The WSU Women*s Center is currently taking submissions for Harpy*s Magazine. 

Jackelyn Sedano, Women*s Center program coordinator, said the magazine is a student-run feminist publication that started in the 2020-21 school year. 

“It’s essentially a magazine that’s centered around the Women*s Center’s mission to advocate for people of all genders, to discuss gender justice,” Sedano said.

Women*s Center Director Amy Sharp said the idea for the magazine came from a Digital Technology and Culture major who was looking to create a magazine for students to share their work in gender justice. 

Sharp said the student was inspired by a magazine from Oregon State University called “Sirens,” and she went from there. 

The first issue was published in the middle of the pandemic, so she did not have a lot of submissions to work with, Sharp said. 

“She’s made connections with LandEscapes, and they’ve done some different stuff,” Sharp said. “We’re trying to get the name out there so we can get some cool submissions, and so far, it sounds like things are going OK.”

Sharp said Harpy*s is a digital magazine. The Women*s Center is looking for submissions in multiple different areas. 

The magazine accepts submissions such as poetry, art, graphic design and articles, Sedano said. The Women*s Center accepts all levels and abilities, so certain software such as Adobe are not required to submit to the magazine. 

If someone wants to remain anonymous, they can put in an alias instead of their real name, she said. 

Sharp said the Coalition for Women Students chair last year was a serious poet and submitted her work but wanted to remain anonymous. When she saw people’s reactions to her poem, she decided to publish it under her real name. 

It can be scary for someone to share their work for the first time, but submitting to the magazine can be good practice for getting something published, she said. 

“This is a good way to test out how that feels to be able to put your work out there and see what other folks have to say,” Sharp said. “And everybody here is so supportive.”

If someone wants to get a start with their work, Sharp said submitting to Harpy*s is a good place to begin. 

Sedano said the development of the magazine is something she is looking forward to. She watched the first edition go through the publishing process, which was everyone’s first shot at working on the magazine. 

“Each year, it’s a different group of students who have been working on it,” she said. “This year, it’s more about seeing what this team has to offer for the zine.”

Sedano said that for this year’s edition, the Women*s Center is working with LandEscapes. 

The two publications collaborated to put on an open creative studio for people to come in and work on poetry, art and paintings, she said. There was even a poetry slam, where people who were comfortable shared their pieces with the group.

“I think we’re really just starting to develop a relationship where we can work smarter, not harder, since they often are seeking submissions. We’re seeking submissions, so just working together, submitting to each other’s magazines, that kind of collaboration,” Sedano said.

People can submit their work to [email protected], and submissions will close at the beginning of April, Sharp said.