TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) – Tallahassee Community College is a diverse campus and one literary magazine has been publishing the work of TCC’s most creative minds for 35 years. The Eyrie Literary Magazine is celebrating its 35th anniversary Tuesday with the publication of its newest edition.
Nicolette Costantino is the faculty advisor for the magazine and says that every publication is not only put together by her students, but all of the work filling its pages are created by students from all over campus.
The magazine, which Costantino says was actually founded by a group of students, takes eight weeks to create.
"[Students] go through all the submissions that have come in through the prior year and then they determine what is the most outstanding work," said Costantino. "From those selections, my students then produce the magazine."
Costantino says students are getting a lot more out of the experience than just technical skills. "They are getting real, on the job, market value skills because they are having to work together as a team and that's something that, you know, they absolutely have to do in life and in their professional job, whatever that may be," she said.
Once finished, the Eyrie goes to the printers and is then distributed all over the campus, free of charge. According to Costantino, the magazine is a unique way to look at the diversity within TCC.
"We have everybody from, you know, the traditional college student who is going on to FSU that's between 18 and 20 years of age, to people who are returning after being out of school for decades, to some people who never got their AA degree in the first place... We have veterans, we have people who are working full time, we have parents," explains Costantino. "The uniqueness and diversity of the student body is more aptly reflected in the creativity that is showcased in the magazine as a result."
Once released, the Eyrie can be found across TCC's main campus and Costantino says this year's edition will feature some of the best work yet.
"This edition most aptly features the culmination of what my students from year to year have been learning from the past few issues," she said. "So, I would say that this issue it the most strongest reflection of all the feedback that we've been getting from across the years."
Costantino's students are hosting a free magazine unveiling party Tuesday evening at the TCC Fine and Performing Arts Center. The event starts at 7 p.m. and the public is invited to attend. For those that wish to get a copy of the Eyrie, you can either find them in displays on TCC's campus or contact Costantino directly at costantn@tcc.fl.edu.
