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狈别辞苍鈥檚 2024 Issue is Big, Available Now
The latest issue of Neon has hit the stands, and it鈥檚 heavier than ever.听 Assistant editor Hex Brown '24 unveils the newest cover of Neon at this year's anthology launch party. Photo by Ethan Martinez '26
Neon,
桃瘾社区鈥檚 student-run literature and arts magazine, accepted more student-produced prose, poetry, photos and paintings than ever, making . his year鈥檚 anthology nearly double the thickness of last year鈥檚 issue. The bonus-sized edition is thanks in large part to the work of
Neon
鈥檚 community editors, who collected, curated, edited and produced the publication over the past eight months.
The community editors, though, are thanking
Neon
for the experience and privilege of working on it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 insanely good to have on your r茅sum茅,鈥 said Daleyna Abril 鈥24, an
English and writing
double major and president of
Neon
.
鈥(
Neon
鈥檚) been the thing I鈥檝e talked about in most of the interviews that I've gotten so far,鈥 Abril, who graduates next month, said. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned the entirety of the editorial process, administrative duties, collaboration, all the basic things that you need to know when you go into any sort of publishing or editorial career.鈥
Neon
had 11 contributing community editors this year. For them, the work feels like play.
鈥
Neon
is a space for people who are passionate about the same things and are united in that passion for a common goal,鈥 said Joel Lee 鈥24, a writing major and a community editor.
鈥淵ou're hanging out with people who are most likely guaranteed to be your friends because they like the same (things) that you like. They think the same way that you think, and they want to get involved.鈥
Associate professor Ryan McIlvain,
Neon
鈥檚 faculty advisor, added that
Neon
is not a club for just English or writing majors. Students from any major who want to be a part of the collaborative process or get feedback on their own work can join and even lead
Neon,
he said.
鈥(
Neon
) prepares you for a real world that is not as hyper-specialized,鈥 McIlvain said.
In judging submissions to accept,
狈别辞苍鈥
s editors choose whether to review art, prose and/or poetry submissions and are encouraged to submit their own work. The president removes the authors鈥 names on the pieces and the names of the reviewers on their evaluations of the work. 听Authors get feedback for their efforts whether the work is accepted or rejected.
鈥淚t gives people practice, and it gets people publications on their CV. That, for me, is number one,鈥 Lee said. 鈥淭hey say, 鈥榩ublish or perish,鈥 and I think that the younger you get started on that, the better it looks for your CV and your r茅sum茅, regardless of whether you go into writing or not.鈥
Hex Brown 鈥24, a writing major and an assistant editor, agreed, and said the personal experience at
Neon
can exceed the career-readiness aspect.
鈥淚 almost forget to put this on my r茅sum茅, because I'm, like, 鈥極h, yeah, this was the time when my friends got together, talked about writing and then we also produced a literary journal.鈥 I think it definitely can help your r茅sum茅, but, for me, the strongest thing is that it's a community of writers or people who are passionate about art,鈥 they said.
The editors will take a break in the summer. But, come next fall,
Neon
will work hard, play hard and write hard again. Students interested in joining can contact
ana.alvarado@spartans.ut.edu
.
To get a copy of
Neon
鈥檚 newest issue, contact
Neon
on Instagram
.
Story by Lena Malpeli '25
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