Creative students are once again finding their voice in “Sketch,” a juried journal currently being distributed across campus.

“Sketch” has generally been published twice a year since its debut in May 1934. But for the last few years, “Sketch” has been on hiatus, with no editor to oversee publication.

The editor-in-chief position was filled this year by Ander Monson, a second year graduate student in English.

A total of seven editors served on the fall 1998 issue of “Sketch,” including two associate editors, with one editor assigned to each division of published work: nonfiction, fiction, poetry and visuals.

All of the editors who served on “Sketch” were graduate students, but Kata Alvidrez, associate editor of “Sketch,” would like to see more undergrad involvement in the journal’s future publication.

Alvidrez became interested in “Sketch” while attending a meeting of the Writer’s Block. She said she was interested in publication, so working on “Sketch” seemed like a logical choice.

This was Alvidrez’ first time serving as an editor on an ISU journal, though she has served on other outside publications.

For Alvidrez, the best part about working on “Sketch” was meeting the artists who submitted their work. All submissions made to “Sketch” were blindly chosen, but a reception and reading was held to celebrate the publication.

Alvidrez was also able to hear her favorite “Sketch” piece read aloud at the reception. Andy Segedi’s fiction entry, “Gavin and the Green Editor” is a humorous look at the sometimes touchy relationship between a writer and his editor.

Alvidrez said she enjoyed Segedi’s sense of humor about writing and thought it related well to what all writers go through.

Monson’s favorite piece was also a work of fiction. He said Dan Johnson’s “Harvest Time,” about the relationship between two brothers, “bridges the genres between poetry and prose.”

Funded by the Writer’s Block and GSB, “Sketch” is distributed freely to students and faculty of Iowa State. However, subscriptions can be purchased for $5, for those without easy access to the publication.

Submissions of all kinds were welcome, but, “Unfortunately,” Monson said, “very few works were actually published.”

He said the fall issue received 130 works of poetry and 30 works of fiction. Of these, only 11 poems and four stories reached publication.

In the past, both students and faculty were included in “Sketch.” But Monson’s team developed an editorial policy that only student works would be included in the current copy of “Sketch.”

Monson feels that the staff of ISU have other professional venues available in which to publish their works, whereas students do not.

Soon, the spring issue of “Sketch” will be distributed in major buildings across campus. The editors are currently working on it, and all entries were due Mar. 21.

For more information, the “Sketch” Web site can be accessed at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~ stu_org/Bloc/Sketch.