WORTHINGTON -- U.S. Marines, babies, sandwich-makers, photographers, time-travelers, drag queens and immigrants all have a place in the first edition of UnCover: The Minnesota West magazine of art & creative writing, released Tuesday.
"I was really pleased with how closely the magazine ended up representing the students in this area," said Karsten Piper, English instructor and part of the UnCover editorial staff. "... to me, it feels like Minnesota West."
The writing runs the gamut from science fiction to war memoir to essays and poetry, and also includes two interviews, one with photographer Mark Luinenburg and one with art collector Rebecca Potts.
UnCover is the first magazine of its kind to be published at Minnesota West since Collage was published from 1969 to 1976.
More than 80 pieces of writing and 60 pieces of artwork were submitted to the magazine for publication. Ten pieces of writing and 11 pieces of art were chosen for the first issue of UnCover.
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One $50 writing prize was awarded to Matt Beith for his poem, "The Kitchen," and one $50 prize was awarded to Laura Nerness for her photograph, "Peace."
It took the five members of the editorial board about three months to create the magazine's first issue, after getting the idea from copies of defunct Minnesota West creative writing journals.
The UnCover editorial staff is composed of four Minnesota West students, in addition to Piper.
Like the magazine's content, the editorial staff is diverse, both in ethnic backgrounds and in chosen areas of study. Tina Gonzalez is a sophomore human services major. Kevin Miller is a freshman in the nursing program. Freshman Elizabeth Phelps is studying wind energy. David Phommaracksa is a freshman earning his liberal arts degree.
"In the beginning, nobody wanted to (start a magazine)," Gonzalez recalled. "(We were) afraid of doing something different and something new."
Just days from the deadline, the editorial staff started to get worried -- only a few submissions had come in, and they weren't sure they'd have enough material for a full magazine.
"I was afraid it was going to be lame," confessed Miller, referring to his feelings a few days before the deadline. "I'm proud of the way it turned out."
Fortunately, the writers and artists came through the day of the deadline, sending in massive amounts of material from several Minnesota West campuses. At least one submission came from New York, where a student is taking online classes at Minnesota West.
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"I think we did get a good amount of submissions," Phelps said. "Comics or editorials -- it would be great to see more of those next year."
The editorial board came together to choose what would go into the magazine, first eliminating some options and then arguing for particular pieces before coming to a consensus.
"It's really crazy. Everything went well together -- it fit," Phommaracksa said.
The editorial board plans to eventually broaden the magazine's scope to include works from faculty and community members. The editorial staff is also looking for someone to sponsor the printing of the magazine in the future.
The first thing readers will probably notice about the first issue of UnCover is its cover, with a black-and-white photo of a thin, shirtless man with a chair slipcover over his head. This photo inspired the name of the magazine.
The identity of the man with the slipcover concealing his face will surprise most long-time Worthington residents because he is known more for being behind a camera lens than in front of it.
"The man is Jim Brandenburg, a photographer at the Daily Globe at the time," said Mark Luinenburg, the photographer who took the Brandenburg picture.
Luinenburg worked at the Daily Globe from 1978 to 1984 and went on to pursue a career in freelance commercial photography, and his interview with UnCover staff is one of the highlights of the magazine's first issue.
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Students and employees of Minnesota West can receive a free copy of UnCover at the campus bookstore in Worthington, and community members can purchase it there as well. To order a copy, e-mail Piper at karsten.piper@mnwest.edu or call (507) 372-3444.
