genesis

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hiStory of  

When we became editors, we entered the den of  genesis – a small, 
windowless room on the 3rd floor of  Cavanaugh Hall, with boxes 
of  old issues stacked precariously along the walls. The room was a 
bit stuffy, very much cramped, but undoubtedly filled with history. 
Atop the bookshelf  was the whiteboard calendar, unwiped since 
2017. Underneath, the half-empty drawer with a masking tape label 
reading “Party Supplies.” And most importantly of  all, the archives: 
a filing cabinet full to the brim with every issue published since the 
magazine printed its first issue in 1973. genesis was started in 1972 by 
the English Club - Sigma Tau Delta, and the Philosophy Club - Phi 
Sigma Tau. Its first editors were M. Anne Wilcox and Dinah Rock-
well. For decades, the magazine has been publishing what students 
were interested in, starting with writing and then branching out into 
art. Early issues held book reviews and philosophical essays alongside 
memoirs and several of  the genres we still publish today. 

Before I (Abby) started as a managing editor, I was particularly inter-
ested in the history and began scouring the archives. As we prepared 
for the 50th anniversary, it became something I was excited to share 
with others. There was no documentation in the office of  how genesis 
began and how it changed through the years, but a history was com-
piled through the written records of  the magazine itself, left behind 
by the editors before us. On the yellowed pages, there were dedica-
tions to impactful professors, solicitations for paper submissions of  
artwork and writing, changes in logo from time to time, and informa-
tion hidden in the different letters from the editors.

Each issue, new editors reconstructed the magazine. In the Fall 1976 
issue, faculty, as well as students, were invited to submit. The first 
open call for art was in the spring of  1977 – the previous issue had 
included a single illustrator, with their drawings spread throughout 
the magazine. Starting in the 1980s, the magazine was published 
simply by the “genesis Editorial Team” instead of  by editors from the 
two clubs. At some point, genesis switched from being capitalized to 
being all lowercase, a change that the current staff are very fond of. 
In 2004, there was an entirely new staff, who recruited a former con-
tributor to help redesign the look of  the magazine. They altered the 
shape of  the books, the layout and fonts, and new submission guide-



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lines. Through all the issues, the most consistent element of  genesis is change. 

Even in our time as editors, aspects of  genesis shifted. In 2020, we learned to 
host editorial meetings online, trying to keep the lively discussions going while 
using the raise-hand function. Our staff produced an issue without fail every 
semester, seeking to publish the art reflecting times of  great change, but also 
just wanting to make the next issue of  genesis our own, as editors had done 
in the past. We argued over zoom about margin widths, the pros and cons of  
Baskerville and Marion, and built friendships over late night debates on art 
and author purpose and the place of  literature in our lives.

We look into the archives and see the years of  labour that go into making this 
a magazine. We see the ink on paper as a translation of  the story occurring 
around it, the change in the larger culture and the personal taste that shapes 
each issue. In a few years, this issue of  genesis will be a moment in time - his-
tory in someone else’s eyes. 

Cheers,
Managing Editors