The launch of the 2013 issue of UNBSJ’s arts magazine, Vox, was celebrated in the Whitebone lounge on March 14 with the musical and poetic talents of many of UNBSJ’s own students.
Vox is an annual publication that showcases the artistic talents of UNBSJ students. It features poetry, short fiction, paintings and photography. The 2013 issue marks the eleventh anniversary of Vox. “The purpose of a publication like Vox in modern universities is to keep the arts alive,” says Vox’s editor Blake Ferris in his editor’s note, “somewhere between the computer labs and business seminars, the heart of UNB Saint John beats through this book.”
Jenna Albert, the assistant editor, is very pleased with the launch of this year’s Vox, “We are so appreciative to those who submitted to Vox XI,” she says, “the reception this year was beyond anything we could have imagined.”
Vox is made possible with funding by the Lorenzo society, a group that sponsors cultural entertainment at UNBSJ. A number of UNBSJ’s professors, like Anne Compton, Sandra Bell, David Creelman and Margaret Anne Smith served as judges of Vox’s content. Martin Flewelling of Flewelling photography was among the people from outside the university who served as judges for the photography and visual arts awards.
Any UNBSJ student can submit their work to Vox. The editorial team looks for things that are different or unique. “We love things with a maritime feel to it because that’s our campus, that’s where we’re located,” says Albert. Vox is full of many different kinds of work from classical poetry to raps, to visual arts like photography and paintings.
Vox awarded four of its submitters, who they felt stood out among the rest. There were four categories of awards: Michael Crate was the winner for photography with his piece, “Just a Little More Time”, Cynthia Cudmore won for the visual arts category for “Circus Comes to Town,” Luke MacNeil won for prose with “Collectors” and Skot Lilly for his poem “Never Who We Are.”
Albert will be the editor of Vox next year and she hopes to make a few changes to the publication, such as adding content to the back cover and focusing more on advertising to get the word out. Vox is currently advertised by posters, class room presentations, social media, a Vox website and word of mouth. “We want to share what Vox is about,” says Albert, “and I hope after this year we will have an even bigger reception, next year.”
