Editor’s Note: Sam Goodale is on The Journal’s Editorial Board. He was not involved in the writing of this article.
Quilt launched its third volume on Tuesday at The Grad Club to wild applause.
Fiona Mulrooney, ArtSci ’23, co-editor-in-chief, published the issue online in front of an audience of around 40 people who came to support Quilt at its launch event. The volume, titled “In Bloom,” features the creative and academic work of undergraduate students.
“The always project of Quilt is to show that [different communities] are more similar than they are different in their creative energies,” Mulrooney said in an interview with The Journal.
The volume features two academic essays, six poems, and two short stories, which the academic and creative editorial boards picked after weeks of deliberations. Mulrooney said the theme “flower[ed]” out of the works picked, which all spoke to growth.
“It’s so fun because the quality of pieces we receive are usually so high that it’s just a pleasure to read them and discuss them in the first place,” she said.
The English Department Student Council (DSC) founded Quilt in the 2020-21 academic year. The literary magazine split from the DSC the following year to become an independent club. It’s currently in its third year and “building momentum,” according to Mulrooney.
“There’s such a hands-on, tactile feel to Quilt because everybody knows […] the stakes of the project,” she said. “Right now, what’s special about it for me is everybody knows exactly what’s happening all the time and you can choose to invest.”
Quilt seeks to merge the boundaries of creative and academic work, publishing poetry, short stories, and academic essays about literature. This year, Quilt published a smaller, creative-only ‘zine’ in November in addition to the full volume.
Mulrooney said she wants Quilt to be “loving” and “welcoming,” which she feels is reflected in Quilt’s aesthetic and visual design.
“The biggest thing is […] understanding that this is an undergraduate magazine and we’re not here to be perfect; we’re here to grow and learn more about the publishing process, to learn more about the writing and editing process.”
Mulrooney highlighted pieces like “Midnight Snack” by Annalynn Plopp, which received a unanimous, immediate ‘yes’ from the editorial board, and “(un)ambiguous” by Grace Maidment, which Mulrooney referred to as “exactly the kind of poem [she’s] always wanted to publish.”
Another standout is “Tell Me What You Know About Dreamin’” by Rachel Riddell, an essay that analyzes the popular, even meme-able song “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi.
Mulrooney said her dream is for Quilt to remind people they have “untapped creative energy” and the ability to “really make something,” especially in a world that “feels hard to interact with.”
“Small exertions of agency and power-like planning an event, like writing a piece, writing a poem, writing an essay that you actually care about—it feels really important.”
The event on Tuesday featured live readings of all the pieces in the volume—some by authors at the event, some by authors over Zoom, and some by friends—and a “musical interlude” by Queen’s student band Mathilde’s Room.
“We want to give our readers […] the opportunity to hear it from the author,” Mulrooney said. “Seeing yourself published is so important and so validating […] but also being able to get the direct response from listeners I think for the authors must be so important.”
The atmosphere was warm and energetic. Those in attendance had a great time mingling, eating, and drinking, but were captivated whenever an author took to the stage, quieting down and giving them their full attention.
The night concluded with karaoke, including renditions of “Gotta Go My Own Way” and “Breaking Free” by Mulrooney and fellow Co-Editor-in-Chief Sam Goodale, and “Boyfriend” by Goodale and 2021-22 Editor-in-Chief Daniel Green.
Students should keep an eye on Quilt’s Instagram page for details on how to grab a hand-bound print copy of the volume starting next week.
Tags
Club, creative writing, literary magazine, Quilt
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