Hitting the stands in November, Ultraviolet: 10.1, the fall 2005 edition of the periodical campus literary publication, served up its trademark fare in a compilation of student poems and short stories coupled with original artwork.
“[The fall issue] was released on campus November 2005, but it was a carry-over from last year,” said Sarah Michelle Ogden, the 2005-2006 editor in chief. “It was originally supposed to be released April 2005 but it was delayed, so we called it 10.1 and it was released in November.”
In the most recent issue of the student-run magazine, Ultraviolet attempts to offer the “revolution” promised by the theme of this installment. Unfortunately, there is no revolution to be found.
With the exception of a few works, the general tone of the magazine was melancholic and dim. Many of the poems such as Angela Hickman’s As the Sun Beat Down and Kaelyn Morrison’s Z focus on isolation and desolation. These poems appear to have been inspired by moody moments and used as the typical outlet for poetic expression. With a subtitle like Revolution, I expected the magazine to provide something different from routine, melancholic expressions of anguish.
Fortunately, two entries were able to satiate my desire for something less typical. Standing out were Gordon Miller’s two poems A Rare Find and Kiss the Chef. As the ninth and tenth entries in the collection, they stood out for two reasons. First, both speakers in the poems struck me as not taking themselves as seriously as the other angst-filled poems; and second, they were simply more entertaining.
In A Rare Find, where the speaker goes over their own personal ad in the paper, Miller plays with the idea of searching for a partner in such a manner that the gritty realities of loneliness are coated with a humorous wit. That same wit followed in his poem Kiss the Chef where a recipe for foreplay is cleverly explained through cooking . John Stamp’s Pussy pushes the reader’s comfort zones with unsophisticated and coarse language. By challenging the reader to bear with the intimate details of the speaker’s sexual trysts and a description of his pathetic job, he eventually reveals a more noteworthy intention. In today’s media, where sex and controversy sell, the piece seems appropriately detailed, although not without seeming purposefully controversial. Stamp’s entry does provide a lasting impression, however.
Taking up a significant amount of space in the magazine is David Albertyn’s short story entitled Woods in the Winter. This modern fable is reminiscent of the dark and violent fairytales found in Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber. Written in a relatively effortless language, the story is typical of the traditional fables in which a child wanders off into the unknown woods after being given specific instructions not to do so. Although there is no shocking surprise at the end, the story was able to stray far enough from the ordinary in order to redeem itself. Other poems, such as the uncredited Party Dress and Grace O’Connell’s Dreadfully sorry to hear about Denver are evidence that the works were published in the magazine based on their poetic merit; however, like all new writers, there is always room to grow.
A quick leaf through the pages makes it clear the layout committee opted for the more affordable black and white with occasional accents of colour.
Although the graphics seemed to reflect the tone or ideas of the various works, they bordered closely on distraction. When the text of the poems superimposed on busy artwork, the eye was often drawn away from the words.
Though not the most awe-inspiring magazine, UV certainly succeeded in showcasing the potential of aspiring writers across campus.
Ultraviolet: 10.1 can be found in buildings across campus including the JDUC, Stauffer and Douglas Libraries, as well as online at: http://www.myams.org/ultraviolet/webmag.pdf Ultraviolet will also be hosting a coffeehouse on Wed., Jan. 21 at Common Ground.
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