On April 30, Unbound Journal came out of its decade-long print hiatus to release a paperback collection titled “Unbound Volume XIV Spring 2024.” Unbound Journal is a University of Oregon-based, student-run literary arts journal that publishes undergraduate and graduate prose, poetry and visual art.
Founded in 2008 as part of the Clark Honors College thesis project, Unbound Journal has primarily existed online as a bi-annual publication. This year’s co-editors Brynn Lemons and Nathan King decided it was time to push the journal back into the physical realm.
“In past years people haven’t been reading it and haven’t known about it because it’s online,” King, a Clark Honors College student with a creative writing minor, said. “It’s a lot easier when you can see it, so we really focused on that.”
As part of its mission statement, Unbound Journal strives to “foster the development of all students at the University of Oregon, regardless of major, by serving as a platform for outstanding creative expression.”
“Just having a space for student work to be published is really important,” Lemons, an English major, said. “Everybody writes privately, but I think it’s an important part of the writing community and the creative process to share it with others.”
Lemons explained that going through the process of submitting to a journal — getting rejected or accepted, receiving revision critiques and possibly being published — is a great professional experience for students.
“There’s a lot of opportunity in getting to hear other people’s perspectives on things and broadening your mind,” King said. “Getting that through other people’s creative writing is an aspect that you don’t get very often and you won’t get in general in the future when you’re not on a university campus.”
Unbound Journal practices blind submissions, meaning that outside of Lemons and King, no members of the editing team get to know the identity of the authors.
“When the journal comes out, all the editors get to see who wrote what,” King said. “It’s a very exciting time.”
Lemons and King assumed their roles as co-editors at Unbound Journal less by choice and more by chance.
As an ASUO-recognized club on campus, the journal had elections last spring. Lemons was elected senior prose editor and King, senior poetry editor. However, no one assumed the role of editor-in-chief.
“That was never elected and we were never able to fill the position,” King said. “We came to fall and were like ‘Oh, we have to start making a journal, there’s no one to do that.’ So we just agreed to take that role over together.”
Balancing their subsequent roles as poetry and prose editors while also holding the title of co-editor-in-chief has not been an easy feat for Lemons and King. Outside of editing student work, the pair also deals with the bureaucratic aspect of the journal, juggling finances and also working with the art directors. Despite the weight of their roles, the process has been a fruitful learning experience for the pair.
After months of editing student writing, learning how to print a journal and working with creative arts director Micah Primack, Lemons and King produced a final print project, which is available for free by campus newsstands. Additionally, students can email [email protected] to receive a hand-delivered copy from Lemons or King.
“I’m so excited that we got to give life back to this journal that’s been around for so long,” King said. “It’s quite the honor to be in this position and even though we were thrown into it, it’s been very exciting.”
For students looking to get involved in Unbound Journal, Lemons said, “There’s no harm in submitting.”
“It’s a really safe trust fall,” King said. “We’re not going to tear your work apart, it’s free and it’s an easy process for authors to get into.”
Unbound Journal also hosts weekly community writers events every Friday in PLC 361 from 12 to 1 p.m.
