When English major Amanda Bourque enrolled in a writing class, one of the major projects was to construct a literary piece to send to Chrysalis for review.

“I took a Creative Writing course in which our final grade was to submit a revised piece for publication,” Bourque said. “I must say it was rewarding to work on a piece all semester and see it sent off for consideration.”

Submissions for Chrysalis, the San Jacinto College Central Campus’s online literary and art magazine may be a requirement for certain English courses, but Managing Editor professor Robert Flynn said Chrysalis is open to all students.

“All a student needs to do is email their work to [email protected] and the Chrysalis editorial team will evaluate it,” Flynn said. “If it’s accepted for publication, it will be published with the student’s consent. The only thing a student ‘needs’ to submit is a school email account.”

According to Flynn, Chrysalis provides more than just entertainment and knowledge to its readers, it also offers students a place where their creativity can shine.

“By giving students an outlet for their artistic expression, Chrysalis hopes to not just instill creative expression in all artistic forms, but also foster a community of unrestricted intellectual and artistic exploration and expression,” Flynn said. “Censor-free artistic expression is essential to educational growth.”

Meanwhile, Bourque said the availability of this creative outlet has not gone unnoticed.

“As a writer, poet, or artist, you just yearn to have your work acknowledged and shared with as many people as possible, and it’s so cool that San Jac has a publication that allows for that,” Bourque said. “With something like Chrysalis, students can see that some of their peers are very talented, dedicated, and creative.”

Even though the magazine‘s re-launch shifted it presence to the online world, Chrysalis still has the option to run hard copies of the magazine for special occasions. Flynn said the magazine is leaving behind its paper and ink days and is currently found exclusively online in order to move “[the magazine] forward into the world of digital publishing.”

“It once was a once-or-twice-per-year print publication,” Flynn said, but “now we are ready to be a once-a-week online publication with the option of additional print collections at various times during the year.”

Bourque, who said the switch makes it easier for her and her peers to access the magazine, does not consider a change from print to online a detriment.

“It’s paperless, which is key in this age of ‘going green,’ and conveniently accessible,” Bourque said. “An online publication like Chrysalis is something that students can easily submit their work to, and enjoy reading anytime they’re online.”

Furthermore, Flynn said San Jac students have an upcoming opportunity to have their work published almost immediately.

“We have a themed event coming up in April that’s tied to the Get Lit! event,” Flynn said. “We’ll have a booth where students can write a short story, poem, or draw a picture based on a prompt, with the possibility of having it published immediately, right in front of them. We’ll even take their picture and put it up alongside their work.”

Chrysalis is currently accepting submissions for poetry, short fiction, and non-fiction, but it set to expand the types of submissions it receives. All students submitting a piece must be enrolled at San Jac and must have a college-issued email address.

“It is so important to have a place where students with a variety of talents can present their hard work and have it be respected,” Bourque said. “It’s, overall, a great and important publication for every student who wants to partake in it.”