The Epoch: An Insight into NEST+m's Literary Magazine

The slim volume handed out quietly at the end of June may not have garnered much attention, but for those involved in the making of the 2018 edition of the NEST+m Epoch, it was a major victory and relief. With countless hours of writing, editing, and curating, the sixth edition of NEST+m’s literary magazine did not come about as quietly as its distribution.

But first: exactly what is the NEST+m Epoch? A collection of student writing, photography, art, and digital media, the Epoch serves to showcase NEST+m’s talented student body and to prove that our school is more than what is suggested by the name.

The process to create this product is lengthy. Begun roughly midway through the school year, students in the Advanced Creative Writing elective must write their own pieces, advertise for student submissions (some may remember last year’s odd signs and near-daily morning announcement reminders), select student work for publishing (subject to fierce in-class debate), and then edit student work for correctness and clarity. Of this last step, Sofia Sadim ‘19, an editor of the magazine and a member of last year’s Advanced Creative Writing course, says it constituted a real challenge “to edit someone’s work without stepping on any toes.” The line between good work and well-edited work can sometimes be fine, and a big dilemma that faced many of last year’s editors was the extent to which other students’ work could and should be edited.  

The conclusion of these intense steps does not signify the end of the process, however. After finalizing which pieces are to be included, another ocean of editing, mapping, conceptualizing, and InDesigning lies ahead. Alex Hannigan ‘19, another editor for last year’s edition of the Epoch, says, “It’s amazing how many little details people work so hard to perfect.” And indeed, pairing images with student work, editing, re-editing, and re-re-editing submissions, utilizing the labyrinthine interface of Adobe InDesign, and formatting everything perfectly for Lulu, the publishing company, can be a mess of headache-inducing details. Still, the students of Advanced Creative Writing work tirelessly each year to ensure the aesthetic beauty and high quality of their publication. And year after year, this effort is apparent. 

In 2017, volume 5 of the Epoch was recognized as “excellent” by the National Council of Teachers of English, and the volume before that was “recommended for highest award” in the same Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines. The results for 2018, eagerly awaited by the students of last year’s Advanced Creative Writing class, are due in January.

Regardless of the outcome, however, the magazine seems to have had a positive impact on its editors, as confirms Sadim: “I really enjoyed working with everyone in class to try and make sure it looked its absolute best.”

The Epoch is also a remarkably accurate depiction of NEST+m’s student body. Last year’s theme for the magazine, motion, was picked largely due to the political and social realizations markedly apparent within many works, and with a whirlwind of newsworthy events framing the past few years, it is no wonder that students are finding their voices now. On a smaller scale, personal conflicts, realizations, and reflections are also apparent within the Epoch’s pages, reflecting the tumult of everyday student life. The finished product, therefore, is an empathetic quilt of student feeling and thought on life and the world.

So if writing, drawing, or photography is your passion, or if you’ve a piece of work you’re particularly proud of, consider taking Advanced Creative Writing or submitting to the literary magazine. Release that inner Picasso or Shakespeare and dazzle the hallways of NEST+m with your artistic prowess!