A group of four longtime friends believe the muses of the pen are ever active in the Bluegrass, and it's high time the inspired ink had more places to go.
Three UK students and one graduate of Ohio University have begun the process of assembling Wild Carrot, a bi-annual literary journal that will target local writers and readers.
"There are so many people who write in Lexington and don't have an outlet," said Will Kenton, who has a degree from OU in political science and English.
Kenton has known the other pioneers of the project, Elizabeth Allen, Susan Shoemaker and Leila Salisbury, since their high school days. The four have conferred for several months about the need for a publication that could include young writers but not limit submissions to only UK students or already-published professors.
The project's name was inspired by the title of a poem by William Carlos Williams. The poem makes mention of the plant Queen Anne's Lace, which is also known as "wild carrot."
"The poem is actually about a woman who subdues her passions," she said. "It reminded me of this situation. We want to give new writers an outlet."
The editors believe that what is available is simply not accessible enough.
Allen previously worked on JAR, the student literary magazine of the Honors Program. The publication of JAR is overseen by a faculty adviser, but the selection is left up entirely to the students. Allen said the experience of Wild Carrots'editors may make for a better journal.
"Everybody here's had some sort of experience in publishing," the anthropology and French senior said.
"We want it to be something that has good production value so it can draw criticism," Kenton said.
The Limestone, another local literary journal, is put out by the English department. It usually harbors works of distinguished local scholars and is advertised in other literary publications nationally.
"The Limestone tends to be open to more known writers," Shoemaker said. Among the authors in The Limestone have been English professors Gurney Norman and James Baker Hall.
The editors want submissions from writers who are younger than 30 and have had no major works published previously.
"This way, you can catch people who are still trying to decide what to do with their lives," said Salisbury, an English master's degree candidate and an employee of the UK Press.
The group has experienced some difficulty with working with the University.
"It's so impossible to get things published by the University," Salisbury said. "It is a money-losing proposition from the start."
Salisbury and her colleagues have applied to the Kentucky Humanities Council for funding. The group also plans to look to local businesses (especially bookstores) and private donations for support. The magazine will cost a small amount to purchase.
"Depending on how much funding we get, we will make (Wild Carrot) as cheap as possible," Shoemaker said. "We want it to be accessible to everybody." Entries for Wild Carrot must be postmarked by June 1. The editors will accept poetry, prose and short fiction of any length, provided there are no more than three submissions per genre, per person. Computer renditions, photos or sketches for the magazine's cover may also be submitted. Editors require a $2 reading fee. All materials can be mailed to P.O. Box 1328, Lexington, Ky. 40583-3218.
©Copyright 1995 Kernel Press Inc.