SE magazine unveils creativity

2011CompassMagazineCoverBy Karen Gavis/se news editor

Literary connoisseurs interested in peeking inside some of the creative minds on SE Campus may wish to attend the reception and readings for the 2011 issue of The Compass, dedicated to former SE president Judith Carrier. The event will be held 6-8 p.m. Oct. 6 in the SE Campus library.

The Compass is an artistic venue that will be open for submissions in October and is limited to SE students and faculty. Distance learning and dual credit students who have an instructor based on SE Campus are eligible to submit entries as well.

Accompanying the 2011 issue will be a DVD slideshow presentation of additional work including a performance piece.

“You’ve got a lot of things to weigh when you’re making selections,” lead faculty sponsor for The Compass, Pennie Boyett, said. “Sometimes you look at something and think, ‘Maybe we don’t want something like that representing our school.’”

Boyett said last year, 40 students reviewed 164 art and literary submissions to choose creative work to showcase in The Compass. The students were members of the Arts Magazine Cooperative, Sigma Kappa Delta Honor Society or students in Arlandis Jones’ technical writing classes.

Photographer and former SE student Jonathan Ortiz had several photographs selected for publication. Ortiz’ work will grace both front and back covers of this issue.

“I have had some of my work in galleries,” he said. “I want to get into the high-end fashion industry.”

Ortiz’ work has been displayed at Flat Bed Press Gallery in Austin.

The Compass, whose initial publication won three awards, acquired its name after a comment was made about needing a compass to find the room the staff was working in.

The Oracle, published in 1999, preceded The Compass as SE Campus’ first literary magazine.

Those desiring to enter original work have several categories to choose from including poetry, short stories, plays and personal essays. Other artistic categories include cartoons, drawings, paintings and photography as well as music, 3-D/other fine art and performance/multimedia presentations. If published, rights for one-time use only will be granted to the magazine.

“We want the magazine to be a teaching tool,” Boyett said. “Nothing is going to be censored because it has a four-letter word in it.”

For more information about The Compass, contact Boyett at pennie.boyett@tccd.edu, in ESED 2424A or at 817-515-3140.