The University of Alberta Library publishes 19 student journals as a part of its Open Publishing program. These journals are founded and run by student editorial boards, and typically publish work written by fellow students.
One student journal is Crossings: An Undergraduate Arts Journal. Since 2021, Crossings has published work by University of Alberta undergraduates in the fine arts, social sciences, and humanities. Crossings’ parent organization is OASIS, the Organization for Arts Students and Interdisciplinary Studies.
Sarah Freeman, Library Publishing Assistant spoke to Olivia Labelle, OASIS VP Academic and Editor-in-Chief of Crossings, to learn more about the journal.
Can you give me an overview of what Crossings is all about?
Crossings is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed academic journal which publishes papers and fine arts pieces in disciplines across the Faculty of Arts. Our scope is quite diverse; each issue typically has representation from pretty much every discipline in the arts. Arts papers can be so interdisciplinary themselves, so Crossings’ breadth is often a benefit: if your paper straddles two or more disciplinary boundaries, you don’t have to wonder where to publish it.
What do you enjoy most about working with Crossings?
I like giving people opportunities to do research, to write, and to think critically for reasons other than a grade. Publishing or volunteering with Crossings can be a professional asset, so I love encouraging the team and potential authors to get involved. And, it’s also exciting to see the final product. Bringing interesting ideas together in one large document is so fun. In this setting, the research is practical, but it’s also a very creative environment.
Is there anything that you wish more people knew about student journals?
It’s an easy way to add something to your resume! You’ve written something for class, and if you got a good grade, all you have to do is send it in and potentially approve or disapprove of some edits. I’m in my fifth year and I have so many papers that could’ve been considered for Crossings; I just didn’t know that it existed. Particularly if you’re pursuing graduate studies after your undergrad, or if you have a specific research interest, having a publications section on your resume is a way to legitimize your skills—and being able to cite yourself is so fun!
Who’s eligible to submit to or volunteer at Crossings, and how can they get involved?
Written submissions are papers between 1000 and 5000 words that received at least an A- in an Arts class—any year, any discipline. Artistic submissions can be visual art, or other formats like a MP3 recording.
To volunteer, our team is full right now, but applications for next year will open in September. If you want to express interest for next year, contact OASIS at oasis@gmail.com.
This is by Arts students, for Arts students—a lot of people I’ve talked to think they’re not qualified for or deserving of this, but if you’re enthusiastic about your program and doing well, don’t overthink it! I would encourage anyone who’s interested to just dip their toes in; that’s what I did, and all of a sudden I’m here, and this is going to be a defining experience in my degree! If I hadn’t tried it out, I wouldn’t be in this position now.
Are there any other ways to support student journals?
What runs student groups is word-of-mouth. If you know someone that’s written a great paper, encourage them to submit! Or, if you think someone would be a good fit, encourage them to volunteer. People are pretty insulated; in the first few years of my degree I wasn’t involved on campus at all, but someone pulled me into OASIS, and I’m so glad I’m here. You’re doing someone a service by telling them about these opportunities!
Is there anything else you want people to know about Crossings?
Submissions for the fifth edition of Crossings will close January 31, 2025, but that’s a flexible deadline; get in touch if you’re not able to make it. The hope is to have this edition published by April and have the copies at OASIS’s end-of-year Arts Gala, tentatively scheduled for April 11th. I encourage anyone interested in or involved with Crossings to come to that event, to see the journal and talk to the Crossings team.
Thank you to Sarah Freeman, Library Publishing Assistant for writing this article!
- To read Crossings and learn more about the journal, visit their website.
- For more information about publishing at the library, visit the Open Publishing site.
This content is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Creative Commons licence.