Nexus Archives | Photo by Emily Lewis | The Wright State Guardian
Nexus is a staple of the WSU community and has been for decades. After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the literary journal is being revived into a digital publication this fall.
The Origins
What became later known as Nexus Literary Journal first started as a one-page insert in the Wright State Guardian newspaper in 1965. At first, the publication only accepted creative writing and was released semi-regularly.
Nexus soon became a publication independent of the Guardian, with its own offices and staff to oversee the journal.
The publication continued to have close ties to the Guardian, as both were student media organizations on campus according to previous issues in the Guardian archives.
The Journey
While in print, Nexus transformed through various shapes and sizes and often struggled to remain afloat as an emerging literary journal. Despite challenges, Nexus published several successful issues over the years.
The journal published works from WSU community members alongside international submissions. Nexus also expanded to include illustration, photography and non-written art forms, according to the WSU Library CORE Scholar Archives.
Find the Nexus Literary Journal archives here.
The Revival
Eventually, Nexus saw a decrease in participation and interest. The publication faded away in the late 2000s after over thirty years of creative service to the community.
In 2013, the journal came back under the WSU Department of English.
During this era of Nexus, journal issues became available online, only printed when funds were available through the Student Government Association.
Erin Sherrets, Outdoor Recreation Program Manager for Campus Recreation at WSU, was Treasurer and later President of the Nexus publication while in grad school from 2016 to 2018.
“I enjoyed reading the work of my peers,” wrote Sherrets.
Despite the efforts of those involved, Nexus went on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the last publication being in 2019.
The Future
Nexus will return his Fall as a sub-publication of the Wright State Guardian. A digital issue will be published at the end of each semester, compiling all of the work submitted.
Students, faculty, staff and alumni are encouraged to submit their poetry, essays, fiction, art and photography.
“Get it all out on paper and spend a lot of time editing,” Sherrets reminds potential submitters.
This fall will feature the theme, “Paradox,” with submissions opening Sept. 1. Find out more here.
