There are many spaces for writers and creatives to flourish at the University of Michigan, and one such space is the Writer to Writer Literary Journal. Sponsored by the Sweetland Center for Writing, Writer to Writer is a completely student-run literary magazine on campus that publishes a virtual edition every fall and a print edition every winter. Writer to Writer allows students to publish their writing or art and provides a space for like-minded creatives to learn and grow together.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, LSA senior Harper Johnston, editor-in-chief of the magazine, said she is proud of the way the journal has grown since its inception in 2018. Within her own three years as a member, she has seen submission numbers increase from about 30 a cycle to almost 200. Johnston especially appreciates the way it fosters community among students.
“Writer to Writer is really unique in that not only are we focused on putting out our journal every semester, but we’re also really focused on building community and connecting writers on campus with programs,” Johnston said.
Besides putting out a journal, Writer to Writer also hosts collaborations with other writing organizations on campus for projects and events. Every year, they team up with the Sweetland Center’s minor for writing to put on an Open Mic Night, which gives students the chance to perform their work to an audience.
Despite its name, Writer to Writer is open to artists of all types and encourages students to submit whatever work they create to the journal for consideration. Johnston explains that Writer to Writer is always excited to see students submit unique art and aims to publish fresh, distinctive works.
“(We’re) very unlimited with the type of work that we accept. We want to work with whatever format that the person is most comfortable in, that they want to present to us, so we’re not going to say, ‘Oh, well, you know, we’ve never published a choreography video before,’ or, ‘We’ve never published a podcast before,’” Johnston said. “We’re going to say, ‘How can we make this work, and how can we include this work in the journal, because we think it’s interesting and unique and important?’”
Getting involved with Writer to Writer is as simple as submitting work to the journal in the fall or winter. To work behind the scenes as a member of the journal, students only need to attend three of the club’s weekly meetings where students write together, share their work and read and evaluate submissions for publication. Johnston says students don’t need to worry about having any prior experience when thinking of joining.
“(We’re) a very open club, which I think is really nice, because it kind of takes away that feeling of intimidation, of ‘I am not good at writing’ (or) ‘I’m not an English major … I don’t know what I’m doing,’” she said, “We have people from all across the board, from every major.”
Writer to Writer is the perfect space for anyone looking to get into the publication industry, publish their art and writing or just have some fun outside class.
Daily Arts Writer Amany Sayed can be reached at amanysay@umich.edu.
