Did you know we have a Gustavus literary magazine? Firethorne is a magazine that publishes student-created content and showcases student talent as well as creating a platform for voices to be heard. It allows for anyone and everyone in the Gustavus student community to be able to share their artistic abilities and writing skills.

This publication, under the current title of Firethorne, can be traced back to 1973, according to the Gustavus archives.

The printed, full-color publication is distributed freely to Gustavus students, faculty, and other community members in the spring of each academic school year.

Firethorne is organized and edited by students who are enrolled in the English 350: Editing and Publishing course.

“The purpose of the class is to gain knowledge and hands-on experience in the process of creating a literary publication. Students solicit work, select work for publication, edit, and design the entire journal. Students also launch their own literary publications,” Advisor/Managing Editor of Firethorne and English Professor, Matthew Rasmussen, said.

The mission statement for Firethorne has been recently updated and includes the idea that the magazine “seeks to celebrate Gustavus’ creative culture and showcase the effects of a liberal arts education through the diversity of our artistic community, which spans over a multitude of majors, fields of study, and demographics.”

Students work to create a mission statement that makes everyone feel welcome to submit, no matter your field of study.

“When we were brainstorming, we really liked the point that this is a magazine for everyone here, especially since this is a Liberal Arts college.  ALL majors are welcome to enter submissions.  Our goal is to reflect Gustavus at this specific time.  If you look through the old [Firethorne publications] from years ago, I’m sure the writing reflects different experiences that reflect what it was like to be at Gustavus at that point in time.  We also want to make sure many diverse voices are represented,” Firethorne Marketing Coordinator and Senior, Jamie Jennissen, said.

Firethorne also hosts a launch party at the end of the Spring semester each year to highlight pieces in the magazine and to build excitement about the publications release.

“Primarily, [Senior Camryn Heckel, and my] job is to [market] for the launch party at the end of the year. In the past, this has taken place in the Courtyard, and people have read their poetry and prose at an open mic night.  However, all of us in the class are editors and take place in the process of selecting and editing the work,” Jennissen said.

In addition to most of the team members editing as well as a couple focusing on marketing for the release party, there are other positions as well. Junior Grace Arnold plays a vital role as a Copy Editor for Firethorne, which requires having a detailed and organized eye.

“I am a Copy Editor, so basically I (as well as the other class students) read through the submissions and decide on which ones we want in the journal. Then I read through the selected pieces, but this time with more of an editor’s eye: proofreading and perfecting pretty much,” Arnold said.

The publication includes a variety of works, including multiple genres of writing.

“Firethorne accepts works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and anything in-between, really. We also accept visual art in the form of images which, if accepted, are printed in color in the journal,” Professor Rasmussen said.

The student editing team also echoed this sentiment, adding that the feelings evoked from the pieces can vary as well.

“Firethorne usually aims to accept [pieces] that encompass a variety of themes, from fun, to sad, to serious, to weird, to beautiful and profound,” Arnold said.

Publications from previous years can be found on the Firethorne page on the Gustavus website.