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What’s Brewing in The Cauldron?
By Chiara Cafiero '10, courtesy of Kent News |
Kent’s literary magazine, The Cauldron, provides students with an opportunity to showcase their talent in a way that the whole community can appreciate. The publication is essentially comprised of visual art and literature, although everything from origami to a musical composition is fair game. Kent is home to countless creative minds whose accomplishments are cherished by all. Although everyone on campus enjoys The Cauldron, how many of us actually know what its compilation entails? How does all that work find its way from the walls of the art department or Poetry Alley to the glossy pages of The Cauldron? Consider this a behind-the-scenes look at the arduous process of creating our outstanding literary magazine.
Let’s start in the art rooms. Between drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and ceramics, there is no shortage of quality artwork for The Cauldron staff to choose from. AP portfolios provide a wealth of fantastic pieces. Surprisingly, though, many talented students are reluctant to submit their work or are unsure how. This is where the staff of The Cauldron comes into play—because many staff members are artists themselves, they can easily assist and encourage their peers in submitting their work. Ellen McQueen ’10 remarked that “It’s an exciting opportunity to share your art with the community, after all the effort that’s gone into it. Not everyone on campus knows what goes on in the art rooms, so it’s great to exhibit everyone’s talent.” Also, both Mr. Hinman and the art department faculty are always on the lookout for exciting new pieces. Ms. Lynch, Ms. Brody, and Mr. Scofield constantly peruse the walls of the art rooms for anything eye-catching that could possibly be featured in the magazine.
Next, we find ourselves in Foley. The English department facilitates the bulk of literary submissions to The Cauldron. Poetry, prose, and plays that have been written as class assignments often prove to be some of The Cauldron’s best work. Between the sixth-form English electives (e.g. Poetry, Memoir, Food and Literature), AP English, and Mrs. Stout’s poetry contests, there is a good deal of original literature available. Mr. Hinman regularly “steals” worthwhile pieces off the walls of Poetry Alley for review at Cauldron meetings.
Finally, we arrive in the news room. This is the venue where Mr. Hinman, one of the publication’s advisors, and the staff of The Cauldron gather periodically to review submissions. The editors and staff will most likely be crowded around a computer voting on digital submissions, or seated around the table shuffling through piles of papers. Students critique recent submissions and advocate for what they would like to see published. Mr. Hinman oversees the meetings and provides insight, but virtually the entire decision making is left to the students. “I have a lot of faith in the process,” says Mr. Hinman. “It’s admirable that they take on The Cauldron in addition to all of their other extracurriculars and recognize it as one of the great things that Kent produces.”
