English students review past issues of "Gandy Dancer." / Photo by Keith Walters '11
Putting together a literary magazine is no small feat. It involves posting calls for submissions, reviewing each piece that comes in, deciding what makes the cut—which can involve heated debates—sending feedback to authors, copyediting, designing, proofreading, printing, distributing, and marketing.
Students in Geneseo’s ENGL 426: Editing and Production Workshop complete this process each semester in producing the SUNY-wide literary magazine . It’s collaborative work, producing tangible results.
Michael Crowley ’27 likes that the class provides a “quantifiable, marketable skill,” which he acknowledges may be harder to demonstrate in a discipline like English. “It offers a real application, rather than just abstract ideas being studied,” he says.
Professor of English and creative writing Rachel Hall says other literary magazines—at Geneseo and at other schools—have struggled or folded because they’ve been managed by student clubs, where membership levels and leadership may vary. Gandy Dancer has been going strong since Hall founded it through the workshop course in 2012.
Liberty Dodds ’26 says, “Doing this for credit feels almost unbelievable, because it feels like a club; it’s so much fun.” She emphasizes that it’s an elective course, not a requirement; students are choosing to be there. “We do it because we love it.”
In fact, students often choose to repeat the course for additional credit; the advanced level (ENGL 428) allows them to step into leadership roles.
“As a creative writing major, I didn’t know what kind of career I was going to go into in the future. When I found this class, it was very refreshing,” says Sonia Horowitz ’27, currently taking the course for the third time and serving as one of the magazine’s managing editors. “I ended up falling in love with it, and now I’m considering going into editing. This experience is one of a kind.”
The opportunity for freshmen to work with upperclassmen forges both friendships and mentorships. Kaylyn Beachner ’27, who worked last semester on advertising and merchandising, says this “enriching” experience is as much about connectivity as creativity. “It’s impossible not to know everybody’s name. You need everybody’s opinion.”
The students build a network of peers and professionals, not only within the class but across the SUNY system, including alumni and graduate students. Dodds works on Gandy Dancer’s social media and enjoys conversing there with other schools and publications. The course’s final is a launch party, at which some of the published authors read from their work.
Nina Avallone-Serra ’26, the magazine’s production assistant, finds it “affirming” to have a space dedicated to this creative community. “We not only get to dig into writing from creators our own age, we also get to interview published authors with real experience in the field.”
Crowley adds that “people studying English are always trying to find the thread of where writing has been and where it’s taking us.” The Gandy Dancer team is at the forefront of it.
The class helps develop myriad communication skills, including how to take criticism and how to engage with perspectives different from your own. “We all feel safe here,” says Horowitz. “We’re not afraid to disagree.”
The nature of the course encourages everyone to get involved in every part of the process. “It’s very collaborative,” says Hall. “There are so many different skills that get exhibited, so many ways that people can excel.”
Ryan Eck ’26, who enjoys doing graphic design work on the magazine, says, “It’s an experience, rather than just a class.”