Dialogue has re-established itself as an extremely popular creative outlet for Calvin students following an explosion of submissions for their fall 2015 issue. In fall 2013, Dialogue had 166 total submissions, which increased to 227 total submissions in the fall of 2014. This year, submissions topped out at an unprecedented 374 from 161 different students.
Last spring, there was a potential to cut Dialogue’s print budget due to high costs and a presumed low demand. In response, the Dialogue staff created a petition and rallied student support to save Calvin’s student-run magazine for arts and writing.
Over the past two years, Dialogue has been improving the quality of the magazine by fine-tuning the graphic design and improving the printing and binding quality. In addition to a higher-caliber print edition, Dialogue has broadened its scope to incorporate submissions from more artistic mediums; last year, the magazine created a new photography category, and this year Dialogue added a category for music submissions.
“There was a total of 25 music submissions, and they were all really good,” said Cotter Coopman, a sophomore editor for Dialogue. “We kept 10 of those 25, which people can find on a bandcamp album and download for free.”
Recently, Dialogue revamped its website to simplify the process of applying to be on staff, to be part of the blind jury and to navigate the magazine as a whole.
“The submission process is a lot easier and less complicated, which makes Dialogue more inclusive,” said Kendra Kamp, an editor of the magazine.
To deal with the higher number of submissions for the magazine, Dialogue has increased its staff from four last year to 16 this year. As sorting through submissions became a larger task than ever before, Dialogue recruited the help of over 40 student jurors.
All submissions to the magazine are viewed and judged by the blind jury, which also offers feedback and comments for each piece. This year, jurors wrote a staggering 66,789 words of constructive criticism and general comments.
Though Dialogue’s content has expanded in recent years, senior editor Jack Van Allsburg hopes the momentum continues.
“We have a solid publication but are looking to add other categories,” said Van Allsburg. His optimism included a hope to increase Dialogue’s online presence and the possibility of adding film as a new medium for the magazine.
“The successes of Dialogue this fall are a testament to the Calvin community’s commitment to creativity at this college. It’s a resounding statement: ‘Art still matters at Calvin,’” said Van Allsburg.
On October 30, Dialogue officially closed submissions for the fall 2015 issue, so any who missed the deadline will have to wait until the spring. Students can look forward to the release party of the fall issue at 8 p.m. on Dec. 3 in the Fish House.
