Byzantium: Cal Poly's Literary Annual
Byzantium consists of the winning entries and editors’ choices selected from the annual Al Landwehr Creative Writing Contest. Two separate faculty judging committees, one for poetry and one for fiction, read the entries blind and select the first, second, and third place entries for both sections, and the magazine’s co-editors then select however many additional works they want to publish in addition to those six. The editors usually release the magazine in April or May and host an unveiling to launch it.
Begun in 1990, Byzantium has published literary works of remarkable quality, and many of the student winners in the writing contest have gone on to prestigious graduate schools in creative writing, including Columbia, Emerson, UC Davis, Houston, UC Irvine, Oregon, San Francisco State, and elsewhere. Byzantium complements the English Department's creative writing emphasis by providing both an in-house publication goal and a capstone work that demonstrates our student and department commitment to creative writing.
Typically, two English majors are chosen as co-editors. These two students work in tandem with a student art director chosen from the Art & Design Department. Numerous English majors compete for the privilege of editing the magazine, and those who are selected usually have editing experience, business acumen, desktop publishing skills, a fundraising vision, and the ability to work collaboratively under deadline. The magazine has been cited for its literary excellence and has twice won awards for design.
The editors of Byzantium earn senior project credit for their work. Though the senior project is officially registered during spring quarter, the editors work on the magazine beginning in fall quarter. Working with the art director, the editors are responsible for all aspects of the publication, including raising funds, choosing a printer, laying out the text, editing the text, selling the magazine, and coordinating a reading for t he writers. In addition, the editors produce a year-end report chronicling their project; this report, along with the finished magazine itself, is the "official" senior project and actually serves as a manual for the following year’s editors.
Editing Byzantium is a challenging, exhilarating way for English majors to gain experience that can help them in the "real world." Just as many of the published student writers go on to graduate study in creative writing or jobs in publishing, most editors have used their experience to help them secure jobs after graduation.
Byzantium was previously sold at El Corral Bookstore, but has been distributed absolutely free over the last few years. Contact us at byzantiumeditors@gmail.comif you are interested in procuring a copy of one of our previous editions.