2008 Woodie Awards
Boston U. student helps start new literary magazine
Sarita Olson--The Daily Free Press (Boston U.)
Issue date: 9/8/03 Section: Campus Life
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(U-WIRE) BOSTON - Writer and fifth-year Boston University student Jonathon Scott Feit said he decided to take action on his frustrations about magazines and newspapers not responding to queries he sent offering to write stories.
Feit, a student in the University Professors program who will receive a master's degree this year, joined with BU graduate Evan Sanders and Harvard University student Irfan "Sam" Shabeer to develop Citizen Culture, a literary magazine he said will make an effort to respond to interested writers.
The magazine's name was chosen because its contents are concerned with topics relevant to society and topics addressed will relate to "all elements of culture that anyone living in culture experiences," Feit said.
Feit said Citizen Culture's goal is to allow a place for talented writers to get their start without prior connections.
"We're recognizing that ... it takes getting into the business and into the market to be able to get better at being in the market," Feit said.
Feit said the magazine's primary concern is writing quality and would not run an article that wasn't fascinating even if someone important wrote it.
The creators also said they consider their audience when developing story ideas.
"We want to make sure that our audience does not have to fall into [the intellectual elite] category," Sanders said. "Obviously, we still want them to be on an intellectual level, but not to an extent that it has to be a chore to process the information that's being conveyed."
Although the magazine's primary audience is college-age students, Feit and Sanders said they hope to provide something for everyone. The magazine has received submissions from writers all across the country and from different age groups and backgrounds.
Topics for articles include everything from dreams and television to politics and Pez.
"There's a gap opening up for the young intellectuals ... you're not 50 and care about only where your Social Security money is going and you're not 16 and you only want to fantasize about beer," Feit said.
Feit, a student in the University Professors program who will receive a master's degree this year, joined with BU graduate Evan Sanders and Harvard University student Irfan "Sam" Shabeer to develop Citizen Culture, a literary magazine he said will make an effort to respond to interested writers.
The magazine's name was chosen because its contents are concerned with topics relevant to society and topics addressed will relate to "all elements of culture that anyone living in culture experiences," Feit said.
Feit said Citizen Culture's goal is to allow a place for talented writers to get their start without prior connections.
"We're recognizing that ... it takes getting into the business and into the market to be able to get better at being in the market," Feit said.
Feit said the magazine's primary concern is writing quality and would not run an article that wasn't fascinating even if someone important wrote it.
The creators also said they consider their audience when developing story ideas.
"We want to make sure that our audience does not have to fall into [the intellectual elite] category," Sanders said. "Obviously, we still want them to be on an intellectual level, but not to an extent that it has to be a chore to process the information that's being conveyed."
Although the magazine's primary audience is college-age students, Feit and Sanders said they hope to provide something for everyone. The magazine has received submissions from writers all across the country and from different age groups and backgrounds.
Topics for articles include everything from dreams and television to politics and Pez.
"There's a gap opening up for the young intellectuals ... you're not 50 and care about only where your Social Security money is going and you're not 16 and you only want to fantasize about beer," Feit said.