Ellis Hall, located at 45 University Terrace, is home to a whimsical crew of graduate students, all of whom share a passion for one thing: creative writing.
Ohio University’s annual literary journal, Quarter After Eight, was first published in May 1994 with the goal to cultivate curiosity, explore innovative writing and acknowledge literary work that tests “language, style, voice or idea.”
Each journal includes fiction, poetry, nonfiction and artwork pieces from people across the world who are looking to express creativity, explore their imaginations and kickstart future writing careers. The journal is published during March or April with support from OU’s Department of English.
The QAE staff can typically be found in Ellis on Thursday nights, eating pizza and chatting. The team of 12 is unpaid but dedicates a majority of its time to reading submissions, sending publication consent contracts and asking writers for revisions.
Dalanie Beach, a third-year Ph.D. student studying creative writing, is QAE’s co-editor and teaches English courses. As an editor, Beach’s main role is to create the layout of the journal, spending hours on Adobe InDesign and proofreading. Beach said QAE’s team is incredibly dedicated, making each journal a proud sight.
“I think holding the printed copy and reading the piece that I chose or found … and really loved and seeing someone else’s work in print is really cool,” Beach said. “That might be my favorite part.”
Leading the team alongside Beach is Austin Tucker, a third-year Ph.D. student studying creative writing. Tucker holds the co-editor title while also helping coordinate QAE’s short prose and chapbook contests.
The short prose contest is held annually from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15 and offers a $1,000 prize to the winner. Tucker said it costs $15 to submit an entry and people can submit three short prose pieces of 500 words or less.
“We try to be as amenable to every reader’s whims and desires as we can,” Tucker said.
Tucker said the QAE editorial team decides the finalists and a judge picks the first-place winner who, alongside the cash prize, is awarded a spot in the next publication. The second and third place runners-up are also often published in the journal.
The chapbook contest runs throughout the summer, opening in May and closing at the end of August. A chapbook is a small collection of poems, between 15 and 45 pages, and writers can submit their chapbooks after paying a $15 fee.
The editorial team picks the top collections and the finalist is chosen by an established judge. Similarly to the short prose contest, the winner is awarded $1,000 and 25 printed copies of their chapbook.
Tucker recalled an interaction he had with a writer who did not win but had a pleasant experience.
“I was like, ‘I want to take this poem if you let me have it and we will put it in the magazine,’” Tucker said. “That kind of artistic curation process feels really rewarding.”
QAE’s reading period is open from Oct. 15 to April 15 and accepts one story or essay, three flash prose pieces or four poems at a time, with no consideration of multiple submissions from writers.
Beach said the process can be rigorous as the team sifts through over 1,000 submissions and narrows it down to anywhere between 30 and 50 pieces.
“Once we have it all laid out, we convert it to a PDF and send it to the other editors to proofread and … they spot any mistakes,” Beach said. “Then we send that revised file to the printing services along with the cover and then they send us a proof copy and we approve the proof copy or deny it.”
In addition to the English department, the QAE would not be published without a grant from the Ohio Arts Council. The OAC cultivates opportunities for people to tell their artistic, educational and cultural stories.
A team of “grant panelists” read a plethora of applications to find artists who utilize their gifts in positive and renowned ways.
Justin Nigro, operations and public affairs director for the OAC, is a Columbus native and has been with the OAC for 10 years. Nigro said QAE is just one of the 31 active grants in Athens County and the grant panelists had nothing but positive comments about the student’s work.
“(QAE) have had a long history of receiving grants from us,” Nigro said. “(The panelists called it an) ‘absolutely great publication with excellent writers, amazing opportunity and educational experience for graduate students.’”
QAE’s grant is worth $3,603 and helps fund events and other needs. Nigro said the OAC grants about $327,000 to artistic organizations in Athens, including Passion Works on 20 E. State St. and Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville.
“Athens is really special, I have been there,” Nigro said. “Athens is a cultural and artistic hub in Southeast Ohio. It anchors a lot of Appalachia’s creative communities.”
With a variety of long-form essays, poetry, nonfiction pieces and more, QAE not only inspires readers, but it also encourages young writers to step out of their comfort zones. Tucker said the journal seeks “weird” submissions and those interested can pay $10 to read the online journal.
“I like the sensation of curating the magazine, the sort of taste that it occupies and its aesthetic qualities,” Tucker said. “After you go back and reread everything that you put into it and the final sort of proofing process, you realize that there are very specific sensibilities that you all have.”
