While in many cases student content creation may be limited to one form of expression, the Eclectic Literary Magazine (HELM) incorporates everything from poetry to photography, allowing several art forms to coexist and complement each other in one work.

Because the magazine is entirely student-run, co-editors Justin Gerard (12) and Juhi Muthal (10) have to merge their visions into a publication that “allow[s] the reader to progress through a specific emotional journey,” according to Juhi.

Starting in late January, students producing HELM have their work cut out for them: reading and reorganizing submissions. Beyond simply rearranging pieces, however, contributors provide their own artistic flair in designing the magazine’s layout and creating a flow for the reader.

“We try to organize the magazine by placing writing submissions alongside art submissions that have some correlation, either thematically or emotionally, to one another,” Juhi said.

The entire process involves plenty of revision and group work. As art and writing submissions start coming in, staff of HELM hold work-in-progress meetings to discuss such pieces. Ultimate inclusion in HELM is decided on a member-voting basis. After that, several jobs are distributed among the staff, including revising grammar and designing pages.

“We get to work together so much in HELM,” Serena Wang (10) said. “The cooperation is an experience within itself.”

Although the main focus of HELM members is to revise and sort the artistic pieces of others, the experience opens their own eyes to their peers’ skill and variety in their work. Because “it’s a great opportunity to be published in a less competitive environment” according to Justin, more people are motivated to go out on a limb and submit.

There are no prerequisites or major guidelines for submission. Not only students, but also faculty members are encouraged to submit. Although not all entries are published, the magazine manages to incorporate the perspectives of several members of the community.

“I think [HELM] is a great idea,” Sondra Leal Da Costa (12) said. “It gives students the opportunity to present their work in a way that’s serious, but yet not in a way that a whole bunch of people will go there and criticize you and it basically lets them present their work in a nice open way.”

According to Dr. Anne Douglas, the faculty advisor to HELM, the magazine could be able to expand its space and accommodate more submissions this year after funding from the English Department. In addition, it may choose to print final copies at a different supplier and invest in better paper or binding.

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