Campus Connection

UW-La Crosse students enrolled in English 320 sifted through thousands of poems. They read hundreds of fiction and non-fiction pieces, and evaluated artwork. They laughed, argued and critiqued. Ultimately, they decided on the written work they collectively liked the best, which is now published in their own literary journal, “Steam Ticket.” “Steam Ticket: A Third Coast Review, Volume XVI” includes prize-winning writers as well as emerging writers. Submissions come from as far away as Italy and as close as UW-L. “I loved the process,” says Jason Crider, a senior English major and editor of the journal. “You end up reading a lot and after awhile you get kind of numb to it. But when you come across a really good piece, you know it’s special. The process gives you perspective and makes you appreciate what makes good writing.” Crider notes that some UW-L student writers are featured in the publication — a significant achievement considering only about five percent of the written work submitted was selected for publication. “It was incredible what some of our students came up with,” he says. All students involved in the publication are in English 320: Literary Journal Production/Publication. Faculty Adviser Matt Cashion has a hands-off approach, allowing students to discuss what is worth publishing and what is not. “It goes beyond a matter of taste,” he says. “Students are able to talk about what they learn in their courses in terms of both creating and analyzing literature, and they have great conversations over whether a piece contains enough literary merit to be deemed worthy of publication.” “Steam Ticket” is a nationally distributed journal. The publication was founded in 1996 by members of the UW-La Crosse English Department. Contributors are committed to celebrating diversity in the selection of content. Submissions for the next volume will be from Dec. 1, 2013, to March 15, 2014. The acceptance rate is about five percent. For more information and submission guidelines visit steamticket.org Buy a copy Steam Ticket copies cost $7. Cash or check accepted. Checks can be made to “Steam Ticket” and sent to Matt Cashion or the English Department. Questions? Contact Cashion at mcashion@uwlax.edu UW-L Senior Natalie Goodman, an English major, reads a short story featured on page 18 of “Steam Ticket: A Third Coast Review.”