Hamline celebrated the release of the annual Fulcrum Journal last Thursday evening. The gathering of Fulcrum staff, submission artists and Hamline community members featured visual displays of certain media and readings of literary works with casual mingling and food.

“The goal [was] to celebrate the 2016 Fulcrum publication, gather various members of the Hamline community to enjoy art and literature published by Hamline students, as well as commending them for their contribution,” said Catherine Jacobson (‘17), Outreach Chair for Fulcrum Journal.

The release party was a celebration of all the behind-the-scenes work on the journal and the pieces themselves. The journal features both literary and visual art pieces, which is the explanation behind its name, The Fulcrum, as the fulcrum is the middle point on a pivot to emphasize the balance between the two artistic realms.

“We are the in-house literary and art journal by the community of Hamline for the community of Hamline,” said Editor-in-Chief Effie Barnes (‘16).

The eight-member Fulcrum staff spent months advertising for open submissions, organizing them as they came in, laying out the journal and planning printing leading up to the event. Together, they received around 180 to 200 submissions. 60 pieces were selected for this year’s  journal. These selections span across a diverse range of art.

“We have poetry, creative nonfiction and fiction pieces. These range from serious topics to comic ones. We also have a variety of art from woodcut to digital to photography to colored pencil,” said Jacobson.

The event marked the completion of a term of hard work, including a 16-hour weekend of delving into the multitude of received submissions. Like any organization, the Fulcrum faced their own hurdles in creating the publication.

“I worried so so long just on the culmination of getting submissions and going through them to put them together in a way that’s presentable and in a limited time frame. I had nightmares about that,” said Barnes.

In the end, the final product is the mark of all their work throughout the school year as a team, and there’s a shared feeling of excitement and pride at the physical realization of their project.

“I am personally very excited,” said Jacobson. “ It’s such a rewarding feeling when you have this tangible journal in your hands as a product of the work that’s been put into it all year. We had a lot of great submissions; it was hard to choose which to publish this year.”

Barnes echoed similar sentiments.

“It’s been abstract for so long and it’s only existed in a computer, so to hold it makes me really happy,” said Barnes.

As Editor-in-Chief, Barnes stated her pride at watching the team as they worked towards a shared goal for the journal, especially since she’s graduating and will be passing on the title to Jacobson.

“It’s amazing to watch their skills, watch them grow and build their resumes,” said Barnes. “ I know I’m leaving the journal in safe hands when I graduate.”

At the event itself, Fulcrum staff, artists, and visitors shared food as everyone flipped through the now-tangible Fulcrum and listened to three readers perform their literary pieces.

“I’m always surprised by the number of people who come to the event,” said Barnes. “ It’s amazing seeing other people proud of being in the journal, it makes it worth publishing it.”

For some, this marked their first publication. No matter what, though, publishing their work elicited some emotional responses.

“Getting published felt like progress. Like a stepping stone toward the life of a real writer,” said Rebecca Drobinski (‘16), one of the poets who read at the event.

Drobinski’s experience was seemingly ubiquitous among Fulcrum contributors.

“There’s something to be said about having an actual, physical copy of your work, bound together with that of your peers,” said Drobinski. “I can flip through pages, see all these familiar, and some unfamiliar, names of people who have worked so hard to create art to share. It acts as a permanent reminder, a thing I get to put in my bookcase.”

Those who missed the release party and would like to get a copy of the journal can find them around campus on magazine shelves, in the Creative Writing House or they can contact the Fulcrum Journal via email at fulcrumjournal@hamline.edu.