Gannon University’s iconic literary and art magazine has made its way to the top once again, with two new awards weighing down its cluttered shelf.
The 2012 Totem won first place with special merit in the American Scholastic Press Association’s annual magazine competition for the 17th consecutive year. But the awarding didn’t end there. Totem also took the prize for best division pages.
The 2012 edition was spearheaded by senior English major Christine Peffer, who expressed her excitement at the prestigious awards.
“I feel an overwhelming sense of relief,” Peffer said. “I knew we created something special, but there’s always pressure when you’re talking about a winning streak this long.”
The magazine’s adviser, Berwyn Moore – a professor in Gannon’s English department – was also happy to see Totem take first place once again. She said she is also greatly looking forward to the 2013 edition, which will be incorporating a brand new element.
The 2013 Totem is in the works under the direction of co-editors Dan Kubacki and Peffer. While Peffer said she is glad to have the privilege to work on the magazine again, Kubacki is new to the experience.
Part of his contribution includes introducing an audio aspect to the magazine – something that’s never been done before.
Moore said the Gannon community is invited to submit any kind of original works in audio form – poetry, music, drama or anything else of the like. She said non-original works can be submitted with caution, too. For any questions regarding copyright infringement, Moore encouraged potential submitters to consult the fair use educational copyright laws before submitting.
Moore said that submissions to Totem are not limited to students; any member of the Gannon community is welcome to submit work. Whether it’s audio or poetry, prose, original art or photography, she said, all work is subject to a panel of judges, who will determine what is accepted into the magazine.
She said the editors toyed with the idea of including an audio CD with the magazine, but they ultimately decided to go a slightly different, more modern route.
Instead, the audio will be accessed online with the release of “Totem” through a link to a Web page on the Gannon portal.
“People just don’t use CDs like they used to,” Moore said.
She said audio tracks can be submitted in two ways: potential tracks can either be recorded at WERG, or pre-recorded CDs can be submitted directly to Totem.
She said recording appointments should be made with WERG in time to record before Oct. 1. Anyone who wants to record can call 814-871-5886 to make an appointment.
Any questions or submissions for Totem can be addressed to [email protected], or the co-editors Kubacki – [email protected] – and Peffer – [email protected].
