Community Update: Reimagining The York Review
Austin Wolfe
The York Review provides a space of expression for our creative community. For over thirty years, we have collected literature, fine art, and photography from York College’s student body. Our main method of sharing this work has been our print publication. It was the only way. However, the expansion of digital culture has changed that. The space for creative expression has left the confines of a page. Art of all forms can now be accessed from anywhere at any time. The creative space is now global. Containing our creative community to a page has become limiting. We must change.
The focus on our digital space must evolve. York’s creative community produces important works of art. Individually, these works share perspectives, define cultures, and capture history. Collectively, they create a voice. Since its inception, The York Review’s goal has been to provide a platform for this voice to be heard. Our goal remains the same. Expanding our digital space will allow us to share this voice with a larger audience.
Focusing on our digital space will bring other benefits. Print limits creative works to text and images. Text and images are great. We don’t want just text and images. We want everything: literature, fine art, photography, comics, graphic art, screenplays, fashion design, videos, comedy, and everything in between. We don’t subscribe to these divides. They all work to tell stories.
Don’t worry — we still love print. We still make magazines. If anything, our magazine will improve. The magazine is its own piece of art. It’s not a paperweight or a doorstop. It’s not meant to be flipped through and thrown away. It is a piece of art that is meant to be cherished. Not everyone cherishes the magazine in this way. Some do. Some love the smell of the fresh paper and the way the cover feels between their hands. They display it proudly, wearing out the spine after multiple reads through. These people love the content but love the object containing it just as much. They see it as a piece of art, and we will treat it that way by improving the material and design. The availability may decrease, but the quality will undeniably improve. York’s creative community has evolved and expanded. We will do the same. We only ask one thing: Be Weird With Us.
