What Soundings’ Annual Unveiling Means to its Staff

Every year, a nonprofit student group at Oklahoma Christian University called Soundings publishes a free literary and visual arts journal. This journal consists of works submitted by students, staff, faculty, and alumni.

Weeks are invested into filtering the hundreds of poetry, prose, photography, and visual arts submissions. Then even more hours are spent suggesting edits for grammar, laying out the order of the accepted pieces and designing the cover art.

It all culminates at the “Unveiling,” which takes place on April 8 this year. There, contributors, sponsors, and others gather to see the new journal revealed and celebrate the winners of each category.

To have the fruits of their countless hours of work be just days away, the Soundings’ staff discussed what the journal means to them.

Rylee Schmidt

Soundings’ PR and Events Coordinator and a Sophomore in English

“For me, the journal is a safe space for students to express their creativity and share ideas through the powerful medium of the arts.”

Rahela Dominic

Soundings’ Graphic Designer and a Senior in Graphic Design

“I love how the journal is a collection of people’s beautiful and vulnerable pieces they created with their own hands and decided to share with others. Through the journal, we can appreciate others’ creativity through the stories they chose to give us.”

Ali Richardson

Soundings’ Social Media Admin and a Sophomore in Political Science 

“To me, the journal means allowing the student body to express themselves in a safe and creative environment while also facilitating connections for not only productive critique, but also praise for creativity and originality.”

Caleb Phelps

Soundings’ Administrative Director and a Senior in English/Writing

“Soundings represents creativity and its influence in different majors. We allow everyone to submit pieces no matter their major because it’s interesting to see someone who is not even an English or visual arts major have a passion for the medium.”

Aevi Ward-Boyd

Soundings’ Website Designer and a Junior in Graphic Design/Writing

“To me, the journal represents people coming together to uplift creative individuals in our community.”

Jenna Stilling

Soundings’ Administrative Assistant and a Sophomore in Computer Science

“The journal represents a safe place for one to express themselves without the fear of being rejected or silenced for having a worldview that differs from the “norm.” It’s also a place to discover others who use writing or a visual medium as an outlet for their creativity. Last year, several of my friends were accepted into the journal. Had I not seen them at the Unveiling or talked to them afterwards about it, I never would have known about their passion.”

Sage Bramlett

Soundings’ Senior Editor and a Senior in English

“The journal is an opportunity to celebrate the creativity on OC’s campus and an outlet for students to get plugged into a community where they learn the ins and outs of producing a journal and being on a team of writers, artists, journalists, and administrators.”