New Chapman University journal looks to unite graduate students and programs

No matter what you study, Anastamos wants to hear what you have to say.

And what is Anastamos? It’s Chapman University’s new interdisciplinary, graduate student journal, which is now seeking submissions for its inaugural issue planned this spring.

Alison Williams (MA English/MFA Creative Writing ’18), editor in chief, has been with Anastamos since the beginning, when it was just an idea from Patrick Fuery, Ph.D., dean of Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

“I got initially interested because I felt like my personal interests as a student tend towards interdisciplinarity … my interests have always been what’s next, what’s out there, how do I look at things like psychology in terms of English, in terms of creative writing? I get inspired by science. I get inspired by different things that are happening in the world. So to me it was natural to be excited by this idea of an interdisciplinary journal,” she said.

But Williams’ interests and goals for the journal go far further than herself. To Williams, the goals for the journal are twofold — to create a graduate student community at Chapman and a top-notch journal. She envisions the journal as a project that offers all Chapman graduate students and disciplines something to rally around. Thus, the journal’s name, a derivation of the Greek word anastomosis, meaning a cross-connection between adjacent channels, tubes, fibers, or other parts of a network.

That kind of collaborative spirit is what inspired Lauren Cruz, (MA War and Society ’17) to help lead the project.

Submit your work!

Submissions are open to all graduate students and professionals now until Jan. 16, 2017. Creative, academic, and professional work is welcome.

“I was happy to see the opportunity to be a part of something that would bring graduate students together and forge more connections across disciplines,” Cruz said.

The theme for the inaugural issue is fear, connected to the upcoming Interstices: An Interdisciplinary Series.  All of the articles and creative pieces in the journal will revolve around that theme. The editors will be open to collaborative submissions by graduate students, as well.

To Williams, this is an opportunity to make something truly original.

It is all about, “connecting with people and scholars from other disciplines to create unique work, that maybe you couldn’t explore in the bubble of a discipline.”

Editor’s Note: The author is the Managing Director of Anastamos.

Display image at top/Anastomosis editors, from left, Paige Gulley, Mike Gravango, Lisa Ko, Matt Wheatley, Mackenna Cummings and Alison Williams.

Matt Wheatley

Add comment

Your Header Sidebar area is currently empty. Hurry up and add some widgets.