ou probably know The Goliard as the club that puts on the popular Covers event at the UG. What about The Goliard Literary Magazine? To me, The Goliard is a significant, tangible snapshot of creativity and community here at the College. There is something special about having a physical takeaway, something you can hold onto and keep once your time at Wooster has long ended, showcasing the creative works of your friends, neighbors and classmates alongside your own. Since the 1989-1990 academic year, The Goliard has embodied a slice of The College of Wooster’s creative student history. To keep this going, we not only need student submissions, but we also need people to help keep The Goliard alive.
When I was a first-year, I remember piling into Henderson C for Goliard meetings. With so many of us in one space, there was no seat left unfilled in the house. There was a sense of excitement about coming together to create something for the student body to enjoy and to be a part of a campus cultural tradition. Even though I was nervous, I still was beyond excited to submit to the literary magazine and to see my art besides the works of the graduating senior staff members I had befriended and admired. Much has changed in the last three years. Now, I am The Goliard‘s Editor-In-Chief with a staff of seven. As the two other senior staff members and I approach graduation, I cannot help but worry about the future of The Goliard.
I am not the first to stress the importance of a student-run literary magazine’s role at the College or to be worried about its future. As The Goliard‘s Editor-In-Chief nine years before myself, Aaron Winston ’14, explained: “We document everything that happens each year. Looking back through every issue of The Goliard is akin to searching back through a time capsule of our campus’s cultural history … It’s an archive of what’s happened at Wooster and it’s sort of a collection of the cultural life on campus.” Although The Goliard has experienced many difficulties and transformations throughout its lifespan, the literary magazine remains a space to exhibit the creativity, culture and beauty that The College of Wooster student population has to offer, all in a neatly packed publication you can dig up when you want to remember your time here.
I encourage those who have been considering submitting their works to The Goliard to do so. And if you want to get more involved behind the scenes, there is always room on The Goliard staff! We cannot exist without student contributions, plus this is what makes this literary magazine unique to the College. Even if you decide to not submit this year, be sure to pick up a copy once they are rolled out!
The deadline to submit to The Goliard (goliard@wooster.edu) is March 10, 2023. We accept poetry, prose, music scores, art and anything else you want to send us. Our publication will be printed and handed out in mid-April. You can learn more about us on our Instagram, @goliard.lit.mag.
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