Lawrence.com

Go deep. Really deep.

That's what Kiosk writers have been doing for 33 issues, and current contributor Gavin Snider is no exception.

"Poetry is thought at its most basic form," says Snider, an architecture student who contributed a poem to the free semi-annual KU literary magazine. "Drawing is always going to be a representation of thought. But poetry is, like, the closest to thought."

Out of the closet

Snider and more than a dozen other local wordsmiths will celebrate the release of Kiosk No. 33 this week at Aimee's Coffeehouse.

The 126-page magazine contains the work of nine poets and five short-fiction writers. It was lovingly adorned by a team of KU graphic designers who devoted as much as 30 hours a week during the months of October and November.

According to Jane Huschka, a KU senior in graphic design, the opportunity to have complete artistic control over a project justified working long hours without pay.

"That's something that we don't always get when we're in school," she says. "It's definitely not a burden - most of the time."

Like most literary magazines, Kiosk sets a high standard for its content. Of more than 160 poems and 30 fiction pieces submitted, only 9 poets and 5 fiction writers made the final cut.

For first-time publishers like Megan Johnson, Kiosk can be an exciting opportunity.

"I think my friends are keeping a tally because I've told them like five times that I'm getting published," says Johnson, a 5th year senior in English. "It's actually really encouraged me to keep writing."

Conveniently, Kiosk will arrive just in time for the holidays.

"It'll be nice to actually show my family something I've done," Johnson says. "Most of the people in my family have these very hands-on majors like architecture : I just write a really big paper about some theoretical thing and nobody wants to read it."

A gazebo of styles

Recent editions of Kiosk have presented a hip, slick, modernist-tinged graphic sensibility.

That's what attracted poet Chris Beard to the magazine when he moved to Lawrence last fall.

"It gave the impression that there was so much to see; that you could pick it up again and keep finding new things," says Beard, a math major who contributed to issues No. 32 and 33. "It had intrigue to it, whereas most literary magazines seem to just be really boring - just a bunch of people's writing."

Kiosk editor-in-chief Joe Morgan says that he was drawn to the publication simply because "it was cool" and it featured local writers.

"I think people enjoy reading stuff that's coming from their community - stuff that's not mainstream," he says. "I've had a lot of people tell me that they've been reading it for years and years."

According to Kiosk poetry editor Tom Page, pieces were chosen according to a blind process that favored creative use of language and originality of content.

"You get a lot of poems that are good and from people's hearts, but they're pretty much just bashing on someone or an idea," he says. "I don't think that's very constructive."

Page says that there are some "bunk" rumors circulating that Kiosk's editors simply publish their friends' pieces. He suspects such perceptions may have to contributed to the formation of a second literary group on campus called "SWAT."

"I was thinking that we should play up the 'rivalry' just so we can get more publicity for both of our publications," Page jokes. "KU overall has a lot of artistic contributions that should be recognized and seen by as many people as possible."

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