Iowa State is not known for liberal arts, but Sketch, the university’s literary journal, has been providing students of all majors an outlet for their creative energy since 1934.

“It’s great that a university that is so science and technology affiliated to have such an opportunity for creative expression,” said Christiana Langenberg, adviser to the journal.

Sketch is a literary journal that is published twice a year and is a collection of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art, including photography, from all ISU students, said Cavan Reagan, Sketch editor and junior in journalism and mass communication.

“Sketch is a good forum for students to share their work who are not trying to go mainstream and make a career of writing,” said Reagan, current Daily news editor. “It is something they can hold on to and know that their work is published.”

“It gives students experience in getting their work out and polishing something up for editors,” said Shane Noecker, senior in English and contributor to Sketch.

Sketch is a completely student-run publication, from choosing the pieces that will be included for publication to designing the layout, said Langenberg. It is affiliated with Writer’s Bloc, a student organization devoted to creative writers at Iowa State.

“Sketch is as good as the students who put it together,” she said. “It looks like a literary journal and is more art-like versus Ethos, which is more mainstream. It gives the students involved with production the opportunity to get professional experience with print media.”

Student work that is included in the journal is selected by a jury board of five to 10 people who review the work without knowing the authors’ identities.

Each jury member has a week to review the hundreds of pages that have been submitted and ranks them numerically. The jury then meets with the board editor and discusses their rankings and finalizes their choices for the final publication, said Reagan, next year’s Daily editor in cheif.

Students from all colleges have the opportunity to submit their work for possible publication.

Malik Toms, editor and graduate student in English, said fliers are placed around campus prior to the submission date notifying students of the opportunity to get involved. Advertisements are also placed in the Daily and the Ames Tribune.

Noecker, who began working with Sketch as a member of the poetry board, said the more submissions received, the better the actual published product.

Although the journal has been published for 68 years, it has had the opportunity to be “refreshed” by an “ever-changing pool of contributors,” which provide “a vibrant selection of work each time it appears on campus,” Reagan said.

“It’s fun to see your work printed and know that there is a possibility for someone else to read it,” Noecker said.

Within the past five years, Sketch has become more prominent on campus, but Toms said she would like to see more submissions from students in the future, as well as more distribution boxes placed around campus. Toms also said there are plans for a release party with a DJ at the Maintenance Shop for the upcoming issue, which is scheduled for publication in May.

Langenberg also said Sketch could use more exposure on campus.

“Sketch needs to stick in students’ minds like Veishea does,” she said. “It is something that is affiliated with the university that students can be proud of.”

The literary journal is not unique to Iowa State, Reagan said, but because of the tradition associated with Sketch and how often it is published, it has become an outlet for students to showcase their work. Iowa State also has Flyway and knotgrass, an online literary journal, available for students wishing to share their writing or their art.

“At the very least, you can hear how your writing can be made better,” Toms said. “You have an opportunity to have your work read.”

“Often the thought of sharing work to critical eyes is too much to consider,” Reagan said. “Those who have brought their writing and art to Sketch are brave enough to overcome that fear.”