For artists, writers, poets, and photographers, it can be difficult to distinguish yourself from the crowd of other bright young minds at college. For students, a great way to start is by submitting their work to ZAUM, the literary magazine produced by and for students on campus and internationally. ZAUM mainly focuses on literature and art, and they have been operated by Sonoma State students for decades. ZAUM is a unique student-made magazine, filled with art, poetry and prose compiled by a class of student editors at the end of every spring semester. 

With the first deadline to submit your work coming up on Nov. 1, it’s important that more students are aware of its importance to the student body. 

“ZAUM is part of a program that has been at Sonoma State for over 40 years, first as The Mandala, and then, 26 years ago, as ZAUM” says faculty advisor Gillian Conoley. A published poet herself and professor in the English department, Conoley took over as the professor of the class. She stated that she “shifted the focus of the magazine from one that was professor-edited, to one that is student-edited and student-run. I felt that students could learn the most about literary publishing and editing by having their own magazine, with the professor acting as advisor, mentor, and guide.” She feels that this shift was important to create a publication that reflects the work and organization of our student body.

When reflecting on why ZAUM is so crucial to student life, Conoley states that “ZAUM gives SSU students an opportunity to publish and to read one another’s fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and to also experience student visual art. ZAUM publishes work of Sonoma State students alongside work of students from all over the country and the globe, so ZAUM creates an international dialogue for SSU student writing and visual art.”

This exchange of ideas, shows what our student body is thinking about right now, and how we have been able to fit into student conversations for generations. Because of ZAUM’s production being totally student-centered, each publication changes based on the trends and aesthetics of each year’s staff, Conoley points out. She also shared additional benefits of being published in ZAUM, as it has “won several national awards for literary excellence and graphic design, as well as winning a few Pushcart Prizes over the years as well. ZAUM is more than capable of competing with national magazines, and not to mention other student literary magazines. It’s got high production values, and is distributed well within the Bay Area and even internationally. For example, last year, ZAUM published students from the UK, Singapore, and India in issue #25.” 

Conoley’s role as the professor is to make sure the students maintain healthy discussion between the student staff. “I make sure that editorial committee meetings have a high level of discussion and rigor, that each piece submitted is read with care … Students are encouraged to disagree with each other, and to learn how to agree to disagree.  All submissions are read anonymously, so there’s no question of nepotism or favoritism. Ultimately, the student Senior Editor makes the final decision of what appears in the magazine, though the student staff has a large say in this process” 

This year, the Senior Editor of ZAUM is fourth year English major Alison “Ali” Gervacio. She transferred to Sonoma last year, and was appointed to the Senior Editor position after taking ZAUM as a credit for her Creative Writing degree. She has been fulfilling her duties as ZAUM Senior Editor remotely, and while intimidated at first, she is now so passionate about ZAUM and bringing her experience and knowledge to more students. Gervacio and the other editors get the experience of being publicators and consumers of ZAUM, as they truly know how to best represent the student body. “Speaking as a student, I believe ZAUM can serve importance to other students because the magazine allows them to get their work published, which is a rewarding accomplishment on it’s own as a writer or artist. ZAUM allows student writers/artists to have their voices heard as well as share their work with the world. I don’t know a person who wouldn’t want that kind of opportunity! Not only that, but ZAUM staff gain a great sense of what it’s like to produce a Literary Magazine which provides a sense of work experience.” 

Gervacio encourages students who haven’t heard a lot about ZAUM to look into the class as an elective. ZAUM is a great way to get involved in a community of writers and be part of the conversation. Make sure to meet the deadline of Nov. 1 if you would like to have your artistry showcased in the ZAUM magazine for this upcoming semester.