March 12, 2025

Cynthia Short, a Spring 2025 professional writing intern in the Office of Strategic Communication + Marketing, submitted this article for publication.

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For many students at Columbus State University, writing isn’t just an academic requirement—it’s an art and a passion. The Arden, CSU’s literary magazine, aims to celebrate this. The magazine, which includes an all-student editorial team led by faculty advisor Zachary Lamb, provides a platform for the university’s creative voices.

“The Arden is a culmination of great works created while we share this space,” Lamb said. “Its purpose is to show these artists and writers their creations exist—and they matter.” Co-editors Maddie Ginter and Elizabeth Woods, both senior English majors from Columbus, Georgia, take great pride in amplifying student voices and perfecting this platform for student success.

“My favorite thing is to read the submissions and really get to experience other students’ work,” Ginter said. “We find that the most difficult part is choosing among the exceptional work of our students.”

Friends from before their work at The Arden, both Ginter and Woods were influenced by the late Dr. Scott Wilkerson (who mentored The Arden staff before he died in July 2024) to get involved with the magazine. They recognize how The Arden has fostered their growth, personally and professionally. Ginter, for example, has learned about several genres, including gaming narratives and hybrid experiments. Her creative writing focus makes the experience especially rewarding.

“I feel I’m more well-rounded as a writer,” she affirmed, adding that, through advertising for the magazine, she’s developed socially. “I feel like [Elizabeth and I] have met and talked to more people because of The Arden.”

Woods noted that compromise and collaboration, especially with faculty, are important talents. She said the art of negotiating and “sticking up for what we want the magazine to look like” has been an enriching experience. 

That said, their vision as student-editors is highly prioritized, according to Lamb, who underscored that, “The Arden is student-run. Every piece that’s chosen for publication and art direction is handpicked by the editors as the faculty works as ‘guardrails.’” 

The Arden’s quality has been recognized beyond the university, including by the Southern Literary Festival, which seeks to foster a community of undergraduate Southern writers. Most recently, the 2024 edition of The Arden (pictured with past editions) won second place in the festival’s “Literary Magazine” category. Junior Nadia Jacobs, an English major from Augusta, won first place in the “Formal Essay” category with her entry “The Poisonous Romance of ‘Amor Mundi’: Rosetti’s Critique of the Romantic Movement.”  

Woods and Ginter attribute the wins to the range of categories and stellar student work. One of the judges expressed her excitement to find “such a wide variety of genres and artistic mediums” as well as entries that “push the boundaries of storytelling and meaning-making.”

The Arden staff will continue their pursuit of literary innovation by traveling to the Southern Literary Festival in April at Blue Mountain Christian University in Mississippi. 

FACULTY MENTORING A KEY TO SUCCESS

One of The Arden’s advantages is having a faculty advisor that loves the work.

“[Professor Lamb] has been very supportive and helpful throughout this process,” Ginter asserted. “Losing Dr. Wilkerson was very hard for all of us, but I think he would be proud of the direction that Professor Lamb is helping us take the Arden.” Ginter noted that it was Professor Lamb’s idea to submit to the Southern Literary Festival. “He seems to always be on the lookout for ways we can improve.”

A 2018 Columbus State graduate with a fiction writing and publication background, Lamb returned to his Arden roots as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of English. He fondly remembers his time as a fiction editor for The Arden as an undergraduate, which allows him to appreciate the opportunities it offers to students. He joined The Arden’s faculty at the late Professor Wilkerson’s behest and remained after his passing.

Professor Lamb is only one example of the English department’s dedication. He sang the praises of his editors, stating, “It’s their hard work and dedication that made last year’s edition of The Arden great.”

As Lamb professes his love for both Columbus State and the English department. Ginter and Woods lauds the department’s stellar commitment to its students and the magazine. “The English department is the absolute best,” Maddie asserted. 

Together, Ginter, Woods and Lamb continually pursue improvements, which include “moving to a blind submission reading this year,” Lamb explained. “But one of the aspects that makes The Arden great is the diverse number of categories we accept submissions for.”  The diversity of both the submissions and their creators is evident, with students from majors like psychology, history, and art regularly contributing to the magazine. The Arden team is eager to elevate even more voices.

For those on the fence of submission, the co-editors have suggestions.

“It’s a great opportunity. Just keep submitting.” Ginter said. “Some of the best things in life happen when you just put yourself out there.”

Printed issues of The Arden are available in the department’s office in Arnold Hall; electronic copies can be downloaded from the CSU ePress.

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Main photo (left to right): Ginter, Woods and Lamb

Media contact: Michael Tullier, APR, Executive Director of Strategic Communication + Marketing, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu