The student body of Washington College may be surprised to discover that, for the past two years, we have had a partnership with a college in St.
Andrews, Scotland.This school, along with WC, simultaneously publishes a literary magazine entitled Across the Pond.
English professor Kathy Wagner explained, "The Writers' Union funded the first issue of Across the Pond last year, and we thought it was such a huge success that we are sponsoring a second issue this spring!"
The magazine is mostly student run. Junior Shanna Caleb said, "Justin Michael, a senior, and Jill Coste, a sophomore, are the WC editors. I create the layout, and collect WC submissions. Jennifer Lubkin, another student at WC, makes the covers and starts the binding process, and then teaches us how to glue the magazine together."
Caleb praised Professor Wagner in saying, "She provided us with the information and details about how to get the whole thing started."
She further explained that the Scotland branch consists of Maria Byars and Simon Best, who collect submissions for St. Andrew's.
This long-distance production cannot be handled by any one person. Said Caleb, "It's really a large group effort. Without everyone's help, a magazine like this would never work."
The idea for Across the Pond came about when senior Justin Michael studied abroad at St. Andrew's in the 2000 spring semester.
Michael explained, "We wanted to bring student writings from St.
Andrew's and WC together in one literary magazine without setting restrictions on format.""Justin collected the submissions from St. Andrew's and then e-mailed them back to me." Caleb said. "Maria Byars has now taken over his position. She met Justin when she submitted work for last year's magazine."
Caleb continued: "Our main theory behind [the magazine] was that it would give students a chance to read the writings of students from places other than WC. It's a chance to see what else is out there."
Michael also discussed his experiences with the literary magazine: "Working on Across the Pond has been an interesting project. The best part is seeing the differing styles of contributors from both the U.S. and the U.K."
Best is an exchange student from St. Andrew's who studied at WC and helped Caleb.
"I think that the existence of the magazine symbolizes the great connection between WC and St. Andrew's that has been established through the exchange program," Best said.
Submissions are being accepted until Monday, March 5. They can be sent to Caleb via e-mail. The magazine accepts all types of writings.
The number of submissions collected from both schools this year is already increasing.
Across the Pond will be available to all students, beginning on the day of the Writers' Union Picnic.
When asked how the magazine could benefit WC students, Professor Wagner explained, "I think it's a great idea to share literary voices with St. Andrew's students ... Chestertown and WC can feel a little 'cut off' from the rest of the world sometimes and this magazine reminds us of a larger literary community."
Caleb agreed: "The goal is to be able to read work from other students that are members of another campus, or in this case, another country."
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