The Oakland Arts Review (OAR) started last summer, and will soon grow to allow students to act as editors through the ENG300 course.

The OAR is a campus publication with a focus on publishing creative writing pieces, photography samples, illustrations and poetry selections.

Starting next week, over 300 copies of the journal will be mailed out around the country to various creative writing programs to show off the content and editing talent of the OU students involved with the journal.

“This is my second year on faculty at OU, and I was just blown away by the dedication and enthusiasm of the students who got involved in the journal,” Alison Powell, faculty advisor for the OAR, said.

Powell said one of her favorite pieces submitted was that of a student named Izzie Sun who attends Hong Kong Baptist University. According to her, a huge draw of the journal is that they take work from students not only around the country, but around the world as well.

Powell explained that this project is also rather new, only beginning last summer.

“The project was dreamed up by the creative writing faculty,” Powell said. “We figured it would be a great way for students to learn a little about the ins and outs of the publishing world, help get the name of our program out there in the world and also an opportunity for students in many different departments at OU to join together.”

Unlike other campus journals and publications, the OAR only accepts one Oakland student per issue.

Powell encouraged other interested students looking to be published on campus to check out “Swallow the Moon,” an on campus journal that only publishes OU students.

“We hope to use the journal to identify and promote great literary work by undergraduate authors from all different regions and walks of life,” Powell said.

Paige Rowland, one of the two poetry editors at the OAR and a sophomore at Oakland University, says she’s currently on the hunt for comic artists to interview for the journal.

“[The Oakland Arts Review] is all about showing that undergraduates can make amazing work too,” she said. “It also creates a great window for people looking to publish to get their foot in the door.”

The first issue of the OAR featured work from OU student William Georges with his poem “Gusto.”

Though most publications like the OAR are produced biannually, Powell said that in order to start off making sure the product is “excellent every time,” it will only be published once a year.

Students who are interested in the chance to be included as the sole OU voice in the OAR should visit oarsubmittable.com.

Students wishing to become part of their editorial staff and do not wish to do so for course credit can contact [email protected].