Tahoma West returns for the 30th Edition
30 Editions later, Tahoma West has seen some changes and continues to highlight student creativity.
By Rae Watkins
Tahoma West, University of Washington Tacoma’s literary and arts journal is an annual publication that highlights student, alumni, faculty and staff creativity from all corners of campus.
Each year, the publication releases a print journal in the spring, full of photos, art pieces, short stories, music and other creative works selected by students. Through their submissions to Tahoma West, students reveal intimate parts of their stories, from family trials and tragedy to moments of triumph and jubilation.
Arts and community go hand in hand, and Tahoma West illuminates the identity of UW Tacoma. With a combination of storytelling, curation and craftsmanship, the depth of Tacoma’s students shines in each issue.
Founded in 1996, Tahoma West has grown up with UW Tacoma and chronicles a rich history of creativity and connection to our campus community. In spring of 1997, when UWT officially became a permanent UW campus, the journal released its first issue. From there, Tahoma West blossomed into the project it is today.
Through many iterations, shapes, sizes and even digital formats, Tahoma West has demonstrated both adaptability and innovation. During the pandemic years, Tahoma West’s operation moved to a fully remote team. Like many of us, the publication team had to jump into action: creating plans, devising new strategies and figuring out how to continue the legacy for this journal through a completely digital space.
But the online moment taught us important lessons about publication. Not only did Tahoma West staff learn that despite the shift toward a digital age, print copies still hold a nostalgic and valuable place in bringing communities together.
The creators also found that digital submissions could allow the journal to expand into disciplines not commonly hosted in creative arts journals. Through digital hosting, music, dance, video arts, game design, scientific models and more, all were possible to print within the pages of the journal.
In recent years, Tahoma West has expanded to include digital works, including Instagram comics, music, video and more. QR code technology allows the journal to include any work that can be hosted on the creators’ personal digital space or social media. This broadens the horizons for Tahoma West and allows students who might never have imagined themselves as published creators to see their names in print.
Despite funding cuts that have reduced the staffing of Tahoma West, from multiple section editors and managing staff to just two dedicated co-editors, the journal continues to thrive as a living and growing part of UW Tacoma’s culture.
Offering professional development, experience in layout, print design, publication timelines and marketing, editorial positions on Tahoma West and other student publications teams provide opportunities for student growth. This year, the journal welcomes Co-editors Madison Gosselin and Ahmad Jenkins.
Both artists, Gosselin and Jenkins bring new life to the pages of Tahoma West. Gosselin said her role at Tahoma West provided exactly the opportunity she was looking for to do something that means something, escaping the mundane day to day of customer service to bring art to her community.
Jenkins said he hopes to give students the chance to show their work and step out of their comfort zones.
“I just want to put it out there: if you have artistic talent, this is the time!” Jenkins said.
“It’s important for people who aren’t arts majors to realize they have something,” Gosselin said. “Your art can be a lot of things and influenced by different experiences and personality. That diversity is important to UW Tacoma and diversity in general is important for the world.”
Gosselin and Jenkins are no strangers to the struggles of creation. Jenkins, a sketch and traditional media artist, can often be found creating representative artwork about history or connecting to current events. Gosselin, a writer, expresses her art by finding the extremity in real-life situations and bringing their urgency to sharp and immediate clarity.
With different backgrounds, Jenkins hopes to promote young artists and help younger generations find wisdom. Gosselin, a recent high school graduate, echoed that sentiment.
“It’s hard to see people getting put down because they’re younger in a world where everything is run by people who are so much farther ahead than [them],” Gosselin said.
She aims to help younger people find their way in a world that doesn’t treat them like they’re ready, even when they are.
“Even though it isn’t the scale of a major publication, [Tahoma West is] still something to recognize people for, and people need that,” Gosselin said. “People recognize others for something they didn’t set out to be famous for, and it send them in the right direction to believe in themselves and become something bigger.”
After a lengthy search effected by budget cuts, hiring freezes and uncertainty, Tahoma West is also excited to welcome the new Programs Operation Specialist for Student Media Alex Bruell, an experienced journalist and graduate of UW Seattle.
Bruell comes to UW Tacoma after a role as editor of the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber, and ready to impart fresh insights from his professional career. Inspiring newer writers is part of what drew him to this role, and he is excited to get to work.
As a member of the UW tri-campus alumni, Bruell is already aware of many of the nuances of student life. With background in writing, project management, photography and mentorship, Bruell’s work has reached across Washington, showing a deep connection to people and places that fit perfectly with UW Tacoma’s mission.
Bruell hopes his enthusiasm and love for journalism and literature, and his industry experience brings connections to both campus and community for his department. With over 8 years in the professional journalism industry, Bruell has a wealth of knowledge to draw from.
A fan of storytelling and creative longform himself, Bruell says he hopes to broaden the kind of experiences and arts that students are exposed to.
“I want it to be so interdisciplinary, it’s interplanetary,” Bruell said.
“It’s important to see yourself published—it’s a way of demonstrating that passion is real and translated into real ability that should be recognized,” Bruell said of his thoughts on submitting to Tahoma West. “Everyone, especially non-artists—benefit from the confidence of seeing themselves make something beautiful. If everyone were able to do that, I think we would live in a better world, so this is a small way of being able to do that on campus.”
Bruell will also oversee the staff of Tahoma West’s sister publication, The Ledger.
In today’s world, arts journals like Tahoma West have an even more spectacular role to play than just promoting art.
“Art has always been an activist muse,” Jenkins said. “For students, they have the opportunity to voice their opinions, even if they can’t say it out loud. They can write about it, create something, and get it out of them.”
The future looks bright for Tahoma West. As new faces breathe new life into the pages, UW Tacoma community members can look forward to more developments and growth from the journal. In celebration of the 30th Edition, keep a look out for Jenkins or Gosselin around campus, say hello, and of course submit your creative works.
If you’re interested in submitting work to Tahoma West, please read through the submission guidelines here: https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/tahoma-west/submission-guidelines . The final deadline to submit to Volume 30 is 11:59 p.m. Sunday, March 22.
Stay up to date by following the Tahoma West social media (Instagram) here: Tahoma West
