If you’re familiar with Dialogue or religiously read the Calvin student news, you will know that jurying is kind of a big deal for us. After we’ve collected all the submissions, we need a way to evaluate which submissions to include in the journal.
Before, you stop reading this and start ripening a bunch of tomatoes to throw at the next bourgeois Dialogue staff member you see, screaming “nous ne voulons pas votre gateau! — we do not want your cake!” … don’t. Keep reading. Conversely, if you are perched on the sweaty back, thighs clinging to the moist flanks of your high horse thinking, ha, finally, the aristocracy is back! … don’t.
We need a means of art evaluation, so we recruit calvin students to individually review the anonymous submissions within different categories (e.g. prose) and rank each piece from “1 – Unacceptable material for Dialogue” to “5 – Must be printed in Dialogue.” The hope is that each juror does not merely base their scores on personal preference, resonance, or taste, but consciously considers the variables with which humans have evaluated artistic work for centuries (e.g. meter, voice, rhythm, harmony, build, mass, void, shadow, composition, intentionality, skill, etc.). Dialogue staff members are vetted by Dialogue editors who are, in turn, vetted by Dr. Debra Rienstra, so your work is in good hands. However, we have our own logs, so we need more voices influencing our choices. Ultimately, we want to expand the conversation beyond the 3.5 walls of the Dialogue closet. Jurying exposes Calvin students to a broad spectrum of creative work—from the bad, to the good, to the to the “shit, that is good.” Jurying is vital for our publication, and we hope that jurying is teaching, enlightening, grounding, frightening(?), and enjoyable for our jurors.
If you love art, apply for the jury. If you are tired of the elitist staff, actually talk to us, and apply for the jury. If you think our publication is sub-par, submit your own work, and apply for the jury. If you are having a spiritual awakening and that still small voice is saying “jury!” apply for the jury.
Start the Dialogue.
Before, you stop reading this and start ripening a bunch of tomatoes to throw at the next bourgeois Dialogue staff member you see, screaming “nous ne voulons pas votre gateau! — we do not want your cake!” … don’t. Keep reading. Conversely, if you are perched on the sweaty back, thighs clinging to the moist flanks of your high horse thinking, ha, finally, the aristocracy is back! … don’t.
We need a means of art evaluation, so we recruit calvin students to individually review the anonymous submissions within different categories (e.g. prose) and rank each piece from “1 – Unacceptable material for Dialogue” to “5 – Must be printed in Dialogue.” The hope is that each juror does not merely base their scores on personal preference, resonance, or taste, but consciously considers the variables with which humans have evaluated artistic work for centuries (e.g. meter, voice, rhythm, harmony, build, mass, void, shadow, composition, intentionality, skill, etc.). Dialogue staff members are vetted by Dialogue editors who are, in turn, vetted by Dr. Debra Rienstra, so your work is in good hands. However, we have our own logs, so we need more voices influencing our choices. Ultimately, we want to expand the conversation beyond the 3.5 walls of the Dialogue closet. Jurying exposes Calvin students to a broad spectrum of creative work—from the bad, to the good, to the to the “shit, that is good.” Jurying is vital for our publication, and we hope that jurying is teaching, enlightening, grounding, frightening(?), and enjoyable for our jurors.
If you love art, apply for the jury. If you are tired of the elitist staff, actually talk to us, and apply for the jury. If you think our publication is sub-par, submit your own work, and apply for the jury. If you are having a spiritual awakening and that still small voice is saying “jury!” apply for the jury.
Start the Dialogue.
Rachel J. House
Staff Member