Tag: letter from the editors

Letter From the Editors//Payton Sauerbrei & Rachel Steinkamp

by Devyn

Readers of Volume 84 of Kiosk, it has truly been a pleasure to work on such a highly esteemed literary and arts magazine. In considering the theme for this year’s publication, we decided to wait and see what kinds of images came to light in the art and writing. We noticed that many of the submissions revealed powerful emotions in regards to recent social and political events. Dealing with adversity is not a concept unique to any of us here at Morningside, but it is fascinating to observe the similarities in emotion in many of this year’s accepted submissions. Several  of the poems, stories, and art work in this year’s publication expose the hardship and challenge that we have endured in the past few years. 2022 has certainly been a year of pivotal change in the world. As things are constantly changing globally, this publication is, too, always changing. We have experienced  some challenging moments and we are still trying to stand up right and figure out where to go next. This year’s Kiosk echoes this idea.

First and foremost, I would like to thank my art director, Rachel Steinkamp for her incredible work putting this magazine together. Her creativity with the layout and design of the publication has left us with a final product that I am very proud to share with everyone. Also, thanks to Devyn Reilly for taking up the job of recreating our Kiosk website. Both of them have been crucial in this whole process and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with them. I would also like to thank my associate editors for their time and effort: Kennedy Skinner, Josh Miller, Lukas Knudson, and Madeline Keating. Thank you Kiosk advisors– Leslie Werden, Brendan Todt, and Jeff Gordon– for guiding me through this process and giving me the opportunity to work on such a huge project. Your mentorship has been invaluable. 

Finally, thank you readers of Kiosk, whether you’re faculty, alumni, students, or community members, we appreciate your support. We are all extremely excited to share this unique edition of the Kiosk with you. 

Editor-In-Chief, Payton Sauerbrei

  The 2022 Kiosk brought me so much enjoyment and I am incredibly proud of what the team created. I have always loved this publication ever since I started at Morningside and always thought of it as a beautiful representation of what the campus can create. Payton gave me a lot of creative freedom with notes and recommendations to create something the Kiosk had never seen. With the yearning to create something mature and professional, the goal was modern and editorial with a colorful flare. I started with a mood board that got broken into pieces to see specific features through the finished publication. The black cover with the peeking cover speaks to the audience to draw them into the dynamic interior. Once we saw the submissions, it was clear that the Morningside family of authors and artists were dealing with adversity and struggle. The submissions easily flowed with the mature and editorial feel we originally planned. 

     I would like to thank my team of associate art directors: Gracie Eli and Giuseppe Del Rio Broggi, who put immense effort and time into the 84th edition. Thank you also to Jeff Gordon for advising my team and me to create this year’s Kiosk. 

Overall, I hope you enjoy this year’s Kiosk as much as I did, it is something I find truly wonderful.

Art Director, Rachel Steinkamp

Letter From the Editors // Kassidy Hart & Grace Russmann

by Rachel

When I think of news magazines, such as Time, I see how art can capture moments. In a sense, literary magazines aim to do the same thing. Time is such an important part of our existence. This year’s publication of Morningside’s art and literary magazine focused on representing the present, commemorating the past, and looking forward to the future. 

Our decision to have Needle’s Highway on the cover in a wrap-around format encaptures the idea that time surrounds our art. Time has a direct correlation on the art we create, whether that is writing a poem in order to help us grieve or taking a photograph of something that makes us happy. Either way, the present moment has a direct correlation on the execution of art and what is created. I saw how nature can represent timelessness. Nature has withstood the past and points us to the future. One of the most important parts of living is our existence in and contribution to the ecosystem we are a part of. It is only by reflection that we can truly appreciate the world around us and the time we have within it.

The contents within the magazine vary with tone and topics, yet they all have something to say about the moment of their creation. From focusing on today’s pop culture to capturing ancestors’ stories, it’s the thought and emotion that brings the pieces to life. My hope for you as the reader is when you look at this year’s Kiosk publication, you can reflect on the year of 2021 and be inspired to create your own variation of present reflection. 

I’d like to extend a personal thank you to the Kiosk advisors, Leslie Werden, Brendan Todt, and Jeff Gordon for their support in helping me step out of my comfort zone and take a chance. I’d also like to thank my associate editors – Evelyn Williams, Leah Estupinian and Madeline Keating – for their commitment to stepping up and leading their boards through the selection process. My Digital Design Editor – Rachel Steinkamp – continued Kiosk’s online presence and created a more interactive experience. We appreciate the thirteen board members for their valuable comments and reviews. My last thank you belongs to my Art Director – Grace Russmann – who led her team of Assistant Art Directors – Lex Wurth, Megan Khyl, and Gracie Eli – through sleepless nights, encouraging the flexibility needed to create the physical copy of the magazine. Last but not least, the Kiosk would like to thank Morningside and all of the supportive community members and leaders who have made this publication possible. 

All of us here at the Kiosk are excited to share with you a reflection of our talents and passions. Keep this artwork close, as a reminder of the last year, which was a year of changes and a year that must be remembered. 

Kassidy Hart // Editor-In-Chief

Dear Reader,

2021 Kiosk gave me so much enjoyment. Kassidy and I were given the green light early on to be able to make this publication whatever we wanted it to be, with the major decisions being ours to make. As Art Director, I wanted this year’s Kiosk to take on a style of its own while still paying homage to the styles of previous years. It was fun and interesting to work with a blank slate and be able to give the 2021 Kiosk a personality all of its own. 

The ripped paper textures and bold sketchy lines throughout are meant to give the feeling of an old, worn, and well-loved publication, as well as symbolize the ugliness and frustrations that can come when writing literature or creating art. I am sure that all of the authors and artists featured in this year’s Kiosk will agree that not everything they make turns out perfect on the very first try. Drafts are marked with red ink, and numerous sheets of paper are torn out of notebooks and thrown into the garbage before the right words lock into place. Hands cramp from holding the pencil too long in order to get the right shapes, and eyes strain from looking at the computer screen too long trying to digitize images straight from the imagination. The struggle that we go through to create is what makes art and literature so beautiful. 

The Kiosk has always been a showcase of the best work from Morningsiders, and no words could describe how elated I am at how Volume 83 has turned out. My only hope is that you enjoy it as much as Kassidy and I enjoyed putting it all together. 

Grace Russmann // Art Director