The Streetcar, Mississippi State University’s literary and visual arts journal, has opened its submissions for the 2023 publication.
Going on its 11th year since its start in 2012, the journal’s editorial and outreach staff work together to produce the journal and put together community-involved events.
“Submissions are open through Dec. 10. We accept writing, art, graphic design, photography, all of that,” said Zoe Maddox, co-editor of The Streetcar.
After the submission period, the journal undergoes an intense editing process to reach the final manuscript that is printed and distributed.
“When a piece comes in, our editorial staff looks it over. We accept pieces, reject them and, sometimes, we accept with revisions if we see a lot of potential in the piece,” Maddox said. “We have our copy editors go over anything, and this just checks for small grammatical mistakes and some of our longer form fiction, things like that.”
The works also go through a “culling process,” which in literary arts means the order in which pieces are arranged in the journal.
“We lay everything out, and we decide what we want to start with, what we want to have in the middle and what needs to be at the end. That’s just kind of where we will develop our theme that year, based on what pieces we have. We lay it out on a path that makes sense,” said Isabella Thompson, co-editor of The Streetcar.
The Streetcar is an extension of the Shackouls Honors College and the College of Arts & Sciences. It is meant to be a creative outlet for students at Mississippi State to freely express themselves through art.
“Our submissions are free. We accept from all students, not just honors students, and we really want to advocate for creative artists and have an outlet for students on campus,” Thompson said.
The Streetcar plays an important role on MSU’s campus, according to its participants. Many students, like sophomore mechanical engineering major Luke Salisbury, are not shy to talk about its importance to them.
“I think it is a wonderful outlet to show the artistic side of MSU’s students, and I think it is a great outlet for talented artists to share their work with the world.” Salisbury said.
The Streetcar is not only a creative outlet, but it is also an opportunity for students to have their work published somewhere that is likely to receive recognition.
The Streetcar also hosts events related to the creative arts, such as open mic nights in the Starkville area for building community and networking.
All events and submission information can be found on the journal’s website, thestreetcarmsu.com, or on its Instagram page, @thestreetcarmsu. Previous editions of The Streetcar can be purchased online or found in Griffis Hall.