Salmon Creek Journal — History
"A Tradition of Literary Excellence Begins at WSU Vancouver"
by Richenda Fairhurst
This article first appeared in the VanCougar , February 1998.
"Expression, creativity, and involvement." These are the words used by Dr. Wayne Brown, Student Activities Director here at WSU Vancouver, when asked to describe his vision for the WSU Vancouver English Club's literary publication, the Salmon Creek Journal.
The Salmon Creek Journal was an idea that began last year among a small group of WSU Vancouver students. This group, under the guidance of Sandra Dorr, gathered to share the writing they loved. Dr. Wendy Dasler Johnson, an English Professor and faculty advisor to the English Club, remembers these readings as " 'guerrilla readings'...in the student lounge...just us reading the things we love, and some brave few reading things they'd written." Soon, this aspiring group of talented writers formed an official campus club: The Writer's Club. This club was renamed this year, and is now The English Club.
Soon, these readings inspired the idea to create a publication that would herald the talent of WSU Vancouver students. This idea was to become Salmon Creek. Says Dr. Johnson of the journal's inception: "The Salmon Creek began through the inspiration and hard work of adjunct professor Sandy Dorr who taught creative writing." Sandra Dorr assisted with creative vision, and funding issues, and these "wonderfully thought-through proposals" paid off. Then, as Dr. Johnson describes, enthusiastic students put their "heart and soul into [the publication]," and essentially "act[ed] as midwives for this baby."
Some of those students included Jaymi Wiley, Katie Gammage, Justin Fields, Annette Bennedetti, and Jason Gillette. Dr. Wayne Brown remembers Justin's enthusiasm when he approached him with the idea for a journal. "He championed it," Dr. Brown recalls, "he was very persuasive, gave an excellent presentation [to the ASWSUV Board]...had a lot of passion and vision." For the inspired students who championed the journal, artistic vision brought many editorial challenges. Different visions for the project emerged, and the transition from idea to reality proved everything a birth could be: painful, exultant, frustrating, triumphant, and a little messy. Dr. Johnson remembers meeting with the editorial staff during the publication process: "The most wonderful thing was the support those few gave each other in the enormously hard work they all put in to make this happen." Dr. Johnson summed up the as process simply "a labor of love."
Many students, as well as faculty and administrators are looking forward to the Salmon Creek Journal establishing itself as an annual student literary publication, a tradition that will boost confidence in emergent writers and editors. Dr. Johnson sees the journal as "student work, start to finish," and Dr. Desiree Hellegers, an English Professor and a faculty advisor to the English Club, believes "seeing one's work in print is an enormous step for any aspiring writer, and hopefully has the effect of solidifying the writer's commitment to his or her art."
Dr. Brown also would like to see the journal "integrate[d] it into the way we do business around here." He says of the business side of things, "structurally, the English Club takes ownership under the canopy of the Publications Board," and he hopes in the future that Salmon Creek can be made "structurally traditional" by providing internships and or stipends for those with the vision for literature that the originating members of the Salmon Creek Journal's editorial board displayed.
Yet however the journal is implemented, either from spontaneous passion or a traditional of excellence, the students and faculty at WSU Vancouver can take pride in the fact that this journal belongs to, and emerges from, the talented students on our campus. "For me," Dr. Hellegers explains, "even more satisfying than seeing the journal in print, was sitting in the audience during the poetry reading that marked the journal's release, watching the writers, hands shaking, voices quaking but unstoppable, saying their pain and their peace." It is an inspiring account, and one that I envision will repeat itself year after year at WSU Vancouver.