Of the many publications on Binghamton University’s campus, Ellipsis — the University’s only undergraduate literary magazine — might be the most elusive. After disbanding due to the board members’ inability to maintain the publication — with some studying abroad and others losing interest — Ellipsis’ presence disappeared from campus two years ago. This semester, though, Tommy Stella, a junior majoring in English, is reviving Ellipsis along with a new magazine staff.
After transferring to Binghamton, Stella searched for a publication to get involved with on campus. He found a description of Ellipsis on the University’s website that said that the magazine was inactive, but could be restored by a passionate student. Stella, now the president of Ellipsis, took on this project and assembled a group of fellow literature lovers to bring the magazine back to Binghamton.
“We believe that it is incredibly important for a student body to have a creative outlet for the things that they write,”” Stella wrote in an email. “A literary magazine is a crucial part to a college experience.”
The current staff hopes to modernize the magazine by introducing an online component. The website is a work in progress, and Stella says it will be “Reddit meets Facebook for writers.” Students will upload their writing to the website, which can be viewed by anyone, and others will be able to vote on pieces they feel should be published in print.
“We believe this voting system will make Ellipsis a much more friendly and welcoming environment as opposed to an evil faceless group of editors that people unfortunately view magazines as sometimes,” Stella wrote.
Ellipsis’ staff plans to involve students in more ways than just submitting their work. They have an international poetry reading with creative writing professor Joe Weil, bake sales and visits to other schools in the surrounding area on their agenda. Outreach on campus is a priority for the staff, and Ellipsis hopes to reach not only creative writing students, but literature lovers from all majors.
“One thing that I have learned from this reviving process is that even though the magazine ended, the interest in a literary magazine stayed alive,” Stella wrote.
Ellipsis fills a void in the ranks of campus publications, providing an outlet for student writers to submit poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction to be shared with the BU community.
“Since this is a new experience for the school, we are aware that things may have to be adapted and we are excited for those challenges,” Stella wrote.
Ellipsis will be published once a semester, with the potential for publication twice a semester with enough support. Although a submission deadline will be determined during the fall 2015 semester, students can begin submitting their creative work to bingellipsis@gmail.com now. Submissions will be archived to be posted on Ellipsis’ website, and printed copies of the magazine will be distributed for free around campus.
Copy Editor Colleen Curry did not contribute reporting to this story.