Una Literary Arts Magazine Seeking Submissions

Dec. 15, 2010

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@gxitma.net, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

FLORENCE, Ala. - The University of North Alabama "Lights and Shadows" editorial staff is currently seeking poetry, fiction and nonfiction works for their annual, award-winning literary arts magazine, which was first published in 1956 and has won several awards, including first place in the Southern Literary Association's annual competition. Students can submit original works to "Lights and Shadows," where a panel of student editors will read each submission and vote on what will be published in the magazine. According to UNA student and editor-in-chief Jenn Lyles, students can submit as many literary works as they wish, regardless of length or subject matter. "This is a great opportunity on campus because this is a higher-class magazine, and being published in it looks really good in a portfolio," Lyles said. "Getting published can be difficult outside of school, so while you're in college, take advantage of the opportunity and the fact that you can submit as much as you want." Promotions editor Juliann Losey hopes to organize a regular poetry slam event, host a "Lights and Shadows" magazine release party and place a magazine release awareness display in the Guillot University Center to raise interest in the literary arts publication. Losey, a professional writing major who worked for her high school literary arts magazine for three years, believes writers should display their talents by seeking publication experience, even at a collegiate level. "Everybody is a writer, and we all have stories and ideas that we need to convey," she said. "The good thing about 'Lights and Shadows' is that we're more likely to work with students and accept any kind of work. The difference between professional and student literary magazines is that professional ones usually have themes, but we will take anything based on its merit." Lyles said no deadline has been set for when the "Lights and Shadows" editorial staff will stop taking literary submissions but that students should turn in their works as soon as possible. Submissions must be original, typed works, which include the student's name, phone number and UNA box number. Entries should be e-mailed as a Microsoft Word attachment to lightsandshadows@gxitma.net. For more information, contact the UNA Department of English at 256-765-4238.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: gxitma.net and gxitma.net/unaworks/.