In the current world, people often find themselves writing down or taking pictures to symbolize their thoughts, feelings and goals in a way that means much to them. Whether this would be on their phone, in their minds or through paper, the power that expression holds is unmatched in how it allows people to reach a vast difference of audiences. When it comes to expression, it can be somewhat hard to find a way to publish these works, and it may be somewhat hard for those with a creative outlet to look for people who can enjoy their pieces. Shawnee State University’s Silhouette serves as a way for anyone to share their work and express themselves in a creative way.

What is The Silhouette?

The Silhouette, as stated directly by the Shawnee website itself, “is dedicated to celebrating the art and ideas of the students and faculty of Shawnee State University and of the community at large.” The Silhouette is an art and literature journal that collects various works of both Shawnee State University’s students and faculty members, publishing them quarterly for interested parties to read. Having been around for at least 1988, the Silhouette allows for various different forms of media to be submitted for inclusion. Pieces such as poetry (2 single-spaced pages or less), creative fiction and non-fiction (in 1,500 words or less), art and photography are forms of media that are able to be submitted.

“It’s important for students to have a home for their creative work,” says Professor Brew, one of the organizers for The Silhouette. “There’s a certain thrill that comes with seeing your work published, particularly when that publication is readily available to your friends, classmates and professors. Small campus lit journals give students that first taste of publication, while demystifying the submission process.” With how open access The Silhouette is, publishing works is an easy feat that can be accomplished by anyone who has a work they want to share with the public without having to worry about the issues of publication with companies or other sources. That thrill of publication can be accessed by everyone!

Creative freedom is also encouraged in The Silhouette. “Freedom of expression is a facet of art and creativity, and one that we take seriously,” says Professor Brew. The Silhouette allows for writers and artists to reach that degree of creativity. As The Silhouette allows for many people to view the works within, it is encouraged that those who are going to submit their works into The Silhouette get a second opinion on their works, such as from a close friend on campus, a family member or someone they are familiar with. Professor Brew says that “extra sets of eyes never hurt, and sometimes an outside observer can determine whether the piece requires additional context to make it work.”

Theming and Publishing

The Silhouette, while open to all forms of work, often has specific periods where they will accept certain specific pieces of work to fit a specific category or context. For example, The Silhouette has released sections of its journal with works made entirely by women, which details their own feelings, emotions and creative inspirations. To date, there have been two instances of The Silhouette that have been entirely dedicated to female writers, which gives the ability to lift the voices of those that are often not heard often in the public. The Silhouette stands as a way to give that experience to writers alike.

The Silhouette is published every so often, usually in a sort of bi-yearly manner. For example, The Silhouette was published in Fall 2004, followed by Spring 2005, then Fall 2005. With such a sporadic release schedule, it is important to keep an eye on campus announcements to see when the next issue of The Silhouette begins to open up, as it may be some time before you are able to submit your own work. If you want to share sooner than later, seize the moment and work on something!

The deadline for the next Silhouette submissions falls on March 25. There is a different date in the picture in this article, but this date has been changed by Professor Brew herself. “After several requests from campus artists and writers, we’ve extended the deadline to give students, faculty and staff the opportunity to submit their work.” Professor Brew also goes on to state that this year’s publication of The Silhouette has no theme. Therefore, a variety of topics and themes are able to be submitted and put into the collection. Almost anything is possible.

You can send your submissions for The Silhouette to [email protected]. You are also able to send any thoughts or suggestions to this email, as well. The deadline is March 25. Works do not have to be entirely fresh, and can be something you have written in the past or present. If you are interested in submitting a piece to The Silhouette, think about what you would want to share with a wide audience. Do you want to evoke heartfelt emotion? Do you want to make people think about the world? Or do you simply just want to share something? The Silhouette makes these ideas and others all possible.