VIU’s Portal Magazine to be Released

Spring is an exciting time of year for students of the Publishing class in the Creative Writing department at Vancouver Island University—Portal magazine is about to be released.

Portal is a student published magazine of some of the finest student writing in poetry, prose, literary essay, or any other written form, that VIU has to offer. It also features work from the Arts department, photography, and a cover designed by a Graphic Arts student.

For fifteen years, under the guidance of Professor Rhonda Bailey, the upper level Publishing class has turned the classroom into a publishing house. Students have the opportunity to learn nearly every aspect of the industry with hands-on experience handling submissions, selling ads, copy-editing, editing, design and layout, marketing and promotion, and working with the printer. It is an invaluable experience that has led many former students to successfully pursue and obtain careers in the publishing industry. Each year the students raise sufficient funding through ad sales and donations to produce their edition of Portal magazine.

This year’s issue features a cover design by student Beth Joy Callis, with art and writing submissions from fifty-one other students. The class has worked hard over two terms to produce the magazine, and is confident that this year’s issue will be one of the best.

The Portal launch party will take place on March 31, from 2 to 5 pm, in the Royal Arbutus Room (Bldg. 300, Nanaimo campus). The event will be headlined by Canadian poet Robert Priest www.poempainter.com sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts. There will be student readings, appetizers, a cash bar, and door prizes. The magazine will also be available at the University bookstore and select retailers in the mid-Island region. Everyone is welcome.