The 2008 edition of the Bell Tower has hit TJC newsstands.
“It’s a joint venture between fine art, graphic art, and English,” said Torrey Wylie, graphic arts in¬structor.
The Bell Tower is a magazine that is published yearly and is en¬tirely student generated. Graphic arts students design the cover and work with the layout, while the pages are filled with an assortment of writings, photos, and paintings.
“We started this last year because there wasn’t a publica¬tion that highlighted the creative talents of TJC students,” said Dr. Linda Gary, founder and senior editor for the Bell Tower
Students submitted their en¬tries earlier in the semester, and a selection committee evaluated them, came together, and picked the entries that made this issue.
“We had a collective idea on the quality that we were looking for,” said Derrick White, member of the editorial board for the Bell Tower. “[This is] art, so it affects people differently, and people have very different subjective opinions about what makes quality art. We were open to that, discussed it, and picked the ones that made it.”
The Bell Tower has grown in its two years of publication. Last year, 100 pieces were submitted, 22 were chosen, and a 40-page maga¬zine was produced.
This year, 250 pieces were submitted, 42 were chosen, and a 48-page magazine was produced.
“It is awesome to see the words that mean so much to me come to life in print,” said Jennah Rose, sophomore English major and Bell Tower writer.
Copies are available in Jen¬kins hall outside the dean’s of¬fice, in the art department lobby, Vaughn library and the Rogers Student Center.
“The final assortment of art¬work, poetry, stories, and essays that we have chosen reflects the great talent of our students,” said Bethany Flanders, president of the Sigma Kappa Delta honor society and member of the selection com¬mittee for the Bell Tower. “I know that everyone who picks up a copy will enjoy reading it as much as I did.”
