Jackson Ferderer, a senior majoring in rhetoric and professional writing and editor-in-chief of LandEscapes, said art can and should be utilized to alter aspects of our society.

LandEscapes is an annual literary magazine run by students on campus, which features students’ writing in poetry, fiction and nonfiction. However, students with a position in LandEscapes cannot have their work published in it.

Ferderer is the editor-in-chief for the 2017 and 2018 editions. Before that, he was a poetry editor. With everything that needs to be said in a society full of imperfections, Ferderer believes people need to question authority and not accept the status quo, which was LandEscapes’ loose “theme” this year.

Ferderer believes through his creative writing, he can make a point to show the importance of not accepting things for how they are presented, and that rebelling against societal norms is essential to evoke change in culture.

Equipped with a love for writing a variety of stories and, sometimes “awfully cliché and amateur,” poetry, Ferderer continues to hone his craft by rebelling against society through literature.

The inspiration for a story or a poem can evolve over time or appear spontaneously, and derives from an individual’s experiences, he said.

The goal of becoming an artist is to make an impact on society by means of creativity, no matter how miniscule, Ferderer said. No one should have to go through the motions of life, existing only in the way they are told they should.

Where conflict is the norm and outliers are targeted by those in the arena, the LandEscapes literary journal provides an opportunity to project unheard voices without being restricted by the status quo, Ferderer said.

LandEscapes was established in 1999 as the result of high demand from undergraduates to have a creative outlet. With an immense growth of more than 300 submissions this year, LandEscapes continues to expand its influence and project the students’ voices more clearly, Ferderer said.

Any person, no matter what they are studying, has the ability to create something great, because different experiences lead to different means of storytelling, he said. For example, a psychology major will have a different way of understanding a story than someone in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics field.

However, Ferderer emphasizes that everything is connected — no matter what our educational affiliations are. This uniqueness, derived from various perceptions of the world, is what LandEscapes strives to present in the journal, he said.

With all of the talented people at WSU who dedicate their time to producing original literature and art, Ferderer said he hopes to see LandEscapes become a staple like the school’s sports teams are. Art needs to receive the appreciation it deserves, he said.