UW-Whitewater’s literary and arts magazine, The Muse, is in search of “poems hiding in tattered old notebooks and the beginnings of the next best selling novelists.”
This is how the magazine’s editor, senior Hannah Thulin, described the works featured in last year’s edition of The Muse in her Editor’s Note. In the magazine’s 25th year, the staff is still in search of creative minds looking for a chance to be published.
The Muse is a student-run publication featuring creative essays, poems, photographs and artwork created exclusively by UW-Whitewater students.
“We publish anything that is of the creative nature and general interest,” said Muse advisor Gay Davidson-Zielske.
March 18 is the submission deadline for students who want to contribute to this year’s magazine. Zielske said the publication generally gets more than 100 submissions, 25 of which are published.
“We really encourage people to get involved,” Zielske said. “It’s wonderful to be published as an undergraduate.”
The Muse also puts on an annual “Muse Night,” which serves as a reception for staff members and contributors. The night includes a poetry reading, an auction of reproduced artwork, photographs and framed pieces, and money prizes for the top submissions in several categories.
“It’s always an enjoyable night,” Zielske said.
Zielske, who was a member of the literary magazine The Tower at Northern Illinois University during her time as a student, has been the faculty advisor of The Muse since it began.
“She is a wonderful advisor,” Thulin said. “She’s very quirky and she brings a lot of experience to The Muse.”
Zielske is a published poet herself. Her work can be found in the Wisconsin Poets Calendar put out by the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets.
“I just want to help students get the same thrill I had,” Zielske said.