of Cadenza reflect the meaning of the magazine, which is a term that describes an exceptional piece of musical, artistic or literary work created by a virtuoso. Milton said, "we feel that Cadenza will provide a creative outlet for students by allowing them to showcase any literary or artistic talents. We are trying to make this magazine a collaborative effort between students, staff and faculty and are open to any submissions we receive." Upon investigation, Connecticut College still does have one existing literary magazine called The Sound, which was first formed last year by junior Michael Antoinetti, senior Brooke Schley and sophomore Rocky Delforge. According to Antoinetti, last year The Sound was a burgeoning and successful publication with many goals that were put on hold while he and other Sound members were studying abroad. Speaking about last year´s achievements, Antoinetti said, "I´d say it was a success. The Sound provides an outlet for students interested in literary or visual art. [The] last issue consisted mostly of poetry and photography, but we are working on expanding this to include other types of art such as sculpture, prints, sketches - anything students are willing to submit." Upon being asked why she thought the majority of Connecticut College´s literary magazines had failed to thrive, Milton suggested that previous magazines such as The Sound lacked good advertisement and publicity as well as the lack of motivation to succeed. This perspective is certainly what is driving Milton, Goll and Crovo to pursue their goal of creating a diverse, student-run art and literary magazine. However, it is also the determination of these newcomers that has kept Antoinetti, Schley and The Sound members on their toes. Responding to claims that The Sound was no longer active, Antoinetti responded, "Contrary to belief of the Cadenza staff, The Sound is alive and well. We applied for and received funding from SGA last year and published in the spring." Having to face false assumptions about the status of The Sound, Antoinetti said, "Now I am forced to go in front of SGA and inform them that there is in fact still a creative art and literary magazine on this campus." Although Antoinetti is concerned with the current state of The Sound, he is determined to continue with the publication and growth of the magazine. The editors and members of The Sound are currently working on new ideas for future issues and are conceptualizing "a more integrated and contextualized magazine, embracing the combination of different artistic mediums (without sacrificing legitimacy)." Throughout all this change for The Sound, Antoinetti expressed unwavering confidence to continue circulating The Sound and insists that time away from Connecticut College has only benefited the publication. "Now with some experience under our belts we would like to tackle this project, really making The Sound a unique art piece in itself. Coming back from abroad, I was not expecting to have to defend a magazine that was deemed a success by those who took part. However, defending the right to keep this magazine is something Brooke and I are willing to do." At a recent SGA meeting this week the conflict of having two similar literary magazines on campus was resolved. While there are still some minor complications about the existence of The Sound that SGA must settle, for now it has been determined that there will be two art and literary magazines on campus and that each club has the equal rights to apply for funding. Milton said that Cadenza is starting to fundraise in order to boost the success of their publication. "We will be fundraising non-stop to ensure our publication lasts. This Saturday, we will be selling Valentine´s Day candy in front of the local Stop and Shop. We are thinking about selling issues of the magazine during events like Harvestfest especially to parents or family members who would like to see their student´s published work." Though there may be the fear of similar publications on campus, the general sentiment between both organizations seems to be that both magazines can peacefully coexist while each maintaining unique identities. "It may not be such a bad thing to have a little healthy competition. It´s likely to make both of our magazines better, and to make students more interested in the literary and visual arts on campus," said Antoinetti. While the goals of The Sound and Cadenza Magazine seem similar in content and though there may be initial tension from two similar clubs on campus, these two student-run art and literary magazines will surely provide unique opportunities for students to get in touch with their creative side. Both magazines are currently looking for art or literature submissions as well as interested members or volunteers. Questions or submissions for Cadenza Magazine send to Campus Box # 4258 or e-mail cadenzamag@gmail.com. Questions or submissions for The Sound email TheSound@conncoll.edu.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Amy Martin, 860-439-2526, a.martin@conncoll.edu or Deborah MacDonnell (860) 439-2504, dmacdonn@conncoll.edu