Literary publishing students at Bemidji State University have launched CRE8, an online magazine for creative works. The magazine features written and artistic works not only from artists at Bemidji State and the Bemidji community, but also from throughout northern Minnesota.

The literary publishing course has an internship component, organized to give students hands-on editorial experience while interacting with the campus and outside communities. This year’s interns constructed CRE8 as their primary project.

“We needed a gathering place for all the creative people, especially for our student artists,” said Maureen Gibbon, associate professor of English and the instructor for the literary publishing course. “We’re also hoping to bring in members of the community.”

Toni Judnitch, a senior triple-majoring in creative writing, English and philosophy from Zimmerman, Minn., says, “BSU really needed something like CRE8. It allows artists a chance to display their work and will build a community of people who really just want to enjoy and create art.”

Gibbon said the internship component of the course helps give students beneficial real-world experiences.

“We’ve had a couple of students who went through this internship class in the past, and it was helpful to them as they applied to graduate school and as they applied for jobs,” she said.

Gibbon said the CRE8 concept was a formulation of some previous ideas to allow students to discuss all types of creativity.

“Creative people talking about what they do with their art form is fascinating,” she said. “I think when we find out where people get ideas, how they work through those ideas, and what they tell themselves to keep going, that is something anyone who makes things can be excited by.”

Bemidji State alum Cody Bartz, an accomplished potter and screen printer, will be the next artist featured at CRE8.

“We’re looking for powerful work that really speaks to our readers,” Gibbon said. “We want to have a high standard.”

Artists wishing to be considered for CRE8 must download an application from the website and submit it to an editorial board comprised of students in the class. The board then decides which works will be featured on the site.

“Students are involved in every aspect of the magazine, from reading submissions to advertising,” Judnitch says. “As writers, this is particularly important because we get to see how everything functions at the publishing level.

“Instead of simply sending off work and hoping to one day get published, we actually get to see the process of how a piece of writing gets chosen to be included somewhere.”

CRE8 publishes fiction, nonfiction and poetry, and includes profiles of featured artists. The student organization has reached out to the surrounding community for submissions and support, and already has established a presence on campus.

“We’re not only feeding creativity in the arts, we’re also feeding people’s professional lives, too,” Gibbon says. “This is going to be a year-long endeavor – we’re here to stay.”

Visit CRE8 at http://cre8here.com. For more information about the project, contact Maureen Gibbon at (218) 755-4021.

CRE8here.com Editorial Board

Bemidji |56601| Sarah Dahlheimer, junior, creative and professional writing

MINNESOTA
Aitkin |56431| Kori Flowers, junior, english
Big Fork |56628| Dawni David, senior, english
Blaine |55434| Katrina Scherff, senior, liberal studies
Cass Lake |56633| Andy Hotzler, senior, creative and professional writing
Champlin |55316| Brittany Goettlich, junior, english
Clearbrook |56634| Candice Spitler, junior, creative and professional writing
Crookston |56716| Hannah Solheim, senior, english
Duluth |55804| Elisa Boettcher, senior, creative and professional writing
Eden Prairie |55347| Kristy Romo, junior, english
Fosston |56542| Beth Vigoren, senior, creative and professional writing
Hallock |56728| Melissa Morrison, sophomore, english
Minneapolis |55406| Peder Aalgaard, junior, creative and professional writing
Princeton |55371| Amanda Pearson, junior, creative and professional writing
Staples |56479| Anne Sinotte, senior, creative and professional writing
St. Paul |55105| Joe Moubry, senior, creative and professional writing
Zimmerman |55398| Toni Judnith, senior, creative and professional writing
Zimmerman |55398| Pauli Meinecke, senior, creative and professional writing