With the initiative of one student, the award-winning Kennesaw State Share Literary Magazine is returning as the Waymark Literary Magazine, expected to be published by May of 2020.
“Waymark is Share revived,” Waymark creator Mezi Mulugeta said. “We do want to give it more of a stated purpose because Share was more general and only for KSU. Now with Waymark, we’re revitalizing Share in a way that gives it more of a focus on literature — that is what the waymark itself is about, which is a literal sign for a path.”
Share Literary Magazine, which ended several years ago, was the foundation Waymark was built off of. The aim with Waymark is to avoid the pitfalls that Share had.
“We’re trying to avoid their mistake of not having younger people,” Mulugeta said. “They had nobody to pick up the mantel. We’re trying to revitalize it, and at the same time, continue its legacy.”
The focus of Waymark is placed on the emotion and feeling behind the writing along with the impact it leaves on readers.
“It gives more of a focus on the heart to the work we want to publish,” Mulugeta said. “It has a purpose inside — it resonates with the human spirit. The writing needs to have a depth to it.”
Waymark was inspired by Mulugeta’s desire to have place to submit her own works.
“It can be argued that you can write about anything in the world, but usually the literature that sticks with us are things that have a purpose or a message at the heart of it,” Mulugeta said. ”Something at the core that drives the literature that can drive the readers.”
The staff of Waymark will consist of a pair of editors and readers for each of its three genres — fiction, literary non-fiction and poetry. This design was thought of by Dr. Jenny Sadre-Orafai, a professor in KSU’s English Department and the co-creator of the online literary magazine Josephine Quarterly.
Readers and staff of Waymark can expect emotionally impactful content that aims to stick with them long after reading.
“Students can expect to be able to take from the works that they read something personal,” Mulugeta said. “They can expect something that can relate to their own lives, something that can create conversation and something that can inspire their lives moving forward.”
Waymark will focus primarily on unique original writing from all KSU students.
“We are looking for things that show a unique degree of writing,” Mulugeta said. “Bringing something that hasn’t been brought to the table before, something that will stand out among the rest.”
Students will be able to get their work featured in Waymark through an online submission manager. These submissions will open once the Waymark team is fully put together.
