Student Publications

The WKU English Department has two avenues of student publications: Zephyrus and Broomsedge Chronicles.

Zephyrus

What is Zephyrus ? It's Western's annual student literary publication. The goal of Zephyrus is to publish the best material we receive with an eye towards including as many new writers as possible. Submissions are judged anonymously by a student editorial board. Notification of all publication decisions will be mailed approximately six weeks after the submission deadline. In recent years, 7 - 10% of the submissions have been published. Check here for the publication's website. For more detailed information, please read this brief history of the publication.

Submission Information

The following are GUIDELINES for submissions to Zephyrus. Submissions are generally accepted late January through. Not following these GUIDELINES may affect the editorial board's judgment concerning your submission.

1. Please fill out completely the cover sheet.

2. Please observe the deadline. (Though it varies from year to year, the deadline is generally around the middle of February. Check with the English Department for the specific date.)

3. Type and double-space all entries.

4. Do not put your name on your submissions. Put your name and other information only on the cover sheet.

5. Please don't give us your only copy of material. Manuscripts will not be returned, so keep copies for yourself.

6. A basket will be made available in the English office (CH 135) for submissions.

7. Material may be submitted by students only. You need to be enrolled full or part time during the academic year to be eligible for publication in the Zephyrus.

8. We ask that you limit your submissions to 4 poems, 2 essays, and 2 short stories. You may submit in all categories.

9. Lengthy works accepted for publication must be made available to the Zephyrus staff via computer disk.

10. Authors of works accepted for publication may be asked to attend a brief working session for finalization of manuscripts.

DON'T FORGET THE DEADLINE!

 

Broomsedge Chronicles

For detailed information on the Chronicles, please read this brief history.

Submission Information

-Try to find someone, preferably 60 or older, who is a good storyteller, someone who likes to talk about the past and rernembers it in detail.
-The individual needs to sign the release form.
-You and your interviewee need to choose a fairly narrow topic, i.e., "how we used to make mud pies" or "my experience as a bass fisherman for thirty years" or "the day Aunt Ella's horse got away from her," NOT "Aunt Ella's childhood" or "growing up in the 1930s."
-Either take very good notes or use a tape recorder. If possible, later when you have finished writing the paper, let the interviewee read the paper to make sure he or she actually said what you think.
-After the interview, review and organize your notes. Then write an organized, detailed essay, not a transcript of the interview.
-Your paper should not be textbook information (which is already preserved) but should describe how your interviewee remembers something, felt about something, and so on.
-Write the paper in your words, not the words of the person you are interviewing, but include a short quote or two.

-Suggested questions to ask your interviewee: Remember to formulate questions using words such as Who, What, When, Where, Why, How?
-Where did this take place?
-What was the date or approximate date?
-How did you use your senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell)?
-Was there any food or music involved in this?
-How were people dressed?
-What was the weather like?
-What about this do you remember most vividly?
-Was there anything funny, sad, etc. about this?
-What other people were involved in this? How did they look? What did they say and do? How did this affect them?
-How did it make you feel?
-How was this different from other experiences?
You may choose to make up more questions of your own.

Your BC paper may be accompanied by a photo.

• Make submissions to Dr. Murrey.

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