Although The Anthem is not necessarily the most recognizable publication on campus today, its legacy spans 136 years of Hoya history, an impressive feat in itself. Georgetown’s literary magazine was founded in 1872, (beating The Hoya by 48 years) and with the leadership of this year’s editor Stephanie Grant (COL ’10), readership has nearly doubled over the past semester. This week, The Guide sits down with Grant as she shares her experiences and plans for the future of the magazine.

What is The Anthem?
We’re a literary magazine and we publish poetry and prose, including short stories and any other creative thing you can think of that has to do with word, and photo submissions. Mostly we use the photos as background pictures and graphics. This coming semester I’m pioneering a photo documentary of sorts, like a story told by photos, so instead of somebody writing something, it’s someone telling a story through photographs. I’ve gotten a lot of really talented photographers. We accept all different types of writing so why not accept photographs that tell a story?

What is the connection between The Anthem and The Georgetown College Journal?
It’s an affiliate of The Georgetown College Journal and it puts out two publications, one of the same name and the other is The Anthem. The Journal is the oldest student publication on campus — it was founded in 1872 and it’s the third oldest literary magazine in the nation. The Anthem is put out two times a year. Basically the Journal is our big brother and we’re the sister. The Anthem is a more visual publication in the form of a magazine whereas the Journal is a publication which is a little more scholarly and is open to the faculty and staff. It does feature creative writing, but a couple pieces; it’s not the focus of it.

How did you become involved with The Anthem?
Well, at the end of last year my friend who was last semester’s editor told me that she was going to be the fall semester editor. She described it to me and I said, “This sounds incredible,” like an amazing opportunity and so I just became involved generally like going to meetings and stuff. Then she wasn’t going to be editor this semester so she appointed me.

When is the next issue coming out?
The Fall ’07 issue will be coming out within the next two weeks.

Have you submitted any of your own writing to The Anthem?
I was published in the Fall ’07 issue — I wrote a short story. How large is the readership of The Anthem? It was relatively unknown last year and this year I would say it has become much more known. We are printing 550 issues. I’ve been sending out e-mails [to get the word out] but it’s really a word of mouth type thing. I think from the beginning of last year and this year it has really doubled in size so it’s really progressing.

Who is involved in The Anthem?
It’s a student organization and anyone is welcome to the meetings and welcome to submit. The Anthem is mostly undergrads but grad [students] are welcome to submit and especially with the Journal, faculty and staff are welcome to submit as well, so really anyone. We have a group of about 12 regulars who come consistently to every meeting.

How many submissions do you usually receive?
I was an associate editor last semester so I didn’t get to see everything to the same extent, but right now we have about 25 submissions for the spring issue. I would say we get maybe 100 to 200 submissions, I hope!

How long have you been writing short stories?
Well, I have always written. I am an English major and I have always been really good at writing and I have always enjoyed it — that sounds so cliché! I write when I am inspired; I don’t force myself to write.

Do you plan to make any more submissions?
Yes, which will not be reviewed by myself, obviously. We have an editorial board and at our meetings we discuss all of the submissions. You can say anything you want about a piece and ultimately it is the editor’s decision about the piece.

Would you like to continue as an editor in the future?
Yes, I was going to be going abroad for the whole year but now I am only going for a semester. I want to get into editing and publishing in my future.

What experience have you had with editing that makes you want to continue with it as a future career?
Even just like my sister is in high school and she is like “edit these [papers]” and I really enjoy it. I really like reading and discovering new things and creative things. A lot of the stuff we get has been done infinitum, “woe is me” and “my heart is broken.” It’s interesting how people present old ideas in innovative ways. That’s what I am interested in — new spins on the old. Last semester being the associate editor is what really sparked my interest. I also work for The Independent.

Considering the size of your readership, do you think it is really necessary to have a literary magazine?
Definitely. I think it is a good creative outlet to have and a lot of the stuff we have here [at Georgetown] is focused on being scholarly and academic because we are such a distinguished university, but the creativity has to be honored as well — it has to have its vein. [The University] is so academically focused and Georgetown advocates cura personalis — the crafting of a well-rounded person — and I think arts and writing are also a part of that, as much as the academics and sports and whatever else. I’d say we’ve doubled in size so I think it is really starting to make a mark.

What creative writing do you read in your free time?
Well I’m taking two poetry classes; one focuses solely on contemporary poetry, so right now I am reading a new poetry book a day and I am constantly exposed. And no two things are the same, which is interesting because theoretically they kind of should be — how many times can you write about the same thing? So I find that aspect really interesting.

If you stay involved in The Anthem, what changes would you like to see made, if any?
We had an open mic night to celebrate the fall issue, and I am hoping we can have them once a month for everybody to come and share their pieces. We had it at Uncommon Grounds and it was filled. It was really great to hear people share their pieces and it had a really great energy so I would like to see that change made.

What was the craziest submission you have ever received?
The weirdest one just came in a couple days ago. It was a letter from Cruella DeVille to a friend of hers at Dartmouth College and it was a rant about dogs that kept following her; it was just really funny.

What is your creative process? When I have an idea I run with it, but sometimes I break it up. Most times I just do it in one sitting. I do a little editing but most of the time I just sit down and do it.

Who are your favorite authors and do you prefer reading short stories over novels or poems?
I love so many authors and books and everything. I love Dostoyevsky, Kurt Vonnegut, Chuck Palahniuk and Sylvia Plath. I’ll pretty much read whatever, but right now I am reading a lot of poetry because of school.