Pendulum Swings Into Print

Pendulum is Exeter’s annual magazine dedicated to stu- dents’works of literature and the arts. Whether it’s prose, poetry or flash fiction, Pendulum highlights a variety of literary genres and serves as a way for students at the Academy to share their creativity and express themselves to the Exeter community.“For anyone interested in literature and art, Pendulum is the perfect outlet to use and improve your creative energies,” upper and Writing Editor Katie Ying said. “You get a chance to be part of a publication that has a long history at Exeter of publishing the best of student-produced literary and art work.”“Despite Pendulum’s focus on student written literature, it also features an assortment of different creative outlets. Pendulum is great because its success relies on a wide variety of talents,” Ying continued. “Yes, it is a literary and arts maga- zine, but anyone interested in graphics, layouts, photography, etcetera is also essential to the magazine.”William Perdomo, English instructor, supports Ying’s statement on variety, favoring Pendulum’s diversity and ap- peal. “The inclusion of multi-genre and multi-media makes the magazine dynamic and accessible to a wider audience,” Perdomo said. “Pendulum provides a showcase for work that has been conceived, composed, discussed, re-written and submitted.”Pendulum encourages students from all backgrounds to join the magazine. In fact, there is no prerequisite to a position on the Pendulum board, a new policy instituted by Brian Kim, current Editor-in-Chief.“I’ve learned throughout the last two years that editors who often get the job and have no experience in the editorial board have a hard time adjusting to their roles,” Kim said. “So I thought that giving underclassmen positions as associ- ates will allow for a smoother transition from board to board in the future.”Kim realizes that Pendulum often flies under the radar among many Exonians; however, he is working towards increasing awareness of the publication throughout the com- munity. “This year we're continuing the Hemingway prize, a flash fiction competition,” Kim said. “This is the second year we are doing the competition. It’s another way to encouragemore submissions and get the word out because Pendulum isn’t as well known as some other groups on campus.”Pendulum has restructured their board for the new year in hopes of maximizing efficiency. The board has been divided into three sections, writing, visual arts, and layout. Each of these sections has two upperclassman editors, and two un- derclassman associates.For students not interested in a board position but eager to share their literary or artistic talent, Pendulum accepts writing and artwork submissions via email until the start of spring break.Pendulum also plans on adding new features to this year's issue. ”We're experimenting with a couple different things this year, most notably a layout featuring both an individual- a picture and Q & A- as well as some of their work,” Ying said. “I personally feel that including this feature on the writer or art- ist gives the reader a more personal connection with the piece of work and allows them to appreciate it with more depth.”Faculty members recognize the importance of Pendulum to the Exeter community. “The value of such a publication is self-evident,” Todd Hearon, English instructor and former faculty advisor to Pendulum, said. “It supports and celebrates the student literary and artistic culture of the school– and has for a very long time.”In addition to its role on campus, Hearon admires the work ethic of the individuals who work on Pendulum. “I enjoyed advising it, not only because of how students took charge of this expression of their own culture, but also because of how they delivered into print very impressive editions,” Hearon said.Kim and his current board are excited for this new edition and the changes that are coming. “We were inspired by the New Yorker layout, and we're thinking of conducting interviews and potentially doing profiles of writers and artists who contribute pieces of work that really stand out,” he said.“We may include satirical cartoons at the back,” Kim continued. ”But I'll let you wait until May so I won't ruin the surprise.”