If you have ever wondered how to be creative on campus, look no further than Lingua, Seattle Pacific University’s visual arts journal and comprehensive program.
The journal aspect of Lingua is a literary and visual arts journal that is comprised of student work. Any student can submit their pieces to the journal, with the staff taking submissions and creating a cohesive publication.
“Poetry, photography, paintings and illustrations are the most common work students submit,” Lingua Editor-in-Chief Geneva Lehnert said.
Lehnert, alongside a small staff of five people and their trusted faculty advisor Doug Thorpe, an English professor, run Lingua.
“I’ve always seen Lingua as a wonderful outlet for the writers and artists on campus,” Thorpe said concerning the journal. “The physical journal gives students a chance to see their work in print and the public events are an opportunity for a wide variety of students to come together as a community.”
On their website, Lingua notes that they are “focused on broadening our outreach to the entire student body. We want to welcome our new and returning students into the art and literary community here at SPU. We aim to offer a safe space to provide an outlet for all kinds of creative minds.”
Lehnert explained that Lingua also holds quarterly events that allow students to get more involved with the program.
Just recently, they co-held a campus kickoff event with SPU’s radio station KSPU. The event was designed to welcome students back to school. They are also planning an upcoming event in Moyer Hall where students will be able to paint and eat fall themed snacks.
This year, they are planning to make changes to their program and journal publication.
“We are moving from publishing three times a year to twice a year. Before we were publishing lesser quality journals and with this change, we will be able to print on thicker paper and produce a higher quality journal”
This year Lingua will be publishing the journal during winter and spring quarter. This change will also allow more students to submit their work to the journal and have more time to create their work.
The change coming to Lingua will also allow the staff to partner with more organizations around campus and give them more time to organize and create the best possible journal.
Some of the student work also makes it to the SPCA art gallery.
Lehnert also noted that the goal for her and her staff is to get more people to submit to the Lingua journal and have more students get involved with their creative and arts-related events around campus.
“We also hope to become better known on campus and partner with more students,” Lehnert said of her personal goals as editor-in-chief.
Lehnert loves that the Lingua journal and program “brings real raw voices of the student body.”
“Our journal is visual arts by students for the students and it is a unique privilege to be able to provide that to students and be a part of an amazing team,” she continued.
Students can follow along with Lingua on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook where the staff posts updates and more information about what they are up to. They are also encouraged to come to the events that Lingua hosts and express their creative sides.
If students want to get involved with Lingua they can submit their work along with their name and description of their piece to the official email [email protected].
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