Prof. Woodward’s Class Self-Publishes Anthology

by Chloë Moore ’24

Professor Steve Woodward’s Literary Publishing class is becoming the newest member of the Macalester publishing scene (and one of the few institutions not ruled by our own Zoë Scheuerman)! For the first time in the class’ history, Steve and students will self-publish an anthology made up of creative work from students in the class. All acquisitions, editing, layout, and design is student-directed, with Steve serving as a mentor and guide, as well as the liaison with Bookmobile, the press that will be publishing the anthology. Bookmobile specializes in short-run, limited edition publications; they also publish Chanter! See, we knew Zoë would be connected somehow. Students in the class will have a chance to visit their offices to see the production happen later this month. Students also participated in a book-making workshop, getting some hands-on experience with the craft.

The contents of the anthology are far-ranging, including poetry and short fiction across genres and topics. Featuring submissions from 7 authors, the anthology will be in print at the beginning of spring semester. It’s been a tremendous effort in class, with students forming publishing houses, pitching their work to each other, writing editorial letters with feedback, and designing and assembling the magazine. The anthology has been a truly whole-class endeavor. Olivia Worcester ’25 told us, “Even if someone did not submit writing for it, everyone played an important role in this anthology’s creation, which has made the entire learning experience so personalized and meaningful.” Regardless of whether or not a student’s work appears in the anthology, everyone in class has had a say in its creation.

The Words is pleased and proud to bring you the inside scoop on the process; I’m in the class! Apologies for the abrupt switch to first-person, I’m sure my editor (myself) will have no problems with it. The experience of self-publishing an anthology has been a great way to get to know my classmates through their writing, and it’s also really satisfying to know that we will have a tangible product at the end of the class. Plus, it’s a fun way to get published without too much rigamarole and suffering, since we accepted all submissions.

I can also give you some very exciting inside info: our official title is…… MoonSprout! I think the title speaks well to the creativity and growth that has been a constant for everyone in this class, and that is reflected well in our writings. Our dreams, fears, desires, hopes, imaginations, futures, and pasts all appear in various forms throughout this anthology, and I can’t wait for it to be something we can hold. As they say, watch this space for updates about when MoonSprout is out in the world!

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The Words thanks Steve Woodward for this class, all students contributing to both the anthology and this piece, and Peter Bognanni and Jan Beebe for agreeing to have the department help fund the publication process.