Looking to highlight the creative work and energy of the California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) campus, In The Ords literary arts journal is asking for student and staff submissions for its upcoming campus publication.
Since 2017, Otters at CSUMB have been collaborating with their peers and faculty to highlight community literary works for the journal.
“When I tell people about In The Ords, I usually highlight that it is by students, for students because we really are a student collective coming together hoping to curate and display student creativity,” shared Jojo Cook, president of the club.
Cook, a fourth-year humanities and communication major (HCOM), with a creative writing and social action concentration, couldn’t be more passionate about In The Ords. She joined the club during her first semester at CSUMB, after having participated in a similar club at her former community college.
With club officers graduating, Cook gladly stepped up to take the role as president along with a new team of officers last semester. The transition didn’t come without its setbacks, considering the club has been without a permanent faculty advisor since this past fall.
Club members rose to the challenge of redesigning In The Ords and getting back on track.
“We’re all ready to snap back, even though the cards might not have been in our favor before but now we’re counting the deck … we’re taking those strides,” said Cook. “We have a lot of really cool stuff planned and the know-how and hopefully the connections to really get it done.”
For Cook, one of the most important aspects In The Ords offers is the chance for students to share work with the CSUMB community, but also to have work in a published journal.
“Having the chance to say ‘I am a published writer, a published poet, a published artist,’ is such an ego boost in the best way. If you do submit and get accepted, you get to say you’ve been published and that’s a really great achievement, personally, spiritually, but also professionally,” said Cook.
Frank Limon, a fourth-year HCOM major and vice president of In The Ords, knows all too well about the struggles creatives go through. From the start of an idea to its realization, hesitancy and self-doubt often come with the territory. However, Limon doesn’t want Otters to feel their work isn’t worthy.
“[Writers are] overly shy and they tend to think their work isn’t good enough a lot of the time,” said Limon. “In The Ords is special because it gives them an opportunity to show it off and show that they have what it takes. The idea of seeing your work in a physical book is a big deal for everyone.”
With In The Ords now accepting new submissions by April 13 for the 2024 semester, with the central theme being “Ebb and Flow,” they are hoping to continue their club’s most important mission of giving students and faculty an established platform to show their literary works off.
“If you are reading this, submit, submit, submit. Please … if you have anything you think might go forward, even if you think it might not go forward, because I know creative people are always the hardest on themselves,” said Cook.
For more information about In The Ords, the club can be contacted through Instagram @intheords or by email [email protected]. To submit for this year, you can check out their website with submission guidelines http://intheords.weebly.com/submissions.html